Health

From the American Cancer Society and Veterans Memorial Hospital

Breast cancer is the leading cancer diagnosed in women in America. This year, more than 250,000 women will learn for the first time that they have this disease and more than 40,000 women will lose their lives. However, when breast cancer is detected early and treated promptly, suffering and ultimately the loss of life can be significantly reduced.

Women are encouraged to ask their doctors and other health care providers about mammography screening. Mammography (an x-ray picture of the breast) is the single most effective method to detect breast changes that may be cancer, long before physical symptoms can be seen or felt. Early detection, followed by up-to-date treatment, provides women with better chances for long-term freedom from the disease. But mammography screening must be done routinely.

Does anyone know just how much blood is needed by certain patients? Here are some facts from the LifeServe Blood Center:
• Cancer patients can use up to eight units of blood a month.
• Bone Marrow Transplant patients can use up to two units a day.
• Cardiovascular Surgery patient can use between two to 25 units.
• Liver Transplant patients can use up to 100 units.
• Auto/Trauma Accident patients can use up to five and 100 units.
• Premature infants can use up to one to four units.
• Burn victims case use up to 20 units of platelets.
• Heart surgery patients can use up to three to eight units of red cells and one to 10 units of platelets.
• Organ transplant patients can use 10-30 units of blood.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health’s annual flu shot clinics are underway.  The new COVID-19 vaccine booster for variant strains is also being offered, as well as the primary (first and second doses) of the COVID-19 vaccine. These walk-in clinics are currently being held every Wednesday through November 9, from 9-11:30 a.m. in the ICN room located on the west side of the hospital, next to the Gundersen Clinic. Parking will be available right outside that entrance, marked with orange cones.

October is National Physical Therapy Month. The Veterans Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation staff works with people of all ages, helping them to reduce pain and regain strength, independence and health, assisting patients within the hospital, patients on a skilled level of care, as well as outpatients and in the patient homes.

Jim Waters of rural New Albin had a knee replacement a couple of months ago and chose to come to Veterans Memorial Hospital for his therapy following his surgery. In his own words, he explains his experiences and trust in the hospital services and staff.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will be holding its annual Pillow Perk this year Monday, October 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. located on the Lower Level of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Kraft Pillow Service will be on site to make old pillows look like new.

Everyone is encouraged to bring in their feather pillows to the Pillow Perk to be cleaned, sanitized and given new ticking. Foam and Dacron pillows may also be renovated by this process. People are also encouraged to bring in their feather beds and have them made into new pillows.

Everyone is instructed to enter the hospital through the lower level loading dock entrance and to have their pillows in plastic bags marked with their name when they drop them off.   Directional signage will be located on the street right outside that door.

Alex Berns has joined the Veterans Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic-Waukon as the new Family Practice Nurse Practitioner and is accepting patients of all ages.  He will be working in the clinic full-time, joining Dr. Dave Schwartz; Sue McMillan, NP; Halie Ruff, NP, Katy Maker, Nurse Midwife; and Jon Hawes, PA in providing accessible health care locally.

Berns recently received his Doctorate Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Clarke University in Dubuque. He began his career at Veterans Memorial Hospital as a C.N.A., then continued as a full-time nurse after receiving his RN degree. Now after branching out and gaining experience in Hospice, Emergency, the ICU in Rochester and general inpatient care, he has returned to Veterans Memorial Hospital as a family nurse practitioner.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) staff and board members continue to visit each Allamakee County community to present and discuss the need to convert from a city-owned hospital to a county-owned hospital.  These sessions last less than an hour and will answer questions anyone may have about the proposed conversion of VMH from a city-owned to a county-owned hospital.  

The schedule for these county meetings, by date, is as follows:
• Waukon - Tuesday, October 25 at 6 p.m. in the Freedom Bank Community Room
• Postville - Tuesday, November 1 at 6 p.m. in the NEIA Wellness Center Meeting Room.

Anyone is welcome to attend these presentations, and question and answer sessions will follow each one. Questions such as the following will be covered at these meetings:
 

An estimated 252,710 new invasive cases of breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the United States during 2022 and about 2,470 new cases of breast cancer are expected in men. In total, an estimated 40,610 deaths (40,170 women and 440 men) are anticipated from breast cancer.

These numbers have steadily decreased since 1990. The American Cancer Society states the decrease represents progress in both earlier detection and improved treatment.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health’s annual flu shot clinics are underway.  The new COVID-19 vaccine booster for variant strains is also being offered, as well as the primary (first and second doses) of the COVID-19 vaccine.

These walk-in clinics are currently being held every Wednesday through November 9, from 9-11:30 a.m. in the ICN room located on the west side of the hospital, next to the Gundersen Clinic. Parking will be available right outside that entrance, marked with orange cones.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, October 20 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room, located on the lower level of the hospital.

The two newest VMH Medical Clinic providers will be presenting at this meeting. Alex Berns is a family medicine nurse practitioner and Tara Fink is also a nurse practitioner specializing in behavioral health. Alex Berns will be seeing patients of all ages for anything and everything, including treatment of diabetes. He plans on discussing health concerns that are associated with diabetes, such as neuropathy and heart disease.