Health

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Monday, September 8, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church located in south Waukon.  Blood drives are held the first Monday of each month in Waukon. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) with their blood and blood products.

Blood centers across the United States see a decrease in blood donations during the busy summer months. During the summer, people become more active, have busier schedules, spend more time outdoors and take vacations. While donations decline, hospitals see an increase in the need for blood.

More driving can mean more automobile accidents. A person who has suffered severe injuries from an automobile accident can need up to 50 units of blood.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, August 21 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.

This month’s topic will be food safety. Brandy Strub, VMH registered dietician, will teach how to handle food safely to prevent food borne illnesses, which are something that can make people very ill. It will also help those attending to feel more confident about holding social gatherings ensuring good health for all in attendance after they go home. All are invited since this topic applies to everyone, even those who may not do the cooking in the household.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call Angie Mettille, RN, Diabetes Educator, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Donald Max Jay by Ada Marie Kerndt, in memory of Nancy Fellow Larson by Ann Rademaker, in memory of George and Lois Picket by Marlys Anderson, in memory of Doug Sharp by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, in memory of Arlyn Pladsen by Tess Pladsen, in memory of Duwayne Snitker by Frank and Patricia Goltz, in memory of Judy Byrnes by Don and Mary Jane McGraw, in memory of Jean Gander by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, in memory of Mary Lou Garin by Betty Troendle, in memory of Bob Hager by Don and Mary Jane McGraw and in memory of Mary Wachter by Pat and Deb McGeough.

Memorials were also received in memory of Dorothy Winke by Wendy Bucheit, Mary Ann Hager, Patsy Kerndt, Danny and Sue Schlitter, Beth and Bill Shafer and Linda Siegrist.

by Katy Maker, Nurse Midwife and Nurse Practitioner, Veterans Memorial Hospital and Medical Clinics

Choosing whether to breastfeed or formula feed your baby is only one of the many decisions expectant parents will make. It takes time to make such an important decision because it will not only affect your baby’s life but also the lives of the entire household. Breastfeeding is a commitment that both parents are involved in as it takes support from the partner to be successful.

“National Breastfeeding Week is an excellent time to think about lots of issues around how we feed our children,” states Katy Maker, Nurse Midwife at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and Clinics. “The neat thing about breast milk is that it’s always ready, it’s made specifically for that one child, and there are many ways to involve the whole family.”

The members of the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) are actively recruiting new and returning members to join them during their annual membership drive which is going on now.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital is devoted to providing the hospital and its patients and visitors with many services. The Auxiliary also holds annual fundraisers, such as the Women’s Health Day event each fall, the Pillow-Perk in October, a garage sale in the spring and their annual membership drive each July.  All the money the Auxiliary receives goes back to the hospital for equipment.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. The Centers for Disease Control reports that  history shows that vaccines are the safest, most effective way to protect yourself and your family from many preventable diseases.

Everyone should get all recommended vaccines at the recommended times. It is especially important for children and adolescents to get catch-up doses of any missed vaccines or vaccine doses as soon as they can. Adults should get all recommended vaccines for their age or other risk factors such as health condition or occupation. All adults should get tetanus boosters, seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccines, and any vaccines missed in childhood.

Vaccines strengthen the body’s natural defenses. To be immune is to be partially or fully resistant to a specific infectious disease or disease-causing organism. A person who is immune can resist the bacteria or viruses that cause a disease, but the protection is never perfect.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, August 21, 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.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

With the new school year fast approaching, Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) encourage parents and guardians to ensure their children are up to date on immunizations by scheduling a visit with their healthcare providers as soon as possible. Keeping up with these routine vaccinations is a simple yet crucial step in protecting children from preventable diseases - helping them stay healthy - in school and ready to learn.

The new EPIC medical record system at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) has now been in effect for over six weeks. This conversion to EPIC gained the hospital and clinics, and their patients, access to a comprehensive, user-friendly platform that streamlines patient data. One of the largest benefits to this new system is the MyChart Patient Portal which is used by over 150 million patients across the United States.  

With MyChart, patients can receive their test results much more quickly, request appointments and prescription refills, manage their children’s and other family members’ health care who need extra help, reach out to and contact a provider, manage health care financial accounts, and more. Other MyChart accounts can also be linked to this new hospital and clinics MyChart portal. 

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, August 21, 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.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.