Health

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Tuesday, April 13 at 5 p.m. in the Meditation Chapel Room, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. This informal meeting is open to anyone suffering from any type of loss, whether it be death, divorce, illness or some other grief.

Feel free to attend and bring a friend, and be sure to wear a mask. All attendees will be able to physically distance during the meeting.  This grief support system meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Lloyd David “Newt” Newton by Dave and Sandy Lyons, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Bailey and Jared Estebo, Russ and Mary Jo Meyer, Ann Fossum, Mark and Tammy Knudston, Lesa Moose, Ron and Julie Peiffer, Tom and Karen Regan, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Brian and Denise Wullner, Carl and Betty Christianson, Helen Johnson, and Brad and Erin Berns.

Memorials were also received in memory of Lois Beneke by Les and Ada Marie Kerndt, Bill and Beth Shafer, Jane Grotegut, Randy and Karen Loeb, Brad and Linda Winkie, Marlys Leiran, Audrey Angel, Ernie and Donnalee Osland, Russ and Mary Jo Meyer, John and Sheryl Prestemon, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Dean and Lynn Sorensen, Carl and Betty Christianson, and Mary Ann Hager.

Memorials were also given in memory of Marilyn Moose by Carl and Julie Johnson, Marlys Leiran and Lesa Moose.

Allamakee County Public Health administered over 500 Pfizer and 80 Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday and Friday, March 11 and 12. Those first dose recipients who received the Pfizer vaccine at Veterans Memorial Hospital on those days need to return to the hospital for their second/booster dose either Thursday, April 1, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., or Friday, April 2, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Both the Main Entrance and lower ICN Entrance of the hospital will be open to walk in for  the booster dose (see schedule information at right).

Those individuals who received the Moderna first/primary dose March 12 will need to return to the main entrance of the hospital for their second/booster dose Friday, April 9, between 1-6 p.m. Everyone must bring their vaccination card with them so the second/booster dose can be documented.

Pfizer booster/second doses for individuals vaccinated March 11 and 12 at VMH will be administered:

- Walk-in Thursday, April 1: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at either the Main Entrance or lower ICN Entrance of VMH
- Walk-in Friday, April 2: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at either the Main Entrance or lower ICN Entrance of VMH

Moderna booster/second doses for individuals vaccinated March 12 at VMH will be administered:

- Walk-in Friday, April 9: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Main Entrance of VMH only

Vaccination cards are required. Individuals must bring their vaccination card that lists their primary dose information to these clinics so that booster dose information can also be documented for your records.

There will be no primary/first doses administered at these walk-in clinics.

Donations continue to be received for the Veterans Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic. Recently, a generous donation of $10,000 was received from FreedomBank of Waukon. Pictured above, left to right, at the registration desk of the renovated clinic is Dave Martin, Hospital Maintenance and Project Supervisor; Michael Coyle, Hospital CEO; Laura Baxter, RN, Clinic Manager; Dr. Dave Schwartz, Clinic Physician; Nancy Schoh, Market President, FreedomBank of Waukon; Kathy Mueller, President, FreedomBank; and Kevin Hanson, President, Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation.

Needed renovations to the clinic building are nearing completion with a date of May 3 set for the clinic opening. Donations are still being accepted by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. All gifts to the Foundation are tax deductible. Anyone with any questions about the campaign or Foundation is invited to call the hospital at 563-568-3411. Submitted photo.

The regular monthly blood drive will be held Monday, April 5 from Noon to 5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon, but an additional second blood drive is also being offered in April.

Thanks to the efforts of the Christensen family, the Julie Christensen Memorial Blood Drive will be held Wednesday, April 21 at the Waukon Wellness Center from 1-5:30 p.m. in the Senior Center.

Julie Christensen was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia November 27, 2019 and was in the hospital until February 14, 2020. She was then able to come home for a short while before she was admitted back into the hospital March 7, 2020 for more chemo and a stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor in Germany. It was a perfect match. Julie’s stem cells grafted well and she became Leukemia free.  During this time, Julie received 45 units of blood and 38 units of platelets.

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD/LD

Sure, you can lose weight quickly.  There are plenty of fad diets that work to shed pounds fast, leaving you feeling hungry and deprived.  The problem is that most people can only follow these restrictive diets for a short time, eventually going back to their old way of eating.  I call this the “diet roller coaster”.

Instead of starting a restrictive diet, which lowers your metabolism, why not adopt a few new choices that can turn into lifelong habits?  The weight you lose with new habits is more likely to be permanent.  Here are 10 of my favorite proven habits to promote weight loss:

1. Eat breakfast daily.  This simple habit “breaks the fast” to wake up your digestion. It raises your metabolism, so you will be burning more calories all day long. I recommend eating something within the first hour of waking. Including protein at breakfast will help control your appetite later in the day.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Dean Bechtel by Jan Ellingson, Randy and Karen Loeb, Ron and Nancy Adam, Mary Ann Hager, Lollie Hirth, Meg Schaller, Carl and Julie Johnson, John and Sharon Dean, Mary Jo Nordheim, and Dean and Sherry Bechtel.

Memorials were also received in memory of Karen O’Malley by Betty Decker, Shirley Schneeberger and Dean and Lynn Sorenson.

Memorials were also given in memory of Clifton Christianson by Mary Ann Hager, Les and Ada Marie Kerndt, Marv and Marge Strike, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Ron and Nancy Adam, Gladwin and Darlene Anderson, Audrey Angel, Earl and Bev Haas, Lollie Hirth, Lillian Larson, Jim and Bev Larson-Needham, John and Sheryl Prestemon, Meg Schaller, Jerry and Marilyn Troendle and Betty White.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic fundraising campaign recently received a generous pledged donation of $20,000 from Systems Equipment in Waukon.  Pictured above: Left to right - Front row: Michael Coyle, CEO of Veterans Memorial Hospital; Mark Bolduan; Nancy Grangaard, Owner/President of SYSTEMS Equipment Corp.; Tina Folsom; Jackie Halverson; Gloria Hennessy; Vickie Winke; William Chacon; Mike Conway; and Spencer Spain.  Back row: Brad Benzing; Fred Axmear; Matt Miller; Peter Grangaard; Tim Lennon; Mitch Duncklee; Dylan Bork; Bill Halvorson; Jack Lange; and Bruce Benzing. Not pictured: Gerald Conway. Needed renovations to the clinic building are currently underway and mostly include new flooring, countertops, paint, and a new registration area, plus the needed technology throughout the building including a new Telehealth consulting room. Donations are currently being accepted by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation.

by the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and Veterans Memorial Hospital

Eating right doesn’t have to be complicated. Before a meal, think about what foods you are going to eat. Choose foods that provide the nutrients you need. Build a healthy plate with foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein foods. Consider the following tips to help you get started on your way to eating right.

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Eat a variety of different colored vegetables, including dark-green, red and orange. Beans, peas, and lentils are also good choices. Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables can all be healthful options. Look for “reduced sodium” or “no-salt-added” on the labels. Add fruit to meals and snacks. Choose fruits that are dried, frozen or canned in water or 100% juice, as well as fresh fruits.