News Center newsletter

The Kee softball team got its 2022 season underway with a four-game slate this past week, being able to put one of those four games in the win column. A pair of home match-ups against area Class 3A opponents resulted in a split for the Lady Hawks, as they opened the season with an 11-0 loss in five innings to Crestwood Monday, May 23 but posted a 4-2 win over Waukon Friday, May 27. The Kee girls then played in the Jesup Softball Classic Saturday, May 28, falling in a pair of contests, 6-3 to Springville and 12-4 to Sumner-Fredericksburg.

Following an initial week of just one game that started the 2022 season off with a loss, the Kee baseball team’s schedule and momentum picked up considerably this past week as the Hawks played a full slate of eight games and pushed every one of them to the win column. Kee’s undefeated week included home doubleheader sweeps of Decorah Monday, May 23, 7-2 and 11-6, and Turkey Valley Tuesday, May 24, 6-0 and 7-3, before a road doubleheader sweep at MFL/MarMac Thursday, May 26, 8-2 and 20-4. The Hawks then swept through a pair of Class 1A foes at their own Shooky Fink Tournament in New Albin Saturday, May 28, blasting Wapsie Valley by a 14-0 count in five innings and doing similarly to Alburnett, 8-0, to complete their undefeated week of competition and improve Kee’s season record to 8-1 overall with a 4-0 start to its Upper Iowa Conference schedule.

Dar loved to travel the world; she had lots of vacations, and what sights she has seen. She has been in over 35 countries.

She wanted to let you know she has taken her last trip. She received a call, “one of a lifetime” and one she can’t refuse. She won’t be returning from this trip, but this trip comes with spectacular accommodations. She will have a reunion with family and friends that she hasn’t seen in a long time. What a celebration this will be!

Darlene “Dar” Janice (Larson) Klein, 79, of Waukon died Thursday, May 26, 2022 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon of gastric cancer. Funeral Services will be held Thursday, June 2 at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Waukon. Friends may call prior to services 8-11 a.m. at the church. Instead of flowers, Dar would hope that you will do an unexpected act of kindness for someone in her name. At Dar’s request, family will host a Drinks With Dar celebration in Harpers Ferry at a later date.

Nancy Knutson, age 45, of Bloomington, WI passed away Monday, May 16, 2022 in La Crosse, WI due to health complications. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, June 4 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Cornerstone Church in Prairie du Chien, WI.

Nancy was born February 8, 1977 in Waukon to Marsha (Ewing) and Daryl Frana. She graduated from Waukon High School in 1995.

Nancy was a devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother and aunt. She loved spending quality time with Maysen, her nieces and nephews, and spoiling her two granddaughters. She loved cooking, spending time with family, friends, working, reading books, watching movies, and going to garage sales and secondhand stores. Nancy especially loved to joke around and make people laugh.

We regret to announce the passing of Therese Marie Hegeman, 72, from Waukon Thursday, May 19, 2022. In spite of her energetic and youthful spirit, Therese endured a long illness. She will be missed dearly.

The immediate family gathered Wednesday, May 25 in Des Moines to remember her life, with her ashes to be scattered at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests charitable donations be made.

Therese was preceded in death by her parents, Don and Betty; her sisters, Jeannie and Mary Anne; and her brothers, Blake and Bill. She is survived by her daughters, Alexandra Nelsen and Vanessa Nelsen; her brother, Jim; her sister, Katherine; and her extended family and friends.

Veterans Memorial Hospital is now offering Blood Type testing as part of the Community Wellness testing program offered by the Lab. This program offers common lab tests at a reduced, up-front cost to avoid the high deductibles of some insurance companies. Other common Community Wellness tests include hemoglobin, cholesterol, vitamin D, potassium, blood glucose, etc. Blood typing is now offered along with this long list as another walk-in laboratory wellness test at Veterans Memorial Hospital with quick results.

Many individuals do not know what blood type they are. Hospitals and clinics may have your blood typed for several different reasons, but the most common reasons are the expectation of a blood transfusion due to anemia, leukemia or traumatic blood loss, or with a regular prenatal examination. Newborns also have their blood typed, but generally only when the mother is a negative blood type.

Every three years, Veterans Memorial Hospital is required to survey the residents of Allamakee County and the surrounding area served by the hospital to collect a list of the health needs the residents feel are most important. Community Health Needs Assessments gather information to help guide and direct health planning activities. The hospital is now conducting that survey once again and is seeking input from all the area communities.

Information from this survey is compiled and used to update and improve the health plan for this entire service area of the hospital.

Veterans Memorial Hospital is conducting this survey from now through June 30. The hospital encourages everyone to take a few minutes to complete this important survey so the results can be used to develop a plan to address the outlined health needs.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s 29th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 20, at the Waukon Golf and Country Club beginning with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.

Teams of three will play 18 holes of golf. Breakfast rolls, lunch, dinner and prizes for everyone will all be provided for the donation of $75.

This is the 29th annual golf tournament the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation has sponsored. All those interested are asked to pre-register their team by calling the Waukon Golf and Country Club at 563-568-9939. The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation is a volunteer board who raise funds to help promote health care in the area communities served by Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“Welcome to Medicare” is a free, two-hour seminar offered by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors for those nearing Medicare age. This program will be held Tuesday, June 21, from 5-7 p.m. in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“Welcome to Medicare” will cover Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, the prescription drug benefit (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement insurance.

SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, is a service of the State of Iowa. Local SHIIP counselors Russ Hagen and Nancy Schoh are trained by the State and do not sell or promote any insurance companies, policies or agents.   Veterans Memorial Hospital is a local sponsor for SHIIP in Allamakee County.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Monday, June 6, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church located in south Waukon. Blood drives are held once a month in Waukon, to allow for more donors to give. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its 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.