News Center newsletter

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.

Christin Larkin and Kevin Bresnahan of Jewell announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Friends and family are invited to the wedding dance taking place Saturday, May 28 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon from 7-11 p.m.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Susan Sivesind and the late Edward Larkin of Waukon and is a 1998 graduate of Waukon High School and a 2002 graduate of Luther College in Decorah. The bride-to-be is employed as an Assistant Director and Preschool Teacher at Story Book Child Care and Preschool in Story City.

The groom-to-be is the son of Patrick and Donna Bresnahan of Waukon and is a 1997 graduate of Waukon High School and a 2002 graduate of Buena Vista University. The groom-to-be is employed as a Level II/III Special Education Teacher at Fort Dodge High School in Fort Dodge.

Destiny and Leonardo Teixeira of Des Moines announce the birth of their son, Dominic Buck Welsh Teixeira, born April 21, 2022 in Des Moines. He weighed 6 lbs. 14 ozs. and measured 21 inches in length at the time of his birth.

Grandparents are Betty Welsh and the late Lloyd Welsh of Lansing and Valtier and Edneusa Teixeira of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 – August 1: Primary Nesting Season
July 15: Spring Crop Reporting

Nutritional needs change significantly across gestation and lactation

A new publication from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach helps horse breeders determine the dietary needs of their mares during gestation and lactation.

A mare’s gestation or pregnancy is approximately 340 days, or 11 months, according to Peggy Auwerda, associate professor in animal science and extension equine specialist at Iowa State University. The dietary needs change significantly during gestation and lactation, and are critical to the health of the horse and its foal.

“Special attention must be given to the diet of the pregnant mare from conception to foaling,” said Auwerda. “This publication provides some background and definition as to what the gestating and lactating mare needs, and illustrates it with both tables and figures.”