News Center newsletter

LifeServe Blood Center is urging eligible blood donors to roll up a sleeve and give the ultimate gift this holiday season: the gift of life. Blood cannot be manufactured in a lab and there is no substitute for it. In order to ensure blood will be available for local hospital patients in their critical time of need depends on generous donors to make that lifesaving gift.

The standard blood donation process only takes an hour start to finish, with the actual blood collection procedure only lasting about ten minutes. One donation can save the lives of up to three local hospital patients. Be a holiday hero, Schedule an appointment at an upcoming blood drive in the local community.

The Waukon Community Blood Drive is scheduled for Monday, December 10 from 12-5 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 614 Rossville Road. Schedule a blood donation appointment online at lifeservebloodcenter.org or call 800.287.4903.

Don’t miss the Medicare annual open enrollment period for Part D drug plans which runs through December 7. Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon has SHIIP counselor Russ Hagen available by appointment to discuss Medicare Part D plans available for 2019 and Medicare Advantage.

Call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411 to schedule an appointment and those enrolling need to bring their Medicare card, current Part D plan card and a list of medications from their pharmacy which includes drug name, quantity and dosage.

Those interested can also go to www.medicare.gov and do a comparison of 2019 Medicare drug plans. SHIIP has step-by-step instructions for a comparing plans at www.therightcalliowa.gov.
 

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Tuesday, December 4, which is earlier than normal this month due to the holidays. The group will meet at 5 p.m. in the Education Conference Room.

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. This grief support usually meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital but again has been moved up to December 4 due to the holidays.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will be offering the next course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health care providers (those working in health related fields such as physicians, nurses, EMTs, etc.) Wednesday, December 19, beginning at 5 p.m. This “Health Care Professional” CPR class will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital.

The cost of the class, for certification or recertification, is the same and all registrants should bring along their own pocket mask. The online certificate received with the course does certify attendants in CPR for two years.

Pre-registration plus minimum of three participants is required. For more information and to register for the “Health Care Provider” CPR Course, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Janann Miene by Alice Schlacke, Robert and Judy Iseli and Gary and Lollie Hirth.

Memorials were also received in memory of Richard “Dick” Huinker by Larry and Nancy Straate, in memory of Wayne King by Carol Krumme, in memory of Raymond Bloem by Fred and Geralyn Smith, in memory of Duane Brandt by the Duane Brandt Family, in memory of William “Bill” Collins by Orrin and Nan Grangaard and Jean Huffey, and in memory of Duane Duvel by Fred and Geralyn Smith, Marlene Habhab, Mary Ann Hager and Mae Jean Bakke.

In addition, the Foundation also received a donation from Marlene “Mickey” Cook.

Memorials and donations are appreciated by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. The Foundation is a 501C3 organization. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible. Memorials and donations can be sent to 40 First Street SE, Waukon, IA  52172.
 

Delbert G. Timmerman of Lansing will be celebrating his 90th birthday December 12.

In honor of the occasion, cards and well wishes may be sent to:

Thornton Manor, 1329 Main Street, P.O. Box 700, Lansing, IA 52151.

Daniel and Breanna Reierson of Luana announce the birth of their daughter, Amara Annalee Reierson, born November 14, 2018 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 9 lbs. 1 oz. and measured 20 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins three brothers, twins Brayden and Merrick (5) and Gaige (2-1/2).

Grandparents are Dean and Connie Reierson of Clermont, Karen Lenth of Elgin and Kim Lenth of Luana. Great-grandparents are Joe and Helen Reierson of Elgin, Leonard and Jean Schutte of Castalia and the late Duane Walter of McGregor.

Jeremy and Ruth Lloyd of Postville announce the birth of their daughter, Trinity Rose Lloyd, born November 20, 2018 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 8 lbs. 10 ozs. and measured 21.5 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins siblings, Riley (8-1/2), Bailey (7) and Promise (3).

Grandparents are Mike and Gwen Lloyd of Harpers Ferry, Phil and Joyce Smith of Duluth, MN, Jerry Peterson of Northfield, MN and Michelle Snyder of Duluth, MN. Great-grandparents are Janice Winter of Waukon, Mary Johnson of Duluth, MN and Ernie and Phyllis Thompson of St. Clair, MI.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that I have confessed here before my ignorance of the Bible, but one verse has always caused me to wonder about the reference, and that verse comes to mind every winter’s start.

“... and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land” is how it goes. It refers to spring, but I wonder what sort of voice a turtle has. I’ve caught a few, and all I ever heard was a hiss from a large snapper. Or since it deals with spring, does the verse really refer to the turtle dove?

What causes it to come to mind each winter is the sound I heard before rising and looking out the window Saturday morning, when the sound of the snow shovel was heard in our land.

By the time this gets into print, Thanksgiving Day will be over.

I hope the national political tone was muted over the holiday, but I sort of doubt if it was.

To the Editor:

On second thought (Daylight Savings Time offers an extra hour of think time before the alarm goes off), just what is the job of a city council? Isn’t it to question the experts and their motives for what they are proposing?

Why only fix five blocks of First Avenue NW? Is it because that is where the public property is? The courthouse, library, school, church-owned property, parking lot as well as their own business - attorney, doctors, accountants, printing shop, plumbing shop, storage buildings, bank, apartments, repair shops, various rentals, etc.

So, what just happened on First Avenue NW was described as “maintenance”. Is the rest of the town also going to get “main-ten-ance” without assessment? What is the plan? Are north-south streets and east-west avenues going to be rebuilt or are they going to be “maintained”?