Health

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will begin meeting once again at Veterans Memorial Hospital, with two optional meeting times in order to follow all of the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

Diabetes Educator Angie Mettille, RN, CDE, will be facilitating the same Diabetes Support Group meeting at two different times Thursday, June 18, which is the normal date for the support group to be held. One session will meet at 10 a.m., the other at 1 p.m. to help keep the number attending limited to 10 or below. All those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Angie Mettille by June 16.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Laboratory sees many repeat patients on a regular basis and is now giving them the choice to wait in the main lobby waiting room or in their personal vehicles until the laboratory drawing room is available.

Patients that choose to wait inside the hospital simply enter the hospital as usual. They will be screened by the staff member inside the door, then will wait in the lobby waiting area until a Lab staff member escorts them to the Lab.

Patients who choose to wait in their car are asked to call the Lab at 563-568-5594 when they arrive at the hospital. The Lab staff will then meet them at the door and escort them inside the building, first to the screening area and then directly to the Lab waiting area.

Veterans Memorial Hospital encourages the continued use of face masks in the community even with the relaxing of some of the COVID-19 restrictions. Since the CDC does still recommend that face masks be worn, Veterans Memorial Hospital continues to require all staff, visitors and patients to wear masks at all times within the facility. The hospital continues to be appreciative of the outpouring of community support and interest in making and donating face masks for patients and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospital is encouraging those that have been sewing for the hospital to continue to do so. In fact, with the reopening of some elective procedures, the hospital is requesting more donations of masks, if possible.

Veterans Memorial Hospital began offering Urgent Care last fall and it continues to be offered every Monday-Friday from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Urgent Care is designed for treating injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an emergency room (ER) visit. See the chart at right to help decide when Urgent Care is the best choice. Patients may enter through the main entrance of the hospital and ask for urgent care. A registered nurse will assess each patient and decide if urgent care or ER is the level of care they need.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, Veteran Memorial Hospital has had to limit surgeries and outpatient procedures, just like every hospital has had to, to one degree or another. However, the hospital is now beginning to offer a few elective surgical procedures, such as colonoscopies and mammograms. Individuals who are interested in inquiring about having one of these preventative procedures should call their provider. The provider can then share the order for the procedure with Veterans Memorial Hospital. Then the appointment and instructions will be shared. The hospital will be taking the highest precautions with each and every patient, leaving appropriate time between procedures and using all personal protective equipment and protocols.

The regular Caregiver Support Group meetings held monthly at Veterans Memorial Hospital have been canceled due to the COVID-19 virus. However, this support group is now being held through conference calls. Northeast Iowa Agency on Aging is offering weekly Caregiver Support Group conference calls every Monday from 10-11 a.m. To join a call, just dial 1-800-264-8432. Then enter the participant code 961847#. You will then be connected to the support group conference call, joining other caregivers.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Shirley Schulte by Kate Wooden; in memory of Dorothy Welper by Don and Cathy Baxter; in memory of Jean Szabo by Laura Duvel; in memory of Robert Schultz by Erma Swenson; in memory of Galerd Ehde by Oliver Roderick; and in memory of Jean Gallagher by Alex and Teresa Schaefers.

Memorials were also received in memory of Elaine Mooney by Maury and Kay Mooney and Brad and Erin Berns; and in memory of Margaret Halverson by Norb and Nola Palmer, Alex and Teresa Schaefers and Dennis and  Sandy Deal. In addition, a donation to the Foundation was received by Mary Beth Mellick.

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.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital continues to be appreciative of the outpouring of community support and interest in making and donating face masks for patients and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospital is encouraging those that have been sewing for the hospital to continue to do so.  In fact, with the reopening of some elective procedures, the hospital is requesting more donations of masks, if possible.

The hospital staff remains concerned and committed to the community and encourages face mask use by everyone, especially the elderly and immune-compromised, to help them stay safe when they have to leave their homes.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital strives to provide the safest health care experience with compassion for all patients.  During COVID-19, the hospital has gone to even greater measures to ensure a safe environment for all patients, with the following requirements:

· Daily health screenings of employees, patients and visitors.
· Face masks required for all employees, patients and visitors.
· Physical distancing required in waiting rooms.
· Visitation limited to only essential visitors.
· Pre-procedure COVID –19 testing required prior to having a procedure at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
· More time scheduled between patients for proper, effective and thorough sanitizing.

Veterans Memorial Hospital is carefully beginning to loosen some hospital visitor and elective procedure restrictions.

Effective immediately, hospital visitor guidelines have been changed to the following: