Health

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Laboratory has the ability to draw and locally run many of the lab tests regularly ordered by physicians.  INR testing to test the thinkness of the blood is a very routine test that can easily be satisfied at the local Lab.

“It is important to work together with your healthcare provider to come up with the best plan for monitoring your INR and adjusting your dose,” states Beth Fitzpatrick, M.T., Laboratory Supervisor at Veterans Memorial Hospital. “To schedule an INR at Veterans Memorial Hospital, first have your physician complete a written referral. Your physician’s office will give you a copy of the referral to bring into us or they can fax it to our lab. It is important to schedule your INR for testing according to your healthcare provider’s instructions.”

Urgent Care will be available over the New Year’s holiday, Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The hospital offers Urgent Care in addition to 24-hour a day emergency room (ER) services each and every day. Twenty-four hours a day, the hospital’s ER is staffed with an emergency provider to see ER patients with little waiting. Urgent Care is offered every day as well including every week night, on the weekends and on holidays when the local clinic is closed. Urgent Care is designed for treating injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an emergency department visit.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, January 2, from 12-5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon. The LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with their blood and blood products.

The LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa is seeking donors to ensure a safe and plentiful blood supply in Iowa. Because there is no substitute for human blood, the need for donors is continuous. Many Iowans are encouraged to make donating blood on a regular basis their New Year’s resolution this year.

by the American Institute for Cancer Research

Quick to prepare and warmly satisfying, soups are an ideal way to eat well in the winter. When you stoke soup with vegetables, whole grains and beans, you’re adding foods that brim with phytochemicals. The beauty of phytochemicals is that they are naturally occurring compounds that, along with vitamins and minerals, help boost immunity and fend off disease.

Favorite vegetable soups like tomato, lentil and onion are teeming with valuable nutrients. Vitamin C-rich tomato soup provides a serving of vegetables in the liquid itself, and more can come from added vegetables. Carrots, cauliflower, peppers, cabbage and broccoli are just a few more great soup veggies that provide natural compounds that may protect our cells from damage that can lead to cancer. Soups made with vegetables, beans and whole grains have many phytochemicals, which seem to work together with vitamins, fiber and minerals to protect our health.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, January 13, and will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. in the Large Conference Room.

The Prepared Childbirth Education classes at Veterans Memorial Hospital are offered in three sessions that allow the expectant parents to choose which topics they wish to learn more on. They may choose to attend one, two or all three sessions. Session 1 covers labor, delivery and the postpartum period following delivery; Session 2 includes relaxation, breathing and pain management; and Session 3 covers infant care. Tours of the OB Department are available with each session as well.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Helen Mathis by Gladwin and Darlene Anderson, Marlys Leiran, Diane Mathis Regan and John and Lorna Kerndt.

Memorials were also received in memory of Mildred Osterholz by Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Yvonne Brandt, Kay Carter, Jim and Mary Winters, Mary Ann Hager and family and friends of Mildred Osterholz.

In addition, memorials were received in memory of Florence Schlake by Lois Evans, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Marian Smedsrud, Gladwin and Darlene Anderson and Brian and Denise Wullner.

Donations were also made to the Foundation in honor of Maxine Campbell’s 90th birthday by Jerry and  Linda Siegrist.

Thanks to the numerous responses to the 2018 community campaign, Veterans Memorial Hospital again has three ambulances ready for emergency calls and transfers. Last year, donations were accepted to fund the purchase of a new chassis so an existing ambulance box could be mounted onto this new, needed engine and running gear. With the help of the donations received from the 2018 fall annual appeal mailing, the Rural Ambulance Board and the City of Waukon, this became a reality in mid-2019.

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD, Dietitian at Veterans Memorial Hospital

Let the holidays begin!  Starting with Thanksgiving, most of us will be invited to several social events and parties from now through New Year’s Day. It’s tempting to just throw in the towel on healthy eating and exercise until next year, but don’t do it!

Try to resist the temptation to put all of your good habits on hold for two months. Make Thanksgiving the kick-off to a holiday season of family, friends and great conversations. Could food be a side perk instead of the main attraction at your gatherings? You can still enjoy all of your favorite food and beverages, just approach events a little differently this year.

First, make it your goal to maintain your current weight, not to lose weight. Even if you think you should lose weight, December is not the best month for weight loss success. December is full of parties and extra treats, so you may be setting yourself up for failure.

Urgent Care will be available over the holidays this year at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The hospital offers Urgent Care in addition to 24 hour a day Emergency Room (ER) services each and every day. Twenty-four hours a day, the hospital’s ER is staffed with an emergency provider to see ER patients with little waiting. Urgent Care is offered every day as well including every weeknight, on the weekends and on holidays when the local clinic is closed. Urgent Care is designed for treating injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an ER visit.

The next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive will be held Thursday, January 2, from 12-5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon to allow for more donors to give.  The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

The Blood Center is seeking donors to ensure a safe and plentiful blood supply in Iowa. Because there is no substitute for human blood, the need for donors is continuous, especially over the holidays.

Over half of the United States population is eligible to donate blood, yet less than four percent donate on a regular basis. A single donation of blood can be used to save up to three lives and help in treatment of cancer patients, accident victims, hemophiliacs and surgery patients.  The LifeServe Blood Center is committed to serving the needs of Iowans by saving lives through volunteer blood donation.