Health

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding their monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, January 17. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if you are not an Auxiliary member. The Euchre marathons are held the third Thursday of each month at the Senior Citizens Room at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner if chosen. Call Northland Agency on Aging at 877-838-8077 if you wish to eat dinner.  Card playing will follow at 12:30 p.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to stay and play cards following the Senior Citizens meal is more than welcome to do so. The cost is $3 per person with all proceeds going towards the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital.  Prizes will be awarded.

Anyone interested in attending, but preferring to play Bridge is also welcome to join in. It is asked that you come with your table of four players.

The local Caregiver Support Group meets monthly at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The meetings take place the third Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The next meeting will be held Monday, January 21, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the ICN Conference Room, located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

This informal meeting is open to anyone who provides care and support for a family member or friend. Feel free to attend and bring a friend. This new Caregiver Support Group meets the third Monday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Tuesday, January 8 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 support group meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, January 17, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room, located on the lower level of the hospital.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes. For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, January 7, and they will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. in the hospital’s 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.

Sara Winters, physician assistant at Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan Healthcare in Waukon, recommends four steps to reduce stress and cope with the inevitable stressors of everyday life.

Avoid: Believe it or not, it is possible to escape some of the minor stressors that tend to trouble us.

Alter: Communication and letting people know where you stand can make a world of difference.

Accept: Accepting the situation can ease a lot of stress when avoiding and altering doesn’t work.

Adapt: Changing your standards and expectations on stressful situations can help you cope with stress.
 

If you had an emergency at your home, how well could the ambulance find you? Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service has asked all area homeowners in the surrounding communities to be sure their home is marked well like this one, so the emergency service can find you when seconds count.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Foundation recently sent out a mass mailing to the entire hospital service area asking for donations for a new ambulance for their service due to the growing number of emergency calls and numerous transfers to other facilities.  Donations are still being accepted and can be mailed to Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation, 40 First Street SE, Waukon, IA  52172. Submitted photos.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital physicians and staff will be awaiting the arrival of the first baby born at the hospital in the New Year 2019. This fortunate child and his or her family will receive a large number of beautiful gifts compliments of area merchants.

The first baby of the year will receive the following in cash and prizes:

Each and every day, 24 hours a day, the Veterans Memorial Hospital Emergency Room (ER) is staffed with an emergency provider to see the ER patients with little waiting.

On the weekends and holidays when the local clinics are closed, the public is welcome to visit the Weekend Walk-In Services for non-emergencies. Non-emergencies are considered concerns that could be seen by a physician in a clinic such as a sore throat, ear ache, flu-like symptoms, coughs and congestion, etc.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, January 3 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 its 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.