“Welcome to Medicare” is a free, two-hour seminar offered by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors. This program will be held Monday, July 12 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 counselor Russ Hagen is trained by the State and does not sell or promote any insurance companies, policies or agents. Veterans Memorial Hospital is a local sponsor for SHIIP in Allamakee County.
Not many know that one pint of whole blood can save up to three lives. The next local LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, July 8 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon, allowing for more donors to give. LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon with its blood and blood products.
Anyone who lives to the age of 72 will have a 95% probability of needing blood or blood products at sometime in their life, so blood donors are greatly needed.
The Veterans Memorial Hospital Respiratory Therapy Department was recently informed that Philips Respironics has issued a recall on their CPAP, BIPAP and ASV machines.
Patients who are currently using a CPAP, BIPAP or ASV machine are asked to call 1-877-907-7508 to check the status of their device or visit www.philips.com/src-update for more information on the recall.
For further assistance, feel free to call the hospital at 563-568-3411 and ask for the Respiratory Therapy Department.
Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory Walter “Wally” Johnson by Marvin and Marjorie Strike, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, and George Pickett; in memory of Marilyn Moose by Jane Dietrich; in memory of Ronald Goeke by Jane Dietrich; in memory of Larry White by Jim and Jill Kiesau; in memory of Delores “Jean” Kroack by Jane Dietrich; in memory of Abby Balque by Dr. Bill Withers; in memory of Lois Beneke by Jane Dietrich; and in memory of Elizabeth Ellickson by Eric and Stephanie Palmer.
Memorials were also received in memory of Sharon “Deal” Henschel by Dennis and Sandy Deal, Greg and Jan Gordon and Todd and Dawn Mulbauer, and in memory of Edward Lauerman by Audrey Angel, Ann Rademaker and Jane Dietrich.
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15-August 1: Primary Nesting Season
July 15: Crop Certification
July 23: CRP General Signup
August 6: CRP Continuous Signup
Early heatwave is a reminder to think about employee needs
The late-spring heatwave that blanketed Iowa and much of the Midwest is a reminder for farm employers and employees to focus on human resources.
Melissa O’ Rourke, Farm Management Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said people are the most valuable asset in a farm or rural business.
“In any business, including farming, the most important resource is the people,” O’Rourke said. “We need to do whatever we can to preserve and protect what I think of as a priceless resource - our people.”
In the June edition of Ag Decision Maker, O’Rourke outlines some basic ways that farm employers can protect workers from heat stress and illness. She also provides an updated checklist that covers all the major aspects of farm worker hiring and employment.
To the Editor:
Once, Iowa’s education ranked best in the nation. How times have changed. In a recent report evaluating K-12 civics and U.S. history standards from the non-partisan Fordham Institute, Iowa ranked in the bottom third of states, with a D grade for civics and an F for U.S. history. Iowa’s U.S. History standards, it seems, are “almost completely devoid of historical content.”
Given this, you’d be forgiven for thinking the governor and legislature might take steps to improve education for Iowa’s students. Republicans did pass and sign numerous bills affecting education, but none fix the problem. They allocated historically low funding for public schools and universities and eliminated diversity programs used by some schools to serve their students.
Two-for-four plate effort ... Waukon baseball senior designated hitter Matt Ronan connects for a hit in the Indians’ 12-7 home loss to Waverly-Shell Rock Monday, June 21. Ronan popped a double and a single to drive in a run and score one as well in the ballgame. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.
The Waukon baseball team played to an even split of four games this past week, book-ending a home doubleheader sweep of Oelwein with single losses to the Northeast Iowa Conference’s (NEIC) two front-running teams. The baseball Tribe first fell at home to Waverly-Shell Rock, 12-7, Monday, June 21 before sweeping Oelwein at home by scores of 7-5 and 7-4 Wednesday, June 23. The Indians then came within a play or two of handing NEIC-undefeated Decorah its first league loss of this year, falling by just a 5-4 road result Friday, June 25.
First-time homers help Tribe to win ... The Waukon softball pair of sophomore first baseman Kiana Krueger (#11 in photo above) and freshman center fielder Kaitlyn Krambeer (#10 in photo below) get mobbed by their teammates after they both hit the first homeruns of their varsity softball careers in the Indians’ 9-7 home victory over Oelwein Wednesday, June 23. The two combined to drive in five of the Tribe’s nine runs in the win, joining senior shortstop Annika Headington in launching a pitch out of the ballpark in the victory, with Krueger hitting a two-run round-tripper in the second inning and Krambeer and Headington hitting a three-run and two-run bomb, respectively, in the decisive fourth inning of the contest. View and find out how to purchase these photos and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webapge.
Mother Nature made this past week’s already busy schedule a little less busy for the Waukon softball team, as the Lady Indians had their Decorah Tournament scheduled for Saturday, June 26 rained out. Already playing a schedule of six games in five nights that included a pair of home doubleheaders, all of those six games being in Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) play, the softball Tribe was able to put just one of those in the win column.
Securing the out ... Kee baseball junior left fielder Brayden Mathis hauls in a fly ball in the Hawks’ home doubleheader split with Clayton Ridge Monday, June 21. Mathis stroked a single in the twinbill. Photo courtesy of Maggy Weymiller. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.
After playing through back-to-back undefeated weeks of competition to piece together a 14-game winning streak, the Kee baseball team ended up being tripped up in three of its five games played this past week, not only snapping that win streak but also having its undefeated Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) season come to an end as well. In suffering their first losses in more than two weeks, the Hawks were also dealing with the loss of junior catcher Buddy Hill to injury, with a timetable for his return not being known for sure at this point.
