VMH to offer free health tests and trivia at Allamakee County Fair

Visitors to the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) fair booth this year will be invited to play MyChart Trivia to learn about the new MyChart Patient Portal offered to all hospital and clinic patients. All will be invited to sign up for this new portal if they have not already. Prizes will be awarded along with support information and other giveaways.

Also, the hospital will again be offering “Be the Match” stem cell sampling for everyone ages 18-40 at the fair. The “Be the Match” stem cell sampling is quick, easy, painless and can truly save a life. This is the same program that Robin Roberts from Good Morning America endorses following her own successful bone marrow transplant match 10 years ago. A blood stem cell donation can be a cure for blood cancer, sickle cell, and other deadly diseases. Many patients and their families are counting on drives like this to find their match. The process is simple and painless and will be available for all visitors to the fair.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will also be offering free blood pressure checks, blood sugar tests and hemoglobin testing each day at the Allamakee County Fair with educational materials provided for each.

Thousands of people in the United States have diabetes and are unaware they do. Random testing such as this opportunity at the county fair helps to find the individuals who have high, undiagnosed diabetes and direct them to the professionals who can help them successfully manage the disease. 

For more information on diabetes and diabetes management, call Angie Mettille, BSN/RN/CDCES, Diabetes Educator, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

Hemoglobin testing will also be offered again this year, to check for the amount of iron in the blood.  Iron is a mineral that helps with growth and development. The body uses it to make hemoglobin and myoglobin, which carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body and muscles. Some hormones are also made with iron.

Normal ranges for males is 14-18 g/dL and for females is 12-16 g/dL. Any result less than 6 g/dL is considered critical and needs immediate attention by a medical provider.

There are two sources of iron: heme iron and nonheme iron. Heme iron is found in meat, seafood and poultry and is absorbed better by the body. Nonheme iron is found in plant foods, such as fortified breads and grains, white beans, lentils, spinach, kidney beans, peas, nuts and some dried fruits, such as raisins. These foods are absorbed better when combined with meat, seafood, poultry or foods rich in Vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, strawberries, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli. Handouts will be available at the fair booth for more information.

As always, Veterans Memorial Hospital will have a medical kit available for any first aid emergencies on the fairgrounds. The hospital booth will be located inside the Fairgrounds Pavilion building on the stage area Thursday and Friday, July 18 and 19, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, July 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.