Health

National Patient Recognition Week is held nationally during the first seven days of February and concentrates on promoting and emphasizing patient satisfaction. The week serves as a reminder and an opportunity for health care professionals to focus on the care they give their patients, to reflect on even better ways to provide their care and recommit to the pledge of superior healthcare service delivery.

The mission of Veterans Memorial Hospital includes providing an exceptional health care experience to each and every patient; however, they rely heavily on the return of the patient surveys to see how well they are doing in order to make needed improvements.

February is Heart Month.  Veterans Memorial Hospital continues to encourage the public to learn the American Heart Association’s “Hands Only CPR.” This simple way of performing CPR is very easy to do and effective for the victim.

According to the American Heart Association, there are more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually in the United States, with nearly 90% of them fatal. This is because only about 40% of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital receive immediate care.

The American Heart Association has found Hands Only CPR is effective, easy to learn and encourages more people to act when they witness cardiac arrest.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Speech-Language Pathologist Steven Mazzafield will offer the next Stroke Support Group for individuals who have experienced a stroke, as well as caregivers and family members affected by stroke, Thursday, February 6, at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

The Stroke Support Group provides opportunities to share tips, tricks, or trials among participants, offer support for caregivers, and provide an opportunity for socialization.

While strokes can happen at any age, risk of stroke is greatest as people get older with the majority of strokes occurring after the age of 70. Risk factors for stroke include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, binge drinking, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Tuesday, February 11, at 4 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. Make note of the 4 p.m. start time which will be returning to 5 p.m. in the spring for these meetings.

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 grief support meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, February 20, 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 who has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

by Amy Rolfs, RN, Cardiac Rehab Nurse, VMH

Our Cardiac Rehab Program at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) is proud to support ‘Go Red for Women Day’ Friday, February 7. The American Heart Association has designated this first Friday in February, National Heart Month, to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease in women.

Cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer of women. This important day emphasizes the need for women to prioritize their heart health through risk factor awareness, lifestyle modifications and early detection.

Raising awareness for cardiovascular disease in women is critical because it is often underdiagnosed and misunderstood. Many women are unaware of their risk, and symptoms can present differently in women than in men, leading to delays in seeking care.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Donald Gavle and Ronald Gavle by Beverly Gavle; in memory of James “Jim” Gerdes by Carole Gerdes; in memory of Arnold Gibbs by Mike and Cindy Gibbs; in memory of Wes Goeke by Allen and Ella Mae Goeke; in memory of Dale Goltz by Thomas and Beth Kerndt; in memory of Ervin and Sharon Gordon by Chuck and Lois Votsmier; in memory of James Gruber, Sr. by Brad and Erin Berns; in memory of Evelyn Gray by Larry and Nancy Straate; in memory of Marlene Habhab by Edith Bloxham; in memory of Mildred Hall by Dan and Sue Cahoon; in memory of Marcella Hansmeier by Mary Ann Hager; in memory of Arden and Joyce Hanson by Ardie Kuhse and Chuck and Lois Votsmier; and in memory of Leona Gesing by Dan and Traci Byrnes, Dave and Gail Prestemon, Fred and  Geralyn Smith and Chuck and Lois Votsmier.

The new Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Pain Management Clinic began October 8, offering new pain management options through specialized provider Shawn Blake, CRNA, and has been extremely popular. The initial plan was to hold a clinic one day a month, but due to the high demand, he immediately had to open up an additional day that month and has continued to do so these first three months since the start of his clinic.

Patients who qualify for this specialized service include those with chronic pain who have attempted therapies such as massage, chiropractic care, physical and/or occupational therapy without long-term relief.   They can be referred to the Pain Management Clinic by their primary care provider, physical therapist, or chiropractor who can send a referral directly to Veterans Memorial Hospital. Once the referral is received, the hospital’s Pain Management Coordinator will reach out to schedule the appointment.

Consider a different way to give back to the heart of the community by donating blood during February-Heart Month. The next local drive will be held in Waukon Monday, February 3 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. People who give blood have an 88% lower risk of having a heart attack so giving blood is a win-win situation for both the donor and the recipient. Blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin are all checked at every blood donation so donors know if it’s high or low and can see patterns that may cause concern, helping keep them healthy and reducing heart attack risk.

For many Iowans, understanding Medicare and related health insurance can be confusing and overwhelming, asking themselves questions like, Where do I start? What are my options? Am I making the right decision? What will it cost me? Is there help if I can’t afford my insurance? If I’m still working, do I have to sign up for Medicare?

Trained Iowa Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) volunteers can help answer these and other questions about navigating health care insurance options for Iowans on Medicare. SHIIP is a free health insurance counseling service of the State of Iowa Insurance Division sponsored locally by Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH).