Health

by Steven Mazzafield, Speech-Language Pathologist at VMH

“I don’t need a Speech Therapist, I talk fine!” You would be surprised how often I hear this when I go in to see a new patient in the hospital. When most people think about a Speech Therapist, they typically imagine someone who works with young children in a school, teaching them to say specific sounds such as the “s” and “r” sounds. And you would be right to think this; 51% of Speech-Language Pathologists, or SLPs for short, work in a school compared to only 39% that work in a medical setting such as a hospital or nursing home.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative shared the following statements in an effort to stop the silence and start talking about mental illness by sharing what to say and what not to say to create a supportive environment.

What to say:
• Thanks for opening up to me.
• Do you want to talk about it?
• Is there anything I can do to help you?
• I’m here for you.
• Tell me more.
• Are you getting the care and support you need?
• Can I drive you to an appointment?
• How are you feeling today?

Do not say:
• It could be worse.
• Just deal with it.
• Everyone feels that way sometimes.
• You may have brought this on yourself.
• You’ve got to pull yourself together.
• Maybe try thinking happier thoughts.

The members of the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital are holding a garage sale at Freedom Bank in Waukon in conjunction with the Waukon City-Wide Garage Sales. The Auxiliary garage sale will be open Thursday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and again Friday, June 2, from 8 a.m. to Noon.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital is devoted to providing the hospital and its patients and visitors with many services. The Auxiliary also holds annual fundraisers such as the Women’s Health Day Luncheon each fall, the Pillow-Perk in early November, the Gift Case at the hospital and their annual membership drive each July.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Speech-Language Pathologist Steven Mazzafield is offering a Stroke Support Group for individuals who have experienced a stroke, as well as caregivers and family members affected by stroke. Monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of every month at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The next Stroke Support Group meeting will be held Thursday, June 1 at 2 p.m. in the ICN Conference Room.

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 a person gets 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 next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Monday, June 5 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s 30th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 19, at the Waukon Golf and Country Club beginning with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.

Teams of three will play 18 holes of golf. Breakfast rolls, lunch, dinner and prizes for everyone will all be provided for the donation of $75.

This is the 30th annual golf tournament the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation has sponsored.  All those interested are asked to pre-register their team by calling the Waukon Golf and Country Club at 563-568-9939.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation is a volunteer board who raise funds to help promote health care in the area communities served by Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will be hosting their bi-annual Safety Day Camp for children ages 6 to 14 Wednesday, June 7, at the Allamakee Fairgrounds from 8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. The camp is open to all children in the area. It is a true safety camp that instructs many areas of safety that addresses every child’s life.

Each year, many children are killed or injured on America’s farms and at home. This summer, safety day camps, such as the one being hosted by Veterans Memorial Hospital, are being held to teach children how to prevent injuries and reduce the risk of accidents. During the camps, children participate in interactive activities that reinforce the importance of taking responsibility for their own safety, respecting parents’ safety rules and sharing safety tips with their family and friends.

National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week is May 21-27, 2023.  This year’s theme is “Where Emergency Care Begins!”  National EMS Week honors the lifesaving care EMS providers offer nationwide, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.   They are truly where emergency care begins.

The American Heart Association warns the public to utilize EMS when needed by the following theme, “Don’t Die of Doubt.  Chest Pain?  Trust 911!”  They warn the public not to doubt and Call 911 if any of these symptoms of heart attack or stroke appear:

Heart Attack Symptoms
• Chest discomfort that can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain
• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Other signs may include a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s ok to have a mental illness and it’s important those with a mental illness know it’s ok to not be ok to help reduce stigma and encourage them to seek care and treatment needed.

Tara Fink, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, joined the Veterans Memorial Hospital Clinic staff to offer behavioral health care to help meet the great need for mental health care in northeast Iowa. Tara provides consultations at both the Waukon and Postville clinic locations and offers medication management for all mental illnesses.

Veterans Memorial Hospital, together with Helping Services of Northeast Iowa, will begin offering the ‘Baby and Me - The Basics’ class on Tuesday evening, July 11, from 5-8 p.m. in the hospital’s Large Conference Room.

Helping Services’ Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians, Barb Fjelstul and Rachel Weber, will teach the basics of how to correctly secure children in their car seat and getting the seat secured in the vehicle. Barb Fjelstul, also a breast-feeding educator, will guide participants through the challenges and rewards of breast-feeding and provide techniques to ensure baby is getting the most benefit from nursing.

Rachel Stone, RN, is a labor and delivery nurse and will give expecting mothers education on breathing techniques and coping with pain during labor.