Health

Tue
31
Dec

Winterize your body with healthy soups

by the American Institute for Cancer Research

Quick to prepare and warmly satisfying, soups are an ideal way to eat well in the winter. When you stoke soup with vegetables, whole grains and beans, you’re adding foods that brim with phytochemicals. The beauty of phytochemicals is that they are naturally occurring compounds that, along with vitamins and minerals, help boost immunity and fend off disease.

Favorite vegetable soups like tomato, lentil and onion are teeming with valuable nutrients. Vitamin C-rich tomato soup provides a serving of vegetables in the liquid itself, and more can come from added vegetables. Carrots, cauliflower, peppers, cabbage and broccoli are just a few more great soup veggies that provide natural compounds that may protect our cells from damage that can lead to cancer. Soups made with vegetables, beans and whole grains have many phytochemicals, which seem to work together with vitamins, fiber and minerals to protect our health.

Tue
31
Dec

Prepared Childbirth Education Class to be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital

Veterans Memorial Hospital will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, January 13, and will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. in the 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.

Tue
31
Dec

Memorials received by Health Care Foundation

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Helen Mathis by Gladwin and Darlene Anderson, Marlys Leiran, Diane Mathis Regan and John and Lorna Kerndt.

Memorials were also received in memory of Mildred Osterholz by Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Yvonne Brandt, Kay Carter, Jim and Mary Winters, Mary Ann Hager and family and friends of Mildred Osterholz.

In addition, memorials were received in memory of Florence Schlake by Lois Evans, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Marian Smedsrud, Gladwin and Darlene Anderson and Brian and Denise Wullner.

Donations were also made to the Foundation in honor of Maxine Campbell’s 90th birthday by Jerry and  Linda Siegrist.

Tue
24
Dec

Successful 2018 Community Campaign; 2019 Campaign underway for new anesthesia machine


Fall annual campaign appeal ... Funds raised from the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Foundation’s successful 2018 fall annual appeal campaign allowed for the purchase of a new chassis so an existing ambulance box could be mounted onto this new and needed engine and running gear. Pictured above is VMH’s completed ambulance that was the result of this fundraising effort. In November 2019, the hospital’s Foundation again sent out annual campaign direct mail to the area communities served by the hospital. The funds raised in this annual campaign will be used to help purchase a new anesthesia machine for the Surgery Department at VMH. Donations are currently being accepted by the VMH Health Care Foundation for this new anesthesia machine. Submitted photo.

Thanks to the numerous responses to the 2018 community campaign, Veterans Memorial Hospital again has three ambulances ready for emergency calls and transfers. Last year, donations were accepted to fund the purchase of a new chassis so an existing ambulance box could be mounted onto this new, needed engine and running gear. With the help of the donations received from the 2018 fall annual appeal mailing, the Rural Ambulance Board and the City of Waukon, this became a reality in mid-2019.

Tue
24
Dec

Preventing weight gain during the holiday season

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD, Dietitian at Veterans Memorial Hospital

Let the holidays begin!  Starting with Thanksgiving, most of us will be invited to several social events and parties from now through New Year’s Day. It’s tempting to just throw in the towel on healthy eating and exercise until next year, but don’t do it!

Try to resist the temptation to put all of your good habits on hold for two months. Make Thanksgiving the kick-off to a holiday season of family, friends and great conversations. Could food be a side perk instead of the main attraction at your gatherings? You can still enjoy all of your favorite food and beverages, just approach events a little differently this year.

First, make it your goal to maintain your current weight, not to lose weight. Even if you think you should lose weight, December is not the best month for weight loss success. December is full of parties and extra treats, so you may be setting yourself up for failure.

Tue
24
Dec

Urgent Care available over the holidays

Urgent Care will be available over the holidays this year at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The hospital offers Urgent Care in addition to 24 hour a day Emergency Room (ER) services each and every day. Twenty-four hours a day, the hospital’s ER is staffed with an emergency provider to see ER patients with little waiting. Urgent Care is offered every day as well including every weeknight, on the weekends and on holidays when the local clinic is closed. Urgent Care is designed for treating injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an ER visit.

Tue
24
Dec

Blood in special demand over the holidays

The next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive will be held Thursday, January 2, from 12-5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon to allow for more donors to give.  The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

The Blood Center 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, especially over the holidays.

Over half of the United States population is eligible to donate blood, yet less than four percent donate on a regular basis. A single donation of blood can be used to save up to three lives and help in treatment of cancer patients, accident victims, hemophiliacs and surgery patients.  The LifeServe Blood Center is committed to serving the needs of Iowans by saving lives through volunteer blood donation.

Tue
24
Dec

Prepared Childbirth Education Class at Veterans Memorial Hospital

Veterans Memorial Hospital will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, January 13, and they will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. in the 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.

These Prepared Childbirth Education classes are free to any expectant parents delivering at Veterans Memorial Hospital, and available for a small fee per session for those delivering at another facility. Preregistration is necessary. Contact Machelle Bulman, RN at 563-568-3411, or register at www.veteransmemorialhospital.com.
 

Tue
24
Dec

Memorials received by Health Care Foundation

Memorials were received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Ardis Klepper by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Dave and Rita Newton, Fred and Geralyn Smith, Rick and Cathy Larson and Dennis and Sandy Deal.

Memorials were also received in memory of James Howes by Angie Schulte, Mary Beth Regan, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, J.C. and Natalie Kelly, Don and DiAnne Haler, Stephanie and Eric Palmer, Diane Regan, Dave and Rita Newton, Jim and Jill Kiesau and Dave and Sandy Lyons.

In addition, memorials were received in memory of Lois Langland by John and Charlene Loven, in memory of Bob Rush by Jack and Sally Hagensick, in memory of Eugene Mork by Joan Bieber, in memory of Jim Pickett by Jim and Sue Bieber and in memory of Bob McCoy by Brian and Denise Wullner.

Wed
18
Dec

Hospital staff donates over $16,000 to Foundation’s Annual Appeal Campaign


VMH staff donations purchase new ultrasound table ... The Veterans Memorial Hospital Staff donated over $16,000 in personal donations last year to the hospital Foundation in order to purchase equipment identified by the staff that is needed to better serve the community. Pictured above, left to right, are hospital employees Becki Estebo, Housekeeper and Marlene Dahlstrom, Ward Clerk in the X–ray department with the new pelvic ultrasound table that was purchased through these staff donations. Many pelvic ultrasounds are performed each week and up until the time of this purchase, they were performed on a cot which was uncomfortable for both the patient and the tech. This new table allows for much more comfort and safety getting the patient on and off the table. Submitted photo.

VMH staff donate in support of new children’s play area ... A new children’s play area was also added at the main entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital, just inside the doors in the front lobby. Two wall activity boards and many other items to keep youth occupied were purchased with some of these staff donations. Pictured with these items is Shannen Mezera, Massage Therapist and Chuck Votsmier, Maintenance. Submitted photo.

Second massage therapy room now available at VMH ... Donations from Veterans Memorial Hospital staff also paid for the construction of the second massage therapy room in the Healthy Lifestyles Rehabilitation Center at the hospital. With the growing number of massage clients, a second massage room was needed to help meet this demand. Now two massages can be going on at the same time in the two separate rooms, which has been very beneficial for couples who want to travel to the hospital together and have a massage at the same time instead of having to wait for each other. Pictured above, left to right, are massage therapists Shannen Mezera, Vicki Klepper and Crystal Corwin. Submitted photo.

The staff of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) pledged over $16,000 this last year to the VMH Health Care Foundation’s annual appeal campaign. The total raised in personal staff contributions was used to purchase equipment and furnishings identified by the staff that is needed in the hospital to better serve the community.

“I am once again overwhelmed by our staff’s generosity this past year,” states Mike Myers, hospital administrator. “Our staff members on the Culture Committee took a leadership role in identifying hospital-wide needs, setting a financial goal, and organizing this employee campaign which was extremely successful. This process is an indication of the great dedication the hospital staff has to the service of our patients.”

This fund drive is held each fall for all staff at Veterans Memorial Hospital and consistently raises over $14,000 each year for upgrades in equipment and furnishings recommended by the staff.

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