Health

The local Caregiver Support Group meets monthly at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The meetings will take place the third Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The next meeting will be held Monday, October 15 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the ICN Conference Room, located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

This informal meeting is open to anyone who provides care and support for a family member or friend. Feel free to attend and bring a friend. This new Caregiver Support Group meets the third Monday of each month at VMH.
 

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, October 18 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 has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital will not be offering a CPR course in October. The next class available will be offered November 21.

The cost of all CPR classes, for certification or recertification, at Veterans Memorial Hospital is the same and all registrants should bring along their own pocket mask. The card received with the course does certify attendants in CPR for two years.

Pre-registration plus a minimum of three participants is required. For more information and to register for next the CPR Course, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital and Elliott Jewelers of Waukon hosted a huge crowd (pictured below) for their 14th Annual Women’s Health Day Luncheon Tuesday, September 25 at the Waukon Banquet Center. Over 200 ladies attended the salad luncheon hosted by the Auxiliary members, plus many free health and wellness tests were available. The theme for this year’s event was “Second Chance Gifts.” Very moving testimonials about organ transplant and how it has affected their lives were given by featured speakers Bev Larson-Needham, organ recipient; Deb Eberling Hanson, organ donor’s wife; Marcy Troendle Wittrock, organ donor; and Kristin Kopperud-Stinn, organ recipient; as well as information provided by Natalie Oakes, Professional Outreach Coordinator for the Iowa Donor Network.

The next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive will be held Monday, October 8 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon.

Blood drives are held once per month. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

The LifeServe 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.

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.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its annual Pillow Perk Monday, October 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lower Level of Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Kraft Pillow Service will be on site to make old pillows look like new. Everyone is encouraged to bring in their feather pillows to the Pillow Perk to be cleaned, sanitized and given new ticking. Foam and Dacron pillows may also be renovated by this process. People are also encouraged to bring in their feather beds and have them made into new pillows.

When someone is struggling with a mental health condition, it affects the whole family, not just the person with the diagnosis. Family members and caregivers can often feel overwhelmed or powerless as they try to learn more about the illness, treatment options, and how to help.

If these feelings sound familiar to anyone looking for some extra support, NAMI Northeast Iowa’s Family Support Group might be the place to find it. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses and their families.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will sponsor a Babysitting Seminar Saturday, October 13 from 8:30 a.m. - Noon. The class will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.

Intended participants are individuals 10 years of age and older who are responsible for their own care after school until their parents come home from work, and individuals who care for other children in or outside of their own home.

Girls are not the sole babysitters in this society. Boys are also welcome and encouraged to attend. Topics to be covered include fire and personal safety, accident prevention and emergency actions, nutritious snacks and basic care of children.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, October 8, and those classes will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Large Conference Room of the hospital.

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.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon recently learned that as of March 31, 2019, Dr. Steven Perkins of the Mayo Waukon Clinic will no longer provide obstetrical deliveries. He will continue to care for his patients in the clinic and in the hospital and will also continue to provide back-up for Veterans Memorial Hospital’s emergency department.

For obstetric patients, Dr. Perkins will transition to a shared care model where he will provide prenatal care up to 36 weeks of the pregnancy. His maternity patients will then have the choice to deliver locally with Dr. Coley Barbee of the Gundersen Waukon Clinic or Dr. Dave Schwartz of Veterans Memorial Hospital, or go elsewhere.

Expectant mothers who are interested in visiting with these providers about an upcoming delivery can contact Dr. Barbee at the Gundersen Waukon Clinic at 563-568-3000 or contact Dr. Schwartz  at the Veterans Memorial Hospital Monona Clinic at 563-539-5656.