Health

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Robert Axmear by Dave and Rita Newton, Dave and Laurie Martin, JC and Natalie Kelly, Carolyn Heying, Jeff and Amy Sommer, Darrel and Rosanne Wicks, Marilyn and Lyle Larson, Mavis Berns, Craig and Barb Lensing, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Kenny and Shirley O’Hara, Fred and Geralyn Smith, Rick and Cathy Larson, Jeff Mitchell, Brad and Becky Benzing, Bob and Joyce Schorg, Orrin and Nan Grangaard, Bernard and Eileen Berns, Dan and Mary Anne Otting, Scott and Cheryl Livingston, Jerry and Linda Siegrist and Brad and Erin Berns.

Memorials are greatly appreciated by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. The Foundation is a 501C3 organization. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible. Memorials and donations can be sent to Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation, 40 First Street SE, Waukon, IA  52172.
 

By Jill Fleming, Registered Dietician at VMH

Have you stopped eating trail mix because it has gotten a bad rap in the health community as a high calorie, high sodium snack? Well, it is back and in a much healthier way. Most store-bought trail mix is loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients and too much sodium. Putting a “healthy” label on a package that contains color-coated chocolates (food coloring is banned in most countries), sweetened dried fruit (basically candy) and nuts coated with sugar and excess salt is very deceiving.

However, you can make your own trial mix at home.  It is really simple and is much less expensive. Plus, this trail mix is actually healthy for you. Here are some tips to building your own healthy trail mix:

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Wednesday, April 12 at 2 p.m. 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 group meets the second Wednesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will begin its next Prepared Childbirth Education class (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, April 10, and that class 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.

The 2017 Live Healthy Iowa challenge that so many local Iowans are participating in will soon be drawing to a close, March 31. Veterans Memorial Hospital has announced it will again be awarding prizes to all those in Allamakee and northern Clayton counties that participated in this Live Healthy Iowa 10 Week Wellness Challenge in 2017.

Prizes for all participants will be awarded during the hospital’s annual Family Wellness Fair which will be held Wednesday, May 10 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the hospital.

By Jill Fleming, MS, RD/LD
Veterans Memorial Hospital

You may have heard about Green Smoothies, but have you ever tasted one? If not, you may want to reconsider. Here is a short list of why you will gladly add a Green Smoothie to your daily diet. We have provided two recipes for you to try. Feel free to substitute any of your favorite fruits or vegetables.

To Lose Weight: When I work with weight loss patients, one of the easiest ways for them to start losing weight is to add more fruit,  vegetables and water to their daily diets. My most successful weight loss clients are now eating a total of 8-10 servings of fruit or vegetables daily. To easily reach this goal; eat more vegetable-based soups, make omelets loaded with vegetables and drink green smoothies often.

Veterans Memorial Hospital is an official sponsor for the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), a service of the State of Iowa Insurance Division. SHIIP provides free-of-charge counseling and information to people with questions about Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, long term care insurance, and claims filings. SHIIP can help solve problems like these:

• An Iowa woman held three long-term care policies, two Medicare supplement policies and five other health insurance policies of limited coverage. SHIIP reviewed the policies, pointing out duplication. As a result, she canceled several policies and saved $4,431 in insurance premiums annually.

• A northeast Iowa senior had 160 envelopes containing medical bills, Medicare statements and insurance statements. A SHIIP volunteer spent 26.5 hours sorting through the papers, organizing, and explaining to the client the status of each claim.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon is currently transitioning to a new electronic medical record system. This new system will now link to all departments, encompassing all areas of the hospital, including the billing department.

Because this is a new system, the hospital is requiring that every patient bring their health insurance card along with them so the information can be entered into this new system. Even patients who recently visited Veterans Memorial Hospital will need to show their insurance card to the hospital receptionist, even if they just recently did so.

Veterans Memorial Hospital staff is happy to announce that during calendar year 2016 the hospital experienced 166 newborn deliveries, a record number in the last nearly 30 years.  The next closest year was 2014, which saw a record 148 deliveries, beating the 2013 record of 135 deliveries.

“We are very excited to see this growing interest each year in our Maternity Services at Veterans Memorial Hospital,” states Mike Myers, Hospital Administrator.  “Our staff is proud of our facility and services which offer a very private and personal approach to labor and delivery. They go the extra mile to be sure our moms and families have the best experience possible, making it all very memorable.”

Interested in learning tips on how to lead a healthier lifestyle? Join Dr. Nicole Barbee and Jenny Stegen, PA from Gunderson Lutheran Waukon Clinic for a workshop on becoming aware of and making conscious choices toward a more balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in the Blood Pressure Clinic being offered by Veterans Memorial Community & Home Care staff.  The workshop is free to all community members and participants will have the chance to win a door prize.

The workshop will take place Tuesday, March 21 at 3:30 p.m. The workshops will be hosted at TASC, Inc., 2213 Mt. Olivet Rd NW, Waukon. Register in advance by calling TASC, Inc at 563-568-4060 or by emailing Jenny Cole at jennycole@tascinc.org.