Health

by Jen Palmer, Certified Dietary Manager/Certified Food Protection
Professional at Veterans Memorial Hospital
 
Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is a synthetic estrogen used in making many plastic products. It is also part of the epoxy resin that lines many metal cans, like those used for canned soups, vegetables, fruits and meats.

by Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN - American Institute for Cancer Research

Q: Recipes and nutrition articles everywhere are promoting kale, a vegetable I never even heard of until recently. Is it really that great?

A: Kale is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, along with broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and more. It has become more popular as people try it in restaurants and hear about its nutritional qualities from the media. Just like other healthful vegetables, it’s simply a great way to add variety to a healthy eating pattern.

Like spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens and broccoli, kale’s dark green color signals that it’s very high in beta-carotene (which forms vitamin A and seems to offer cancer protective benefits of its own) and lutein and zeaxanthin (two other carotenoids, linked with eye health). It’s loaded with vitamin C and the calcium it contains is well absorbed.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health care providers (those working in health-related fields such as physicians, nurses, EMTs, etc.) Monday, September 11, beginning at 5:30 p.m. This “Health Care Professional” CPR class will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital.

The cost of the class, for certification or recertification 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 the “Health Care Provider” CPR Course, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The next local LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, September 7 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon, allowing for more donors to give. LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with blood and blood products.

Anyone who lives to the age of 72 will have a 95% probability of needing blood or blood products at sometime in their life, so blood donors are greatly needed.

Regular blood donors may donate blood as often as every 56 days. First-time donors will find that donating blood is a safe and easy way to save lives and make a difference in the community. One single blood donation can save the lives of up to three sick or injured hospital patients. An average of 90% of first-time donors give at blood drives in their community, an opportunity for first-time donors to see how easy the donation process is.

The donation process is simple:

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Wednesday, September 13 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 in Waukon.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be sponsoring its 24th annual 5K Cardiac Classic Run/Walk Saturday, August 19, in conjunction with the Waukon Corn Days celebration. This year, the event welcomes a shorter 1.5 mile walking route with an optional 5K (3.1 mile) route to offer distances that will please everyone of any age or ability that wishes to participate. The event will begin and end at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon with an  8 a.m. start time and registration beginning at 7 a.m.

This is a free wellness event for all ages. Anyone in the area communities is welcome to attend and enjoy a walk or run around the scenic city of Waukon. The first distance offered on the route is a 1.5 mile loop around the hospital campus and golf course.  Participants may choose to return to the hospital at that point, or go the entire distance of the 5K, or 3.1 miles, that will continue around the city streets of Waukon before returning to the hospital campus.

Few things go together better than chicken and an assortment of summer vegetables all cooked so that the flavors mingle. Convenient and easy to prepare, this dish makes a great complete summer meal. It also allows you to combine the best of the garden into a single dish.

The delightful mustard sauce seals in the moisture of the chicken while providing a wonderful flavor. The hearty quality is gained from the stone ground mustard. Mustard is made by grinding mustard seeds to make a zesty, rustic condiment that is minimally processed.

The fennel with its subtle anise taste adds an unexpected flavor twist to the roasted vegetables. The smaller fennel bulbs are less fibrous, but if you have large bulbs, you can peel off the outer layers for more tender pieces. The much underutilized fennel has a storied past. It was on Charlemagne’s list of must have cooking ingredients and was reportedly Thomas Jefferson’s favorite vegetable.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, August 17. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if not an Auxiliary member. The Euchre marathons are held the third Thursday of each month at the Senior Citizens Room at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner, if chosen. Call Northland Agency on Aging at 877-838-8077 if choosing to eat dinner.  Card playing will follow at 12:30 p.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m.

Anyone wishing to stay and play cards following the Senior Citizens meal is more than welcome to do so. The cost is $3 per person with all proceeds going towards the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital.  Prizes will be awarded.

Anyone interested in attending, but preferring to play Bridge, is also welcome to join in. It is asked that they come with their table of four players, however.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will be offering free Blood Sugar Testing with immediate results at the Waukon Corn Days celebration Friday, August 18. The tests will be performed by Teresa Myers, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator, in the Veterans Memorial Hospital first aid tent, which will be located in the Waukon State Bank parking lot, from 4:30-8 p.m.

Community and Home Care staff members Annette Davis, RN, and Joan Fish, C.N.A., will also be providing free blood pressure checks during the same time.  Veterans Memorial Hospital staff will also have educational materials on sun safety and will be handing out skin safe samples of sun screen in the first aid tent. First Aid supplies will also be available for anyone in need.

These blood sugar tests will be made available to everyone at Waukon Corn Days, during the hours of 4:30 to 8 p.m. August 18, free of charge. Each test takes just a couple minutes to complete and they do not require any fasting.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, August 17 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 in Waukon.

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 Teresa Myers, RN, C.D.E., Diabetes Educator, or Angie Mettille, RN at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.