Health

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Wednesday, January 11 at 2 p.m. in the ICN Room of the hospital, which is located on the main level.

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.
 

Gundersen Health System and Gundersen Partners, the Health System Auxiliary, have kicked off their annual blanket drive, “Wrapping the Community in Warmth.” The blanket drive runs through January 13 and helps local organizations during the winter season, including the Allamakee County Relief Office.

Donations can be made by dropping off new or gently used blankets at Gundersen Clinics in Waukon and Lansing. Gundersen’s goal is to collect 1,000 blankets in its entire service area.
 

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Keith Fahey by Mae Jean Bakke, Ray and Mary Ann Burke, Bernard Welsh, Robert and Kristi Campbell, and Family and Friends of Keith Fahey.

Memorials were also received in memory of John Kloster by Dave and Laurie Martin and Dan and Mary Ann Otting, in memory of Rev. Laura Odegard by Dave and Laurie Martin, in memory of Lynn Wachter by Bill and Libby Withers, M.D., and in memory of Dorothy Gress by Jerry and Marilyn Troendle, Pat and Debbie McGeough and JC and Natalie Kelly.

Memorials and donations 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 40 First Street SE, Waukon, IA  52172.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital physicians and staff will be awaiting the arrival of the first baby born at the hospital in the New Year. This fortunate child and his or her family will receive a large number of beautiful gifts compliments of area merchants.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, January 5 from 12:30-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held the first Thursday of every other month in Waukon, falling on the odd months. The LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

The LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa 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. Many Iowans are encouraged to make donating blood on a regular basis their New Year’s resolution this year.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will again be holding its regular Weekend Clinic over the New Year holiday weekend. The Weekend Clinic will be available Saturday, December 31, Sunday, January 1 and Monday, January 2, from 1-5 p.m. each day for all non-emergencies.

Weekend Clinics are held every Saturday and Sunday at Veterans Memorial Hospital, all year long, from 1-5 p.m. each day for non-emergencies. Non-emergencies are considered ailments that could be seen by a physician in a clinic and do not require an emergency room visit, such as minor injuries, sore throats and/or ear aches that cannot wait until regular clinic business hours. These Weekend Clinics save families the cost of regular emergency room fees on the weekends when the other local clinics are closed.

Anyone needing to utilize these special weekend clinics over the holiday is asked to enter the hospital through the main entrance and register with the receptionist. Walk-ins are welcome.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Bob Butler by the 9:00 a.m. Coffee Guys, in memory of Arlene Ahlstrom by Elsa Hager and Richard and Dorothy Sandry, and in memory of Marty Osier by Wayne and Nona Sawyer, Audrey Angel, Kay Zimmerman, Jane Butler, Wayne and Janet Kreitzer, and Dave and Laurie Martin.

The Gundersen Lansing Clinic will be starting the New Year with additional hours. Beginning the week of January 3, Gundersen Lansing will be open Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. This means the clinic will now be open five days a week from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

In addition, Gundersen Lansing has added family medicine physician Coley Barbee, MD, to their team. Dr. Barbee joins Erica Krause-Wagner, NP, and provides the full scope of family care for patients of all ages. This includes well-woman care, contraception management, preventative care and chronic disease management. Dr. Barbee’s practice includes obstetrics, and she will help patients deliver their babies at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.

Dr. Barbee began seeing patients at the Gundersen Waukon Clinic in November and now will spend one day a week in Lansing.

Waukon State Bank recently made a generous $5,000 donation toward this new ambulance serving Waukon and the surrounding area, bringing the fleet to three fully equipped ambulances at Veterans Memorial Hospital. Pictured above, left to right, are Waukon State Bank Senior Vice President Dawn Farley, Veterans Memorial Hospital Administrator Mike Myers, Waukon State Bank President Gail Prestemon and Veterans Memorial Hospital EMS Supervisor and EMT-P Jeff Mitchell. The City of Waukon recently made an addition on to the current city ambulance garage to house this unit. Veterans Memorial Hospital, the Veterans Memorial Hospital Foundation, the City of Waukon and the Waukon Rural Ambulance Board together approved and purchased a new ambulance for the Waukon area service. The hospital’s ambulance runs have increased by over 75 % in the last five years, averaging 1.7 runs per day and eight to 10 transfers per week.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will be offering special Christmas  Weekend Clinics Saturday, December 24, Sunday, December 25, and Monday, December 26, from 1-5 p.m. each day.

The following weekend for the New Year’s holiday, the weekend clinics will also be available Saturday, December 31, Sunday, January 1, and Monday, January 2, from 1-5 p.m. each day.
Weekend Clinics are held every Saturday and Sunday year-round at Veterans Memorial Hospital for non-emergencies and help save families the cost of regular emergency room fees on the weekends when the other local clinics are closed.

Anyone needing to utilize these special weekend clinics over the holiday is asked to enter the hospital through the main entrance and register with the receptionist. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.