Health

By Jill Fleming, MS, RD

Let the holidays begin!  Starting with Thanksgiving, many of us will attend several social events and parties up through New Year’s Day.  It is tempting to just throw in the towel on our healthy eating and exercise plans until next year, but don’t do it!  Avoid eating to the point of feeling “stuffed” at any of these events.

The key is to avoid the “all-or-nothing” way of thinking. If you tell yourself that you can eat, drink and be merry with reckless abandon for six weeks, you will pay for it later. Starting a new healthy eating plan January 1 sounds like a good idea, but why would you want to start it with an extra 10 pounds?

The New England Journal of Medicine published findings from a Tuff’s University study on weight gain during the holidays. It found that those who were already overweight were likely to gain more weight during the six-week holiday period than those who were considered average weight.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, January 9, and will continue them 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.

November is National Home Care Month. The purpose of home care is to keep people in their homes, near their families and in their communities for as long as possible. Home health care can provide a range of services including wound care, therapy, rehabilitative services following surgery and home infusion of drugs.

Home medical care is far less expensive than assisted living or long-term care and is covered by most insurance plans. Private insurance providers, such as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and government policies, like Medicare and Medicaid, cover home health care from certified agencies. Most insurance plans require a prior authorization or prior approval before care is given as well as a treatment plan signed off by a doctor.

You have until December 7, 2016 to enroll in or change Medicare drug plans for 2017. Don’t wait until the last minute. Remember, if you’re on Medicare and don’t have drug coverage, or the coverage you have is not as good as Medicare’s, you will face a penalty for each month you delay enrolling.

If you have questions about Medicare drug coverage call your local SHIIP counselor at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411. SHIIP volunteers are available to meet individually with anyone in the community who wishes to compare the Medicare Part D plans available for 2017. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon at 563-568-3411. You will need to bring your Medicare card, current Part D plan card and a list of your medications from your pharmacy. SHIIP is a free, confidential service of the State of Iowa.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Austyn Roger Seitz by Earl and Ruth Jones, Rick and Barb Jones and Tony, Rebecca and Ashlyn Seitz. In addition, a donation in honor of Bob and Agnes Anderson’s 70th Wedding Anniversary was received from Bob Dotseth.

Memorials were also received in memory of Evelyn Wild by Dave and Laurie Martin and Jim and Dorothy Waters, in memory of Kurt Rathbun by Ray and Lorriane Mitchell and Jane Dietrich, in memory of Martina Schlein Fritz by Harold and Shirley Marti and Patsy Kerndt, in memory of Lillian Stockman by Dave and Laurie Martin, and in memory of Bernice Schrobeck by Lois Evans.

Memorials and donations are greatly appreciated by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation, 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.
 

The 2016 Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s Christmas Fantasy was held last weekend, November 11-14 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon, and was a huge success thanks to all of the overwhelming community involvement.

“From the decorators, to the entertainers, to the treat makers, to the auction donors and buyers, I am once again overwhelmed by the community participation, and also the community support by the large numbers of people who attended the events,” stated Mike Myers, Hospital administrator. “Our Foundation members should be proud of themselves for putting on such a spectacular community event.”

A record number of auction items were donated to this year’s Fantasy by area businesses and individuals. The 111 auction items were displayed and auctioned on a silent auction bid to the highest bidder Monday night at 7 p.m.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care continues to offer flu shots every Wednesday afternoon during regular immunization clinics. The next flu shot clinics will be held Wednesday, November 23 from 1-4 p.m. and then again Wednesday, November 30 from 1-4 p.m., and each Wednesday afternoon thereafter. The Community and Home Care Immunization Clinic is located on the upper level of Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.

Immunization clinics are held from 1-6 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of the month, and from 1-4 p.m. all other Wednesdays. Flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, and a combination of flu and pneumonia vaccine will all be available. Tetanus shots are always offered as well.

Billing for Medicare will be completed by the Community and Home Care staff, but participants will need to bring their physician’s name and their Medicare number with them. Pneumonia and Tdap shots are also available.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will again be holding its regular Weekend Clinic over the Thanksgiving holiday. The special Weekend Clinic will be held Thursday, November 24 from 1-5 p.m. for all non-emergencies.

Weekend Clinics are held every Saturday and Sunday at Veterans Memorial Hospital, all year round, 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, but 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. For more information, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon is pleased to announce it has been named a 2016 Guardian of Excellence Award® winner by Press Ganey. The Guardian of Excellence Award recognizes top-performing health care organizations that have consistently achieved the 95th percentile or above of performance in Patient Experience/Inpatient Services.
The Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award is a nationally-recognized symbol of achievement in health care. Presented annually, the award honors clients who consistently sustained performance in the top five percent of all Press Ganey clients for each reporting period during the course of one year.

Gundersen Waukon Clinic welcomes family medicine physician Coley Barbee, MD to its team caring for people in northeast Iowa. Dr. Barbee provides the full scope of family care for patients of all ages, including 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 in town, at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

She has lived, worked and studied in some of the United States’ largest cities, such as New York City and Boston, but was born and raised in the small town of Cherryfield, ME. The town has roughly a third of Waukon’s population.

“I grew up in a small rural community and always knew I wanted to provide primary care to rural residents” says Dr. Barbee. “The Midwest is a great place to practice family medicine and though I miss my home state of Maine (especially the ocean) I am excited to join this community.”