Health

The “Faces of the Future” Healthcare Career Day was held Tuesday, October 7 at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) thanks to the coordination of Corinne Cook, RN, and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC). The hospital’s Large Conference Room was completely filled with 27 high school students from the area school systems who quickly signed-up to attend this filled to capacity event.

These students spent the school day at the hospital learning about a wide variety of health care careers including nursing, nursing assistant, health information management/medical records, medical assistant, phlebotomy, clinical, respiratory therapy, laboratory, x-ray, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and sports medicine, pharmacy, nutrition, dietetics, behavioral health, home care, dental assistant, chiropractic, surgery, paramedic and emergency medical technician.

A second new Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Angie Taylor, PMHNP, will join the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and Clinics health care team next week, for a total of three behavioral health providers to help meet the great demand for these services. Angie will be seeing patients in the Waukon Clinic as well as the Postville Clinic.  She joins Tara Fink, who began these local services three years ago, and Janet Hunter who also joined this team earlier this month, in making up this strong behavioral health team.

Taylor was born and raised in Elgin. She has spent the last nearly 25 years as a nurse at the Regional Medical Center in Manchester where she has worked a variety of nursing roles in emergency, med-surge, obstetrics, outpatient psychiatry and leadership. She chose to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) to provide a positive impact and improve quality of life for individuals and the community.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care-Allamakee Public Health and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) are working together to increase awareness among Iowans of the risk factors for breast cancer and provide information about breast cancer screening. According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, breast cancer is one of four types of cancer largely driving Iowa’s high overall cancer incidence rate.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health staff continue to travel around Allamakee County during October to offer flu shot clinics in each community. The communities remaining yet this month include the following:
• Harpers Ferry - Community Center - Walk-in Clinic from 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, October 14.
• Postville - Northeast Iowa Wellness Center - Walk in Clinic from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, October 14.
• New Albin - Town House - Walk-in Clinic from 3-5 p.m. Friday, October 17.

 The walk-in schedule for flu shots at the Veterans Memorial Hospital main entrance will continue all remaining Wednesdays this month including October 15, 22, and 29. Walk-in clinics are held from 9-11:30 a.m. plus appointments can be made any Wednesday afternoon by calling 563-568-5660.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, October 16 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 month’s meeting will introduce some of the new medical providers that VMH has welcomed recently.  Hannah (Gesing) Kelly is a Nurse Practitioner at the Waukon and Postville VMH Clinics, and Janet Hunter is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information, call Angie Mettille, RN, Diabetes Educator, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

from Iowa Insurance Division

Every fall, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to review and change their Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan during the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from October 15 to December 7.

Medicare Prescription Drug Plan and Medicare Advantage Plan costs, benefits, drug formularies and provider networks can change each year. Comparing and evaluating options can help individuals find better coverage and even save money - but navigating options can feel overwhelming and stressful. With so many Medicare beneficiaries under pressure to make choices about their 2026 enrollment in a short period of time, scammers are ready to take advantage of their uncertainty.

from the American Institute of Cancer Research and Veterans Memorial Hospital

Early detection can prove to be lifesaving when it comes to detecting and fighting breast cancer. There are four important ways to play a crucial part in finding breast cancer early on, which could significantly increase one’s chances of recovery should one be diagnosed with the disease.

Perform a monthly breast self-exam (BSE.) Because 65 to 70 percent of all breast cancers are found by women themselves, there’s no substitute for doing a BSE. Examine the breasts the week following a menstrual period for anyone age 20 and over. For women who are no longer menstruating, they should perform a BSE the first day of every month.

Open enrollment begins October 15 for Medicare prescription drug plans and locally there are now three volunteers from the Iowa Insurance Division’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) available to offer free, unbiased and confidential assistance to Iowans.

Vicky Bloxham has now joined Nancy Schoh and Jim Johnson in providing this one-on-one confidential assistance to anyone needing advice in northeast Iowa.  These three SHIIP volunteers each have office time ready to meet with those who want to sit down and compare plans, and offer free, unbiased advice.

Appointments are required.  Call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 568-3411 to schedule an appointment. Participants will need to bring their Medicare card, current Part D plan card and a list of medications from their pharmacy.

One more public informational meeting remains for anyone to attend to learn more about the Veterans Memorial Hospital and Clinics renovation of the new Postville Medical Clinic. The meeting will be held Thursday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Northeast Iowa Wellness and Recreation Center in Postville. 

The current Postville Medical Clinic is located at 124 W. Greene Street. The proposed new location is right next door, to the west, at the former Upper Explorerland Building. The new project will have an additional three exam rooms for a total of five, plus a new procedure room and lab area. There will also be a new behavioral health clinic area for private consultations in a more comfortable, confidential atmosphere.

Janet Hunter, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, joined the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and Clinics health care team last week, expanding mental services locally. Hunter will be seeing patients in the Waukon Clinic four days a week, in addition to Tara Fink, who began these local services three years ago. Because of the overwhelming need for mental health care, Hunter has joined the team, with one more Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Angela Taylor, also joining the team at the end of this month.

Hunter grew up in the small town of Malcom, Iowa where she developed a strong sense of community and connection that continues to shape her work today.