Health

by Sheryl Darling Mooney, RN, Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Public Health Supervisor

It’s great to get out and enjoy the outdoors here in Allamakee and Clayton counties, but remember to be vigilant about checking yourself and others with you for ticks. Examine your skin as best you can and use a hand held mirror if available. Fine toothed combs can also be used in helping to check your scalp. “I’d Like to Check You for Ticks”, isn’t just the catchy title to a country song, but a good idea to have someone else check the areas you can’t easily see.

There are ways to help decrease the likelihood of a tick bite or attachment:

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, June 15 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room, on the lower level of the hospital.

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

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Tuesday, June 13 at 5 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital.

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 meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s 30th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 19, at the Waukon Golf and Country Club beginning with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.

Teams of three will play 18 holes of golf. Breakfast rolls, lunch, dinner and prizes for everyone will all be provided for the donation of $75.

This is the 30th annual golf tournament the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation has sponsored.  All those interested are asked to pre-register their team by calling the Waukon Golf and Country Club at 563-568-9939.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation is a volunteer board that raises funds to help promote health care in the area communities served by Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care Allamakee Public Health has scheduled monthly free blood pressure check clinics all around Allamakee County, beginning in June. Nurses from Allamakee County Public Health will be on-site to take a blood pressure reading. Blood pressure results will be recorded on a log card given to all visitors to bring back each month so their next results can be logged. The following schedule has been established so far.

These free blood pressure clinics are being held at city libraries on the following recurring days:
- Lansing: 1st Monday of the month, 9:45-11:45 a.m.
- Postville: 3rd Monday of the month, 9-11 a.m.
- Harpers Ferry: 3rd Wednesday of the month, 9-11 a.m.
- New Albin: 4th Monday of the month, 2-4 p.m.
- Waterville: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 2-4 p.m.
- Waukon: 4th Monday of the month, 10 a.m.-Noon

There are a few spots still available for any six- to 14-year-old children who would like to attend the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Safety Day Camp. This camp will be held Wednesday, June 7 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The day camp is designed to increase children’s awareness of a wide variety of safety hazards, as well as provide them with hands-on, first aid training to help themselves or someone else survive an accident should one occur.

Individual topics covered at this year’s safety camp will include the following:
• ATV/Motorcycle Safety
• Farm Equipment Safety
• Electrical Safety
• Lawnmower/Weed Eater/Chainsaws and Pinch Point Safety
• Fire Safety
• Grain Bin Safety
• Internet Safety
• Fire Arm Safety
• First Aid, Allergies and  Stop the Bleed Training
• Safe at Home and Babysitting Skills
• Drone Safety
• Snake Awareness.

by Steven Mazzafield, Speech-Language Pathologist at VMH

“I don’t need a Speech Therapist, I talk fine!” You would be surprised how often I hear this when I go in to see a new patient in the hospital. When most people think about a Speech Therapist, they typically imagine someone who works with young children in a school, teaching them to say specific sounds such as the “s” and “r” sounds. And you would be right to think this; 51% of Speech-Language Pathologists, or SLPs for short, work in a school compared to only 39% that work in a medical setting such as a hospital or nursing home.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative shared the following statements in an effort to stop the silence and start talking about mental illness by sharing what to say and what not to say to create a supportive environment.

What to say:
• Thanks for opening up to me.
• Do you want to talk about it?
• Is there anything I can do to help you?
• I’m here for you.
• Tell me more.
• Are you getting the care and support you need?
• Can I drive you to an appointment?
• How are you feeling today?

Do not say:
• It could be worse.
• Just deal with it.
• Everyone feels that way sometimes.
• You may have brought this on yourself.
• You’ve got to pull yourself together.
• Maybe try thinking happier thoughts.

The members of the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital are holding a garage sale at Freedom Bank in Waukon in conjunction with the Waukon City-Wide Garage Sales. The Auxiliary garage sale will be open Thursday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and again Friday, June 2, from 8 a.m. to Noon.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital is devoted to providing the hospital and its patients and visitors with many services. The Auxiliary also holds annual fundraisers such as the Women’s Health Day Luncheon each fall, the Pillow-Perk in early November, the Gift Case at the hospital and their annual membership drive each July.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Speech-Language Pathologist Steven Mazzafield is offering a Stroke Support Group for individuals who have experienced a stroke, as well as caregivers and family members affected by stroke. Monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of every month at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The next Stroke Support Group meeting will be held Thursday, June 1 at 2 p.m. in the ICN Conference Room.

The Stroke Support Group provides opportunities to share tips, tricks or trials among participants, offer support for caregivers, and provide an opportunity for socialization.

While strokes can happen at any age, risk of stroke is greatest as a person gets older with the majority of strokes occurring after the age of 70. Risk factors for stroke include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, binge drinking, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.