Health

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation Christmas Fantasy returns this year with a new event, “Brunch with Santa” Sunday morning. Reservations are being taken now for the Foundation’s 33rd annual event which will be held Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, November 15, 16, 17, and 18, at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. The theme is “Gnome for the Holidays!”

Reservations are available for the Saturday evening Wine, Cheese and Dessert event held from 7-9 p.m. Saturday evening, November 16. This year the event will be sponsored by the Eagle’s Landing Winery of Marquette, the Empty Nest Winery of Waukon and Madigan’s Winery of Lansing. They will all be serving a variety of their finest wines and entertainment will be provided that evening.

Flu Shots continue to be offered throughout the county by Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health.  The walk-in schedule for flu shots at Veterans Memorial Hospital will continue all Wednesdays including October 23 and 30, as well as the first two Wednesdays of November, including November 6 and 13. Walk-in clinics are held from 9-11:30 a.m. plus appointments can be made for Wednesday afternoons by calling 563-568-5660.

Medicare does cover the cost of the flu shot. Billing for vaccinations will be completed by the Community and Home Care staff, but participants will need to bring their Medicare number or private insurance card with them. If insurance does not cover these immunizations, they can be purchased instead.

The demand for blood is very high and everyone can help. The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Monday, November 4, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon.

The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) with blood and blood products. Here are some interesting blood facts:

According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2024, an estimated 310,720 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

Advances in early detection and treatment methods have significantly increased breast cancer survival rates in recent years. When caught in its earliest stages, the five-year relative survival rate is 99%. In the United States, there are currently over four million breast cancer survivors.

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon Tuesday, November 12, at 4 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. Be sure to make note of the 4 p.m. start time. This start time will continue for the November, December, January and February Grief Support Group meetings and will return to 5 p.m. in the spring.

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 Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Speech-Language Pathologist Steven Mazzafield offers 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 in Waukon. The next Stroke Support Group meeting will be held Thursday, November 7, at 2 p.m. in the Large Conference Room.  

The Stoke 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 people get 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.

October 7, 2024, a “Faces of the Future” health care career day was held 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 thirty-three 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, sports medicine, pharmacy, nutrition, dietetics, behavioral health, home care, dental assistant, chiropractic, surgery, paramedic and emergency medical technician.

Flu Shots continue to be offered throughout the county by Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health.  The walk-in schedule for flu shots at Veterans Memorial Hospital will continue all Wednesdays in October, including October 16, 23 and 30, as well as the first two Wednesdays of November, including November 6 and 13.  Walk-in clinics are held from 9-11:30 a.m. plus appointments can be made any Wednesday afternoons by calling 563-568-5660.

Flu shot clinics have also been held all around Allamakee County this month. One still remains in Harpers Ferry, Wednesday, October 16 from 9-11 a.m. at the Harpers Ferry Community Center.

Medicare does cover the cost of vaccines. Billing for vaccinations will be completed by the Community and Home Care staff, but participants will need to bring their Medicare number or private insurance card with them. If insurance does not cover these immunizations, they can be purchased instead.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will be holding a Pillow Perk Monday, October 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lower Level of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Kraft Pillow Service will be on site to make old pillows look like new.

Everyone is encouraged to bring in their feather pillows to the Pillow Perk to be cleaned, sanitized and given new ticking. Foam and Dacron pillows may also be renovated by this process. People can also bring in their feather beds and have them made into new pillows.

For more information, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Mammograms are a common test for breast cancer. A regular, annual mammogram is encouraged for all women over the age of 40 to help detect the cancer early for the best outcome.

Kathy Hager of Waukon became a Mammographer in 2016 and in 2024, is now a breast cancer survivor. She believes that preventative screenings, in all areas of health, is the key to longevity.

“This was only my second mammogram since turning 40 years old. When I received the results on my ‘My Chart’ report, I was shocked. I knew the facts that approximately 80% of breast cancer patients have no family history, like me, but you never think it will happen to you” explains Kathy.