Health

This Friday night, Bandmates, Brothers and Friends (BBF) will reunite in Waukon for the third year in a row with another night of musical entertainment to benefit the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. This year they will be joined by The JayR Brink Bank as part of the musical line-up, all taking place this Friday evening May 9, from 6-11 p.m. at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon.

The first set of BBF members will take the stage to begin the night, offering a variety of older country music, with a second set of BBF members performing a variety of hits from the 1950s through the 1990s.  The JayR Brink Band will be finishing out the night with its well-known variety of music covering a mix of country, folk and oldies with a folky, alternative country style.

The annual “Family Wellness Fair” will be held Wednesday, May 14 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon. Health and wellness testing, exhibits, activities and refreshments will all be providing a complete evening of entertainment and education for families of all ages. All visitors are again welcome to enter the wellness fair through the Veterans Memorial Hospital main entrance, the hospital clinic entrance or the Gundersen Emplify Clinic entrance, allowing for more accessible parking options.    

Input is still needed for the community health needs assessment survey which is required every three years of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) to survey the residents of Allamakee County and the surrounding areas served by the hospital. The hospital is still conducting that survey from now through May 15 and more input is needed from all the area communities.

This Community Health Needs Assessment gathers information to help guide and direct health planning activities. Information from this survey is compiled and used to update and improve the health plan for this entire service area of the hospital.

The survey can be accessed through the QR code at right, or through the following Survey Monkey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BHVHJJS or on the home page of the VMH website at www.veteransmemorialhospital.com.
 

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, May 15, 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 diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes. For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, feel free to call  Angie Mettille, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Tuesday, May 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 group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Lisa Kerndt by Cindy Barness, Joan Bieber, Jane Dietrich, David and Suzanne Hahn, Mark Kerndt, Patsy Kerndt, Jim and Jill Kiesau, Ernest and LaVonne Palas, Carol Paus, Pat Pettingill, John and Sheryl Prestemon, Bill and Beth Shafer, Linda Siegrist, Dean and Lynn Sorenson, and Arlen and Karlene Wonderlich.

Memorials were also received in memory of Msgr. Ed Lechtenberg by Mary Ann Burke, Jean Gilbertson, Ardie Kuhse, Lynn Thomson, Frank and Jean Weymiller, and Brad and Erin Berns.

In addition, memorials were also received in memory of Sandra Reinke by Daniel Reinke, in memory of Charles Rolfs by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, in memory of Bill Smith by Scott and Kim Bollman, in memory of Lawrence Powell by Beverly Bacon, and in memory of Dr. Bill Withers by Kay Lemke.

A gift to the Foundation was also received in honor of Shawn Moody by his sister, Laurie Moody.

For a third consecutive year, Bandmates, Brothers and Friends (BBF) will reunite in Waukon for another night of musical entertainment to benefit the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. This year they welcome the regionally known JayR Brink Band, who will close out the musical line-up that night, all to be held Friday evening May 9, from 6-11 p.m. at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion.

The BBF band began this benefit three years ago to raise funds for the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in honor of Dr. Bill Withers, who worked for 50 years as a local physician in this community. Dr. Withers passed away this past September at the age of 90, but his sons, Bill Jr., Jim and John, and the other band members all agreed to return this year to again benefit the hospital foundation, but also to celebrate the memory their late father with the community.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital’s “Family Wellness Fair” will be held Wednesday, May 14, from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free health testing, exhibits, education and interactive activities will all be providing a complete evening of entertainment and education for individuals of all ages.

Again this year, all those attending are welcome to enter the fair through either the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Medical Clinic or the Gundersen Medical Clinic, or the main entrance to the hospital. Parking will be readily available at any of those entrances, allowing for greater accessibility to the fair.

The route will again proceed through the various booths and displays throughout the hospital, the VMH Clinic and the Gundersen Clinic, then depart through the same exit as attendees entered, where door prizes will be available.

Everyone in the area communities is welcome to attend this free event.

by Tami Gebel, OTR/L

Lymphedema is the chronic or persistent swelling of a body part due to an obstruction of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system lies underneath the skin and works closely with the blood circulation system as it transports fluids throughout the body to lymph nodes. While in the lymph nodes, the fluid is “cleaned” of bacteria, viruses, and other unwanted materials, such as excess protein and sodium. The “clean” fluid is then sent to the blood and re-circulated throughout the body.

Lymphedema occurs when the lymphatic system is damaged and unable to move the fluid, therefore the fluid collects in the body part and swelling develops.  Damage to the lymphatic system occurs when there is surgery, mastectomy, lymph node removal, radiation, or injury to skin tissue (such as a burn).

by Steven Mazzafield, Speech-Language Pathologist, Veterans Memorial Hospital

April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. The symptoms can vary widely from one person to the next. While some may experience tremors as their primary symptom, others might face more challenges with balance or coordination.