Health

from Allamakee Public Health and the Public Health Collaborative

As temperatures increase this summer, stay informed and prepared for extreme heat conditions. Heat-related illnesses occur when a person’s body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down. Many factors can increase body temperature including dehydration, living and working in spaces without air conditioning and intense physical activity.  Knowing what actions to take if experiencing heat-related illness is essential during extreme heat.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will not hold a regular meeting in July, but will resume its monthly meetings in August.

For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call Angie Mettille, RN, Diabetes Educator, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Postville  Medical Clinic is celebrating its two-year anniversary. The new clinic opened July 5, 2022, replacing the Postville Medical Clinic previously owned and operated by Dr. Thomas McMullan. The new clinic began with Michelle Crary, Nurse Practitioner, providing patient care full-time in the clinic with Dr. McMullan remaining on, two days per week.

Crary continues to provide care in the Postville Clinic a few days a week, along with Minji Na, a new Nurse Practitioner who has also joined the Postville Clinic team. Both of these providers also care for patients at the hospital’s Waukon Clinic as well.

In addition, Katy Maker, Nurse Midwife and Nurse Practitioner, visits the Postville Clinic once per week, each Friday, to meet with expectant moms, and delivering their babies at VMH when the time comes. She also sees patients as a nurse practitioner for all family practice cares.

by Brandy Strub, MS, RD/LD, Dietitian, Veterans Memorial Hospital

Inflammation is a normal response to injury in the body. It may be acute and happen after an infection or injury, and you may see swelling, redness, and feel warmth, or it may be chronic. Chronic inflammation can affect different tissues and organs of the body, may not always be obvious, and can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and cognitive decline.

The American diet is high in refined grains, sugar, sodium, processed meats, high-fat dairy, food additives (e.g., emulsifiers and sweeteners), saturated fat, and excessive alcohol, all of which are thought to promote inflammation.

Visitors to the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Fair Booth this year will be invited to play Allamakee County Trivia, being asked about the wide variety of resources that are now all offered through the new Allamakee County Public Health Resource Guide.  Prizes will be awarded, provided by Veterans Memorial Hospital and the Mental Health Today-Matt Howe Foundation, that will promote the future use of this guide.  The game is open to all ages.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will not hold a regular meeting in July, but will resume its monthly meetings in August.

For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call Angie Mettille, RN, Diabetes Educator, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

from The Iowa Department of Public Health and Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health

Allamakee County Public Health, a division of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care, shares these tips for cleaning and disinfecting after a flood, from the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Free sports physicals will be offered at the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Clinic-Waukon very soon for all junior high and high school students who need the physical exam for participating in school sporting events. These will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital-Waukon Clinic the following dates and times:

• Wednesday, July 10: 5:30-8:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 24: 5:30-8:30 p.m.

These clinics will include all necessary documentation, including a concussion screening, for participation in all school activities.  Physicals are scheduled in one-hour segments. The clinic staff will not be administering vaccines during this time. If those are needed for students, call the clinic at 563-568-5530 to schedule an appointment.

The Compliance Team Accreditation Organization recently announced that Veterans Memorial Hospital-Waukon Clinic received the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) certification. PCMH is a measured continuous quality improvement program that incorporates patient-centered practice guidelines, focusing on day-to-day practice operations and emphasizing health maintenance, preventative screening, multi-specialty medical services, patient experience reporting and bench-marking.

The Waukon Clinic set out to be certified in PCMH, then went through a full survey process and received this accreditation which brings them one step closer to helping them start a chronic care management program.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health announces a QR code that will link anyone in the county with a new 50-page resource directory for all services in Allamakee County. In addition to the QR code, pictured here, this guide is available on the VMH website, under the  www.veteransmemorialhospital.com/service/community-and-home-care/ link, and also the Allamakee Economic Development website.

This guide contains information on many resources serving Allamakee County residents such as housing, mental health care, unemployment, addiction, finances, health care, long-term care, Veterans services, grocery shopping, reporting of crimes and support for many other concerns.