Health

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting on Thursday, November 20 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 guest speaker will be Mason (Hermeier) Kerian, NP.  Mason will be joining the VMH Waukon and Postville Medical clinics in December or January as a nurse practitioner. The topic for the month is going to be hyperglycemia (high blood sugars) and ways to get them back to normal range.

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, Diabetes Educator, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

The LifeServe Blood Center is asking people to join them in the spirit of giving. While entering the holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving, they are asking everyone to give thanks and give blood, giving patients a chance to spend more holidays with their loved ones.

The next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive will be held Monday, December 1, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon to allow for more donors to give. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with their blood and blood products.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Dick Berns by Diane Regan; in memory of Ed Blake by Patsy Kerndt, James and Jill Kiesau and Diane Regan; in memory of Ron Brandt by Meg Schaller; in memory of Jim Byrnes by John Byrnes; in memory of Dr. Bertran Joseph Dillon by Thomas and Vickie Sullivan; in memory of Betty Engrav by David and Rhonda Barr, Patsy Kerndt, Dean “Beanzy” Schellhammer and Lois Selin; in memory of Sandra Fish by an anonymous donor; in memory of Nancy Fellow Larson by Richard and Joan Leiran; and in memory of Arlene Martin by Carl and Betty Christianson, Randy and Karen Loeb and Brian and Denise Wullner.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s Christmas Fantasy 2025 will be held Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, November 14, 15, 16, and 17, at the Allamakee Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. The fun-filled theme will be, “A Christmas Vacation!”

The Fantasy offers many opportunities to enjoy the event at various times all four days, plus do some Christmas shopping. Over 100 Silent Auction items will be available for bidding, with the highest bidder winning the item at 6 p.m. Monday night, November 17. 

New this year, a Live Auction will take place during the Tingle ‘N Mingle event at 7 p.m. Friday night. A limited number of specialty items and fun experiences will be offered at this live auction. These live auction items and many of the silent auction items will be published on the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Facebook page and website prior to the event; however, all bidding will have to be done at the event itself.

Individuals served by TASC recently delivered numerous children’s books to both Veterans Memorial Hospital clinics in Waukon and Postville. Pictured alongside members of the Waukon Clinic Team are four representatives from TASC, presenting the books they collected. Other agencies that have benefited from this generosity include the Robey Memorial Library, Waukon Head Start, and the Allamakee County Relief Office. These individuals recognized the need for more children’s books in clinic waiting rooms and organized a drive to purchase and collect them. Their thoughtful effort will help make visits to the clinic more enjoyable for young patients and their families. Submitted photo.
 

by Angie Mettille BSN, RN, CDCES, VMH Diabetes Coordinator

November marks Diabetes Awareness Month, a time for communities across the nation to come together to raise awareness about diabetes, support those living with it, and encourage healthy lifestyles that can help prevent it.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 38 million Americans are living with diabetes, and an additional 97 million have prediabetes - a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet in the diabetes range. Many don’t even realize they’re at risk.

Each year, World Diabetes Day is observed November 14, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who helped discover insulin more than a century ago. Insulin has saved countless lives and has improved the quality of life of those living with Diabetes.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans that an annual flu vaccination is the best way to protect them and their loved ones from the flu.  As people gather together for holiday meals and parties, they’re more likely to spread illness around. Receiving the flu vaccine will help everyone stay healthy to enjoy all the festivities.

This is especially important during family gatherings that infants, those with chronic diseases, or elderly individuals might attend. Infants younger than 6 months of age are not old enough to receive the influenza vaccine, so they are at a higher risk of catching the flu from someone else and they have the highest chance of being hospitalized if they get ill. Anyone with flu-like symptoms during the holidays must stay home and away from others.

Nearly two months ago, the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation sent out a mailing to everyone in the hospital’s service area, announcing the campaign to raise funds for a new Postville Medical Clinic with more room for patients and new providers. The current Postville Medical Clinic is located at 124 W. Greene Street. The new location is right next door, to the west, in the former Upper Explorerland Building. The new clinic will have an additional three exam rooms for a total of five, plus a new procedure room and lab area. In addition, handicap accessible bathrooms will be available which are greatly missed in the current site. There will also be a new behavioral health clinic area for private consultations in a more comfortable, confidential atmosphere.

from the Iowa Insurance Division

Every fall, Medicare beneficiaries are provided an opportunity to review and change their Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan during the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from October 15 through December 7. It’s important for Medicare beneficiaries to remember that Prescription Drug Plan and Medicare Advantage Plan costs, benefits, and providers can change each year, so evaluating your options could help you find better coverage, and even save money.

Medicare beneficiaries have received information about any plan changes in the mail. Most should have received an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in September from your Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan. This is a summary of any changes in the plan’s cost, coverage and service area that will take effect January 1 of the next year.

Due to the government shut down, SNAP benefits will not be loaded onto cards this week. However, anyone who still has a remaining balance on their cards can use that remaining balance, but no new funds will be loaded.  As of now, WIC (women, Infants & Children) cards have not been impacted. 

Iowa Health and Human Service and agencies statewide are preparing messaging, updating FAQs, and coordinating resources and volunteers to address increased food needs. Feel free to visit the SNAP webpage for a list of FAQs at https://hhs.iowa.gov/assistance-programs/food-assistance/snap.

Iowa Health and Human Services is pointing SNAP users to the 211 website if they need to locate resources: https://211iowa.org/. The 211-call center is also open and taking calls and can assist with SNAP questions.