Health

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, April 21, 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. Face masks will be required to be worn.

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.
 

Memorials were received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Margaret Ferring by Chuck and Lois Votsmier and Brad and Erin Berns; in memory of Richard “Lee” Hinkel by Corey and Trish Shelton, Chuck and Lois Votsmier and Brad and Erin Berns; and in memory of Philip Dehli by Mr. and Mrs. Arlyn Fossum, Dave and Laurie Martin, Grace Sorenson and Betty Troendle.

Memorials were also received in memory of Jim Sweeney by Margo Sweeney; in memory of Micki Connor by Dave and Laurie Martin; in memory of Donna Gaunitz by Grace Sorenson; in memory of Loren Paus by Dave and Laurie Martin; in memory of Karlton Gresl by Betty Troendle and in memory of Donald Kuennen by Arlen and Karlene Wonderlich.

Special donations were also received in honor of Rhonda Snitker by Jill Cameron and Christi and John Regan.

Veterans Memorial Hospital is announcing that Dr. Jay Strittholt will be a new Orthopedic Surgeon at the hospital beginning in early April. Dr. Strittholt is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon that practices all aspects of general orthopedics, including total joint replacement. He joins Dr. Val Lyons as an additional choice for orthopedic services close to home.

Originally from a small town in Ohio, he has worked 20-plus years of his career in Iowa and has a special connection to this state. He feels at home in smaller towns, and enjoys the kinship of the people. This is one of the main reasons that he is very pleased to be practicing in Waukon now.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health will be offering all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, plus the additional booster dose, at their weekly immunization clinics each Wednesday throughout the month of April. These vaccinations are by appointment only and are held each Wednesday afternoon, with extended hours available the first and third Wednesdays of each month.

These vaccinations will be available at the main entrance of the hospital in the Meditation Healing Center. To make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination, in April and beyond, call Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care at 563-568-5660.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, April 21, 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. Face masks will be required to be worn.

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 in Waukon Tuesday, April 12 at 5 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. Face masks will be required.

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, and be sure to wear a mask. All attendees will be able to physically distance during the meeting.  This grief support group meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital recently upgraded their phone system to allow for the Veterans Memorial Hospital name to appear on a land-line phone caller ID whenever someone from the hospital is calling a patient or family member.  The hospital’s main number, 563-568-3411, will show on the screen.

The hospital encourages the public to enter that number into their cell phones as Veterans Memorial Hospital, or VMH, so the name will show correctly whenever a call from the hospital is coming through.

The hospital would like to warn everyone of the possibility of phone scams.  Calls have been reported recently of a caller ID showing EMS EMERGENCY with the hospital number of 563-568-3411. This is a scam. Only calls from a live person will be physically made from this number and they will always leave a voice mail to return a call.

For any questions, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital will sponsor a Babysitting Seminar Saturday, April 9. This class will be broken down into two different sessions to allow for better spacing of the students. The morning session will be held from 9 a.m. to Noon and the afternoon session from 1-4 p.m. The same information will be taught at both sessions, so students can sign up for one or the other. A total of 20 students will be allowed in each session.

Both classes will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. The entrance for the class will be the hospital shipping/receiving entrance located on the east side of the building near the MRI truck, across from the golf course. Signs will be posted.

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD
Veterans Memorial Hospital

Each year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics celebrates the month of March as National Nutrition Month. The focus of this campaign is to help you make informed food choices and encourage healthy lifestyle habits. Ideally, you will be reducing your risk of chronic disease and enjoying optimal health.

Since there are so many different diets being talked about in the media, knowing which one is the best can be confusing. Should you avoid all carbohydrates? Do you need to count calories? Should you eat six small meals daily or eat only once per day?

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Monday, April 4 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon.  The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

Here are some interesting blood facts from the Blood Center of Iowa: