Health

How many know that one in seven people entering the hospital will need blood?

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon invites the community to attend the next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive to be held Thursday, July 7 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held once per month in Waukon. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

The LifeServe Blood Center is seeking donors to ensure a safe and plentiful blood supply in Iowa. Because there is no substitute for human blood, the need for donors is continuous.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health continues to offer all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, plus the additional booster dose, at their weekly immunization clinics each Wednesday throughout the month of June. 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 are available at the main entrance of the hospital in the Meditation Healing Center.  To make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination, in June and beyond, call Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care at 563-568-5660.

by Brittney Snitker, Pharm. D., BCPS

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) now offers a Meds-to-Beds program to all patients admitted to our facility. This program was developed in coordination with Hartig Drug and Nightingale Drug to help ease the discharge process, which can be very stressful for patients and family members. There are many items to organize at discharge including equipment needs, new medications, arranging home caretakers, and countless other accommodations.

Meds-to-Beds helps facilitate a smooth transition home. Rather than rushing to the pharmacy before closing or planning how to maneuver into the pharmacy to pick up medications after an illness or painful surgery, patients no longer have to present to the pharmacy. Both Waukon pharmacies will deliver medications to the patient’s hospital bed prior to going home.

Every three years, Veterans Memorial Hospital is required to survey the residents of Allamakee County and the surrounding area served by the hospital to collect a list of the health needs residents feel are most important. Community Health Needs Assessments gather information to help guide and direct health planning activities. The hospital is still conducting that survey from now through June 30 and more input is needed from all the area communities.

Information from this survey is compiled and used to update and improve the health plan for the entire service area of the hospital. The hospital encourages everyone to take a few minutes to complete this important survey so the results can be used to develop a plan to address the outlined health needs. The survey can be accessed through the QR code at right, or on the home page of the Veterans Memorial Hospital website at www.veteransmemorialhospital.com.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation annual Three Person Best-Shot Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 20 at the Waukon Golf and Country Club. Teams of three will begin the day with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. and play 18 holes of golf. Breakfast rolls, lunch, dinner and prizes for everyone will all be provided for a donation of $75.

The 29th annual tournament will be sponsored by the following businesses who have committed to being hole sponsors: Brickl Brothers, Casper Plumbing and Heating, Eide Bailey, Fidelity Bank, Finholt Construction, FreedomBank, Gundersen Waukon Clinic and Vision Center, Hacker Nelson & Co. CPAs, Kerndt Brothers Bank, LTI Water, LaMair-Mulock-Condon Company, New Albin Savings Bank, Nightingale Drug, People’s State Bank, RW Pladsen, Inc., Systems Equipment, Torkelson Motors of Waukon, Waukon Dental and Waukon State Bank.

“Welcome to Medicare” is a free, two-hour seminar offered by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors for those nearing Medicare age. This program will be held Tuesday, June 21 from 5-7 p.m. in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“Welcome to Medicare” will cover Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, the prescription drug benefit (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement insurance.

SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, is a service of the State of Iowa. Local SHIIP counselors Russ Hagen and Nancy Schoh are trained by the State and do not sell or promote any insurance companies, policies or agents.   Veterans Memorial Hospital is a local sponsor for SHIIP in Allamakee County.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, June 16 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room. Masks will be required to be worn.

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, call  Angie Mettille, RN, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s 29th Annual Three-Person Best-Shot Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 20. The tournament will be held at the Waukon Golf and Country Club with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.

Thanks to Wade Bucknell, Andy Moore and Caitlin Johnson, agents of Farm Bureau Financial Services, Waukon, the first person hitting a hole-in-one during the first round at the tournament will be awarded a new Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Also, thanks to Waukon Implement, anyone hitting a hole-in-one during the second round at the tournament will be awarded a new John Deere riding lawn mower. As always, many other gifts and prizes will be awarded to all the golfers participating.

Every three years, Veterans Memorial Hospital is required to survey the residents of Allamakee County and the surrounding area served by the hospital to collect a list of the health needs residents feel are most important. Community Health Needs Assessments gather information to help guide and direct health planning activities. The hospital is still conducting that survey from now through June 30 and more input is needed from all the area communities in the county.

“Welcome to Medicare” is a free, two-hour seminar offered by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors for those nearing Medicare age. This program will be held Tuesday, June 21 from 5-7 p.m. in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“Welcome to Medicare” will cover Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, the prescription drug benefit (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement insurance.

SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, is a service of the State of Iowa. Local SHIIP counselors Russ Hagen and Nancy Schoh are trained by the State and do not sell or promote any insurance companies, policies or agents.   Veterans Memorial Hospital is a local sponsor for SHIIP in Allamakee County.