Health

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, April 18, 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.

Angie Mettille, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator, will discuss the topic of diabetes technology. Most people and patients carry a smartphone now, and there are many apps that are free and easy to download and use that are helpful with activity monitoring, carbohydrate counting or blood sugar tracking.

She will also talk more about continuous glucose monitors and encourages everyone living with diabetes to use one. She states, “As with anything else in the medical world, insurance companies play a big part in making those devices affordable for those wanting to use them, so they are not an option for everyone… yet.”

Congratulations to the 40 students who completed the recent Veterans Memorial (VMH) Hospital Babysitting classes Friday, March 29. The classes were instructed by Corinne Cook, RN, and consisted of teaching the qualities of being a good babysitter including basic child care, accident prevention, fire prevention, and first aid.

These new babysitters also learned CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and the Heimlich Maneuver in the case of a choking child. The Waukon Police Department even helped with addressing and teaching about many safety concerns.

Measles cases are on the rise in many parts of the world. There have been recent cases cited throughout the United States.

“This national increase in measles cases has brought the protection provided by vaccinations back into the spotlight,” said Lisa Moose, RN, Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health Director. “It’s always important to keep your vaccinations up-to-date, but during times like this, when we know a virus is circulating in many states, it’s especially critical to check with your health care provider to be sure you and your family’s vaccinations are current.”

The best way to prevent measles is to get the measles-mumps-rubella shot (called MMR). The MMR vaccine is very safe and effective. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective.

April is National Occupational Therapy Month. Occupational therapists work with patients to help them stay safe in their own home. They also help patients who have been hospitalized return to their homes by inspecting the home and encouraging modifications prior to the patient returning home.      

Mary Christoffer of Lansing has been utilizing the Veterans Memorial Hospital rehabilitation services of occupational therapy, physical therapy and home health nursing since January, following a fall and hip fracture. She will soon be discharged from these services since she has progressed well and met all of her goals.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care Allamakee Public Health has resumed the free monthly free blood pressure check clinics all around Allamakee County beginning in April. Nurses from Allamakee County Public Health will be on-site to take a blood pressure reading. Blood pressure results will be recorded on a log card given to all visitors to bring back each month so their next results can be logged.

This is the monthly schedule for these free blood pressure clinics which are being held at all city libraries in Allamakee County on the following recurring days:
• Lansing: 1st Monday of the month 9:45-11:45 a.m.
• Postville: 1st Wednesday of the month 9-11 a.m.
• Harpers Ferry: 3rd Wednesday of the month 9-11 a.m.
• New Albin: 4th Monday of the month 2-4 p.m.
• Waterville: 1st Tuesday of the month 2-4 p.m.
• Waukon: 4th Monday of the month 10 a.m.-Noon

April is Donate Life Month and serves as a reminder to the public to register to be an organ and tissue donor.  According to the Iowa Donor Network, organ and tissue donation is a gift that saves and heals hundreds of thousands of lives each year.  For transplant recipients and patients on the transplant waiting list, the gift of donation offers a second chance at life; a chance to move forward and fulfill the legacy left behind by the gracious donor.

Over 106,000 men and women in the United States are waiting for a life-saving transplant. That includes over 600 Iowans. One donor can save the lives of up to eight people through organ donation and heal and enhance the lives of more than 300 through tissue and eye donation. Every nine minutes another name is added to the national transplant list and 17 people die each day waiting.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, April 18, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in the Large Conference Room, located on the lower level of the hospital.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or who has a friend or loved one who has diabetes.  For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon at 563-568-3411.
 

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

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in plant foods that the body can’t digest and comes in two varieties: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Most high fiber foods have both, so it is best to just focus on overall fiber intake.

Fiber not only keeps bowel movements regular, which helps prevent against diverticular disease, hemorrhoids, and possibly decreases a person’s risk of colorectal cancer, it also helps:
1. Control blood sugars by slowing down the absorption of sugar and preventing blood sugar spikes
2. Protect heart health by helping lower cholesterol
3. Aid in weight management by making you feel fuller longer
4. Enhance gut health by feeding the good bacteria in your gut which may lead to better mood, less inflammation, healthier skin, etc.

For the second 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 will also celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Toe Tappers, as part of the night’s musical line-up.

The event will again be held Friday evening of Mother’s Day Weekend, May 10, from 6-11 p.m. This year the event will be held at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion to allow for more room to enjoy the show, dancing, expanded seating and additional food options to be available this year.

“Over 50 years for The Toe Tappers, and over 45 for a number of our BBF guys.  What an honor to share the night with them,” states Bill Withers Jr., event coordinator.  “I hope everyone comes out to celebrate around a great cause!”

by Tami Gebel, Occupational Therapist at Veterans Memorial Hospital
 
At Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH), the Occupational Therapy Department is celebrating national awareness of its profession throughout the month of April. As occupational therapists, our role is to help people regain function following injuries and illnesses.  We treat people who have hip or knee replacement surgery, heart attacks, pneumonia, strokes, diabetes, generalized weakness, skin burns and joint contractures, breathing difficulties, and many other diagnoses.