Health

Veterans Memorial Hospital hosted its biennial Safety Day Camp Thursday, June 10 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. This day camp drew a record crowd of 151 children ages seven to 14 from area communities for a day-long session on how to take responsibility for their own safety, respect parents’ safety rules and share safety tips with their family and friends.

The children were divided into 10 different groups and spent 20 minutes at each of the 10 safety stations. These 10 stations and their instructor(s) included:

Donations continue to be received for the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Medical Clinic in Waukon. Recently, a donation of $5,000 was received from Fidelity Bank. Pictured above, left to right, at the Fidelity Bank location in Postville are staff members Linzie Sebastian, Heather Bissell, Jared Funk and Ashley Kisling.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic has been open at its West Main Street location in Waukon since May 3 with over 600 patients cared for since that time. The total amount of money raised to date for the clinic renovation project is very near $500,000, with a total goal of $600,000 to be raised.

Donations are still being accepted by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Health Care Foundation and are tax deductible. Anyone with any questions about the campaign or the VMH Foundation is invited to call the hospital at 563-568-3411. Submitted photo.
 

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital continually supports the services offered by Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon. The Auxiliary recently donated this blanket warmer pictured in the background of the photo above to the Maternity Services Department of the hospital. Pictured above, left to right, at the donation presentation are Jayne McCormick, RN, Nurse and Maternity Services Manager at VMH, accepting the check from Auxiliary President Bev Larson-Needham, Auxiliary Treasurer Donnalee Osland and Auxiliary Secretary Ann Roed. The Auxiliary is a volunteer fundraising branch of Veterans Memorial Hospital and currently meets once every other month at Veterans Memorial Hospital. For more information on how to join the Auxiliary, call VMH at 563-568-3411. Submitted photo.
 

COVID-19 can have serious, life threatening complications and there is no way to know how it will affect anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), clinical trials for all vaccines must first show they are safe and effective before any vaccine can be authorized or approved for use, including COVID-19 vaccines.

Getting COVID-19 may offer some protection, known as natural immunity.  Current evidence, as shared by the CDC, suggests that re-infection with the virus is uncommon in the months after initial infection, but may increase with time.  The risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. The COVID-19 vaccine, which is readily available locally, creates an antibody (immune system) response without having to experience sickness.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation annual Three Person Best-Shot Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 21 at the Waukon Golf and Country Club. Teams of three will begin the day with a shot gun start at 9:30 a.m. and play 18 holes of golf.  Breakfast rolls, lunch and dinner and prizes for everyone will all be provided for the donation of $75.

The 28th annual tournament will be sponsored by the following businesses who have committed to being hole sponsors:  Access Systems, Brickl Brothers, Casper Plumbing and Heating, CPSI, Dalco, Eide Bailey, Finholt Construction, Freedom Bank, Gundersen Waukon Clinic and Vision Center, Henkel Construction - Accord Architecture, Kerndt Brothers Bank, LTI Water, LC Signs, LaMair-Mulock-Condon Company, Luana Savings Bank, Marine Credit Union, New Albin Savings Bank, Nightingale Pharmacy, People’s State Bank, RW Pladsen, Inc., Systems Equipment, Torkelson Motors of Waukon, Waukon Dental, and Waukon State Bank.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be hosting a free weight loss support group the first Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The focus of this support group will be learning how to stop emotional eating and over-eating, creating new habits that support a journey to weight loss and discovering the importance of mindfulness in eating and lifestyle.

Those interested in attending may register online by going to the hospital’s website at www.veteransmemorialhospital.com. This support group will be offered two different times on the first Tuesday of each month, at Noon and again at 5 p.m., so those attending can choose the time that is more convenient for them.  Masks will be required.

For more information or assistance in registering, call Registered Dietitian, Jill Fleming at 563-568-3411 ext. 567.
 

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, June 17 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. 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.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital will hold a Prepared Childbirth Education class (formerly called Lamaze) Saturday, June 26 from 8-11 a.m. in the Large Conference Room at the hospital.

The Prepared Childbirth Education classes at Veterans Memorial Hospital are now offered in one half-day session. Tours of the OB Department are available with these sessions as well. These Prepared Childbirth Education classes are available for a small fee per session and will be offered every three months at Veterans Memorial Hospital. Following the June 26 class, the next class is scheduled for September 25.

Pre-registration is necessary, as seats are limited. To register, email childbirth@vmhospital.com or contact Jayne McCormick, RN, Nursing and OB Manager at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s 28th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 21 at the Waukon Golf and Country Club beginning with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. Teams of three will play 18 holes of golf. Breakfast rolls, lunch, dinner and prizes for everyone will all be provided for the donation of $75.

This is the 28th annual golf tournament the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation has sponsored.  All those interested in participating are asked to pre-register their team by calling the Waukon Golf and Country Club at 563-568-9939.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation is a volunteer board that raises funds to help promote health care in the area communities served by Veterans Memorial Hospital.

by Steven Mazzafield, Speech-Language Pathologist, Veterans Memorial Hospital

Diabetes is a disease that causes high levels of glucose or “sugar” in your blood. When you have high levels of blood sugar over a long period of time, it can be harmful to the brain in several ways.

First, it raises your risk of heart disease and stroke. It damages blood vessels that feed the brain, which leads to cognitive decline. High levels of blood sugar affect how brain cells communicate with one another. Lastly, it causes inflammation, which damages brain cells, leading to dementia.

Having high blood sugar can also damage nerve cells outside of the brain resulting in numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, which is called neuropathy. There is also a strong association between diabetes and developing depression, which can affect management of blood sugar levels.