Health

The regular monthly blood drive will be held Monday, April 5 from Noon to 5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon, but an additional second blood drive is also being offered in April.

Thanks to the efforts of the Christensen family, the Julie Christensen Memorial Blood Drive will be held Wednesday, April 21 at the Waukon Wellness Center from 1-5:30 p.m. in the Senior Center.

Julie Christensen was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia November 27, 2019 and was in the hospital until February 14, 2020. She was then able to come home for a short while before she was admitted back into the hospital March 7, 2020 for more chemo and a stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor in Germany. It was a perfect match. Julie’s stem cells grafted well and she became Leukemia free.  During this time, Julie received 45 units of blood and 38 units of platelets.

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD/LD

Sure, you can lose weight quickly.  There are plenty of fad diets that work to shed pounds fast, leaving you feeling hungry and deprived.  The problem is that most people can only follow these restrictive diets for a short time, eventually going back to their old way of eating.  I call this the “diet roller coaster”.

Instead of starting a restrictive diet, which lowers your metabolism, why not adopt a few new choices that can turn into lifelong habits?  The weight you lose with new habits is more likely to be permanent.  Here are 10 of my favorite proven habits to promote weight loss:

1. Eat breakfast daily.  This simple habit “breaks the fast” to wake up your digestion. It raises your metabolism, so you will be burning more calories all day long. I recommend eating something within the first hour of waking. Including protein at breakfast will help control your appetite later in the day.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Dean Bechtel by Jan Ellingson, Randy and Karen Loeb, Ron and Nancy Adam, Mary Ann Hager, Lollie Hirth, Meg Schaller, Carl and Julie Johnson, John and Sharon Dean, Mary Jo Nordheim, and Dean and Sherry Bechtel.

Memorials were also received in memory of Karen O’Malley by Betty Decker, Shirley Schneeberger and Dean and Lynn Sorenson.

Memorials were also given in memory of Clifton Christianson by Mary Ann Hager, Les and Ada Marie Kerndt, Marv and Marge Strike, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Ron and Nancy Adam, Gladwin and Darlene Anderson, Audrey Angel, Earl and Bev Haas, Lollie Hirth, Lillian Larson, Jim and Bev Larson-Needham, John and Sheryl Prestemon, Meg Schaller, Jerry and Marilyn Troendle and Betty White.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic fundraising campaign recently received a generous pledged donation of $20,000 from Systems Equipment in Waukon.  Pictured above: Left to right - Front row: Michael Coyle, CEO of Veterans Memorial Hospital; Mark Bolduan; Nancy Grangaard, Owner/President of SYSTEMS Equipment Corp.; Tina Folsom; Jackie Halverson; Gloria Hennessy; Vickie Winke; William Chacon; Mike Conway; and Spencer Spain.  Back row: Brad Benzing; Fred Axmear; Matt Miller; Peter Grangaard; Tim Lennon; Mitch Duncklee; Dylan Bork; Bill Halvorson; Jack Lange; and Bruce Benzing. Not pictured: Gerald Conway. Needed renovations to the clinic building are currently underway and mostly include new flooring, countertops, paint, and a new registration area, plus the needed technology throughout the building including a new Telehealth consulting room. Donations are currently being accepted by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation.

by the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and Veterans Memorial Hospital

Eating right doesn’t have to be complicated. Before a meal, think about what foods you are going to eat. Choose foods that provide the nutrients you need. Build a healthy plate with foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein foods. Consider the following tips to help you get started on your way to eating right.

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Eat a variety of different colored vegetables, including dark-green, red and orange. Beans, peas, and lentils are also good choices. Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables can all be healthful options. Look for “reduced sodium” or “no-salt-added” on the labels. Add fruit to meals and snacks. Choose fruits that are dried, frozen or canned in water or 100% juice, as well as fresh fruits.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will sponsor a Babysitting Seminar Saturday, April 10 for a total of 40 students.  This year, the class will be broken down into two different sessions to allow for better spacing of the students. The morning session will be held from 8:30-11:30 a.m. 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 session or the other.  A total of 20 students will be allowed in each session. Both will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Intended participants are individuals 10 years of age and older who are responsible for their own care after school until their parents come home from work, and individuals who care for other children in or outside of their own home. Girls are not the sole babysitters in this society. Boys are also welcome and encouraged to attend.

The LifeServe Blood Center reported a great number of donors at the March blood drive with 67 total donors and 192 lives impacted due to the generous Waukon Community donations.  In addition, there were three first time donors who attended and one convalescent plasma donor.

The local blood drives continue to be held during COVID-19 since the need for blood does not stop.  Life Serve team members only report to work if they are healthy and only healthy donors are eligible to give blood.   Blood drives are essential medical services and not considered mass gatherings. The number of donors is limited to ensure donor separation and staff has strict cleaning and disinfection schedules. Other measures are also in place to ensure the safety of the blood supply so these lifesaving donations can continue during COVID-19.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory Delores “Jean” Kroack by Patsy Kerndt, Marv and Marge Strike, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Mary Ament, Loren Lee Eberling, Mary Ann Hager, Darlene Kaeser, John and Lorna Kerndt, Maury Mooney, Tom and Karen Regan, Jerry and Linda Siegrist and the family of Jean Kroack.

Memorials were also received in memory of Ronald Goeke by Allen and Ella Mae Goeke, Jean Huffey, Ernie and Donnalee Osland, and Jerry and Linda Siegrist.

In addition, memorials were received in memory of Larry White by Dave and Sandy Lyons, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Cheryl Bollman, Don and DiAnne Haler, Brad and Judy Herman, Robert and Karen Fossum, Helen Johnson, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Terry and Laurie Welch, Carl and Betty Christianson, Mary Ann Hager, Brad and Erin Berns and the family of Larry White.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Radiologists are recommending mammography patients to have their mammograms performed prior to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.  As a result of the COVID-19 vaccination, Radiologists have noticed an increase in lymph node enlargements seen on Mammograms.

For this reason, Hospital Radiologists are recommending all mammograms are performed before receiving the vaccine, or encouraging patients to wait 4-6 weeks after the second vaccine to have the mammogram. However, it’s not a one size fits all solution, especially if there are barriers to care.

Veterans Memorial Hospital X-ray staff will be asking and recording patients’ recent vaccination history and the Radiologist will interpret their images accordingly. The primary goal is that women do not delay getting their screening mammogram, nor delay getting the COVID-19 vaccination if they are able. Ultimately, it is up to the patient to choose when they get their Mammogram.

Veterans Memorial Hospital continues to focus on the 65 and over age group for the COVID-19 vaccine and hopes to be finishing with that age group soon before they move onto the next tier.

For those age 65 years and above who want to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Veterans Memorial Hospital encourages them to either call the COVID-19 line at 563-568-3411 or use the online sign-up option to join a waiting list. Those online sign-up details are listed later in this article. When vaccine is available, those on the list will be called to schedule an appointment. Specific directions will be given as to the location of the vaccination clinic, as well as an appointment time.

Those waiting to receive their second vaccine will receive a phone call to schedule an appointment for their second dose approximately 2 - 7 days before it is due; they should not sign up on-line for that second dose.