VMH COMMUNITY AND HOME CARE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES RELOCATE OFFICES TO HOSPITAL

As of July 12, Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care public health services began utilizing their new office area located on the upper level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.
Veterans Memorial Hospital began managing the Allamakee County Public Health Service in 1995 with plans to incorporate the department into the hospital campus as soon as possible. With the hospital's building and renovation project in its final phase, the necessary space for what is now termed the Community and Home Care office has been incorporated into the hospital's infrastructure, enabling the department to relocate from its previous location within the Allamakee County Courthouse.
Anyone wishing to visit the Community and Home Care office can enter Veterans Memorial Hospital through the new main entrance. Community and Home Care is located just off the new elevator on the upper level. Greeters are available at the hospital to assist with any visitors or patients who need help finding the new office.
Immunization clinics will take place at the new hospital location.
Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care is the only locally-based home health care agency in Allamakee County. Three registered nurses and nine home care aides travel the county and beyond to offer assistance to individuals who wish to remain in their homes for as long as possible or who need some assistance while they recover from a past illness or surgery, often times following hospitalization.
Home health care has proven to be cost effective in that nursing home placement can often be postponed if there is available assistance to allow people to remain in their own homes. For example, home care costs only one-tenth as much as hospitalization and one-fourth as much as nursing home placement to deal with comparable health problems. Besides these positive factors, people are usually happier and heal more quickly at home.
Skilled home care services offered by registered nurses at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care include assisting adults with their medications, changing dressings, providing catheter and colostomy care, overseeing rehabilitation in-home programs, assessing blood pressures, performing blood tests, providing IV therapy, and instruction regarding other health problems.
Home care aides provide personal care such as bathing and hair care, food management, assistance with housekeeping and laundry, budgeting, and running necessary errands for families.
Furthermore, rehabilitation services are available through Community and Home Care within the home. Licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists can evaluate, develop and implement complete rehabilitation programs for persons meeting eligibility guidelines in Allamakee County.
In addition to numerous home health visits, other public services offered by Community and Home Care include community blood pressure screenings, immunization clinics, maternal/child health clinics, foot clinics, senior health screenings, and lead screenings. These programs will be offered at the new location at Veterans Memorial Hospital with the exception of blood pressure screenings.
With the recent relocation of the Community and Home Care office, individuals will no longer be able to undergo periodic blood pressure checks within the department due to legal issues. However, everyone is invited to have their blood pressure taken free of charge at one of several local mealsites. The following is the schedule:
*Lansing, Community Center, second Tuesday of each month, 11 a.m.
*Harpers Ferry, Fire Station, second Thursday of each month, 11 a.m.
*Waukon, South Ridge Apartments/South Crest Apartments, third Monday of each month, 10 a.m.
*New Albin, Community Center, third Wednesday of each month, 11 a.m.
*Waukon, Senior Citizens Center, fourth Tuesday of each month, 11 a.m.
Also a service of Community and Home Care, the Loan Closet makes available durable medical equipment for loan to people of this area. Anyone wishing to return an item they have borrowed from the Loan Closet may return the equipment to the loading dock area at the hospital, (see photo) which is the next driveway to the south of the main entrance.
Community and Home Care staff members include the director, Arlene Ingles, RN; three staff nurses - Sandy Darling, RN, Virginia Roe, RN, and Karen Swenson, RN; three office secretaries - Nancy Haberichter, Rosanne Wicks and Denise Wullner; and nine home care aides - Sonya Conway, Sheila Jones, Sherry Knudtson, Mary McCabe, Deone McMullen, Linda Mundt, Mary Palmer, Darlene Schlake and Arlene Welch.
Community and Home Care's new phone number will be (319) 568-5660 and will ring directly to the Community and Home Care office. The hospital operator or nursing staff will answer any calls taken after regular office hours.