News Center newsletter

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, March 19. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if they are not an Auxiliary member. The Euchre marathons are held the third Thursday of each month at the Senior Citizens Room at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner, if chosen. Call Northland Agency on Aging at 877-838-8077 if choosing to eat dinner.  Card playing will follow at 12:30 p.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to stay and play cards following the Senior Citizens meal is welcome to do so. All proceeds go towards the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Prizes will be awarded.

Anyone interested in attending but preferring to play Bridge is also welcome to join in. It is asked that they come with their own table of four players, however.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation recently received numerous donations for breast cancer awareness and detection from the Ness Pumping Service fundraiser last October.  Donations were received by the following for that cause:  Sigurd and Barb Ness, Dan and Lori Treangen, Ron and Kim Winters, Mike and Teresa Myers, Dave and Brenda Dougherty, Waukon Feed Ranch, Ness Ridge Nursery, Arlyn and Julie Snitker, Keith and Amy McCormick, Waukon State Bank, Jim and Linda Ryan, Classic Designs-Julie Snitker, LaVonne Hesse, Joyce Kuhse,  Andrew Schlitter and Maureen Fahey, Steve Sweeney, Deb Johnson,  Leo and JoAnn Folsom, Tammy Knudtson, Jim and Mary Winters, Dennis and Nancy Turner, Jerry and Maryann Baker, Marv and Marge Strike, Mary Fink, Bob and Karen Fossum, Janet Kruger, Brad and Erin Berns and family and friends of Ness Pumping Service.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, March 19 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. 

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 in Waukon will begin its next series of Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, April 13, and the classes will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Large Conference Room.

The Prepared Childbirth Education classes at Veterans Memorial Hospital are offered in three sessions that allow the expectant parents to choose which topics they wish to learn more on. They may choose to attend one, two or all three sessions. Session 1 covers labor, delivery and the postpartum period following delivery; Session 2 includes relaxation, breathing and pain management; and Session 3 covers infant care. Tours of the OB Department at Veterans Memorial Hospital are available with each session as well.

Josh and Whitney Anderson announce the birth of their twin sons, Ridge and Rhett Anderson, born February 19, 2020 at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI. They each weighed 3 lbs.  5 ozs. at the time of their birth. They join siblings Jaxon, Braxton, Tila and Emery.

Grandparents are Tom and Shawny Jones, Joel Anderson and Dawn Teslow. Great-grandparents are Sherri Lewey, Dayton and Kate Jones, Elaine Anderson and Darlene Hartkemeyer. Betty Schwamman of Waukon is a great-great-grandmother.

Amos Flack and Andria McLaughlin of Waukon announce the birth of their daughter, Joanna Mae Flack, born March 6, 2020 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 8 lbs. 2 ozs. and measured 20-3/4 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins siblings, Austen (20), Molly (15) and Owen (11).

Grandparents are Terry and Joleen Flack of Waukon, Deanna and Wade Hauser of New Hampton and William Martin of Fredericksburg.
 

Brandi Nebendahl of Waterville announces the birth of her daughter, Desiree Lynn Nebendahl, born March 9, 2020 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 7 lbs. 11 ozs. and measured 22 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins a brother, Dennis Joe (4).

Grandparents are Krista and Randy Nebendahl of Monona. Great-grandparents are Dennis L. and Barb Nebendahl of Waterville and Sherry Schultz of Postville.
 

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
June 30: 2020 ARCPLC Election
July 15: Crop Certification
September 30: PLC Yield Update

Glomalin, Holding it All Together
by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist, Allamakee County
We’ve been talking about healthy soil and soil microorganisms.  One of these is mycorrhizal fungi and how important it is for healthy plant function. This fungi attaches to the plant roots and can grow out from the roots to assist in obtaining nutrients and water. What we haven’t discussed is that this fungi is covered with a special coating called glomalin. This is a sticky compound that keeps water and nutrients from getting lost on the way to and from the plant.

Schools across Iowa closed for four weeks, many events canceled or postponed; Health officials offer guidance

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Allamakee County Public Health have reported Allamakee County’s first cases of COVID-19.

“This investigation has identified two cases of COVID-19 with known international travel exposure,” the joint health departments shared in a jointly-released statement. “One individual is a middle-aged adult between 41-60 years; the other is a child, age 0-18 years. This is not indicative of community circulation of the virus here in Allamakee County. It remains critical that all residents continue to take preventive measures.”

Those preventive measures to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 infection include:

Do not arrive unannounced at healthcare facilities

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) provided additional guidance to health officials across the state concerning testing for COVID-19 infection, emphasizing that any testing for the virus must be done by the person’s health care provider and that those seeking testing must not go unannounced to their doctor’s office or hospital.

“Individuals need to direct requests to their health care providers for testing of COVID-19 infection,” said Mike Myers, Administrator at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. “Anyone who believes they may need to be tested for COVID-19 should call their health care provider to ask about testing and be prepared to provide details about their symptoms. Do not show up unannounced at a local health facility, as that can spread the virus.”