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Jean R. Gallagher, 66, of Waukon died Friday, March 6, 2020 at Lake View Health Center in West Salem, WI. Memorial services will be held Wednesday, March 11 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial will be held at a later date. Friends may call one hour before the services Wednesday at the church. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Lance E. Schmitt, 48, of Onalaska, WI died March 4, 2020 at University Hospital in Madison, WI from complications following heart surgery performed at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI. Funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, March 11 at 5 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Parish, Onalaska, WI.

A visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 at The Gathering, 133 Mason Street in Onalaska, WI. Visitation will also be from 4 p.m. until the time of Mass Wednesday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the family are preferred. Coulee Region Cremation Group is assisting the family.

Lance was born March 9, 1971 to Dean and Lorraine Schmitt of Fountain City, WI. He grew up in Onalaska and graduated from Aquinas High School where he was a State Champion wrestler. In 2018, he was awarded the Aquinas Blugold Wrestling Legacy Award.

Virginia A. Hazen, 70, of Waukon died Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Friday, March 6 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Robertson officiating. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

Virginia Ann Hazen was born May 16, 1949 in Waukon, the daughter of Jacob and Geraldine (Thorson) Iseli. She was baptized at Lansing Ridge Presbyterian Church in rural Lansing, confirmed at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon and graduated from Waukon High School in 1967.

December 12, 1981, she married Dayton Hazen at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon. For several years, Virginia worked at Northern Engraving in Waukon.

Carol Eileen Thorson, age 84, of Caledonia, MN, formerly of Spring Grove, MN, passed away Sunday, March 1, 2020 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon after a sudden illness. Funeral services were held Friday, March 6 at Waterloo Ridge Lutheran Church in rural Dorchester. Burial was in the Iowa River Cemetery.

Carol was born March 4, 1935 in Lansing to George and Lois (Blue) Harvey. She graduated from high school and also attended secretarial school. October 23, 1952, Carol married Owen Thorson at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in New Albin.

Carol was employed at Trane Co. in La Crosse, WI and later at Alliant Energy in Lansing. She retired in 1995.

Carol and Owen enjoyed going to Mt. Pleasant each year for the Threshing Festival. She also enjoyed going to flea markets, garage sales and bowling league Thursday nights. She was a skilled bowler and enjoyed traveling with her team to tournaments around the country.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon began nuclear cardiac stress testing within its Cardiac Rehab unit over a decade ago, in 2008. The convenience of having these nuclear tests offered on a local level has been well received in the community since it began.

Nuclear cardiac stress testing offers two different methods, both highly effective in detecting heart disease. These two forms of nuclear stress testing are called the Exercise Nuclear Stress Test and Lexiscan Nuclear Imaging. Both methods can increase the likelihood of finding heart disease by 20% when compared to traditional treadmill stress tests.

The number-one cause of death in the United States continues to be heart disease. The term heart disease is used to describe several different conditions. The data collected from a nuclear stress test is very useful in detecting these conditions. This data includes:

When a new virus like coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) emerges on the public health scene, there are many questions. It is normal to be concerned about COVID-19, which has caused so much illness and death in China. Public health officials take every disease outbreak seriously and Allamakee County Public Health has been working closely with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to learn about COVID-19 and its risk to Iowans.

In a time of uncertainty, social media becomes a platform for rumors and misinformation. “We are aware of misinformation about COVD-19 both locally, across Iowa and nationally,” said Allamakee County Public Health Director Lisa Moose. “It’s important for Allamakee County residents to rely on trusted sources of information like the CDC, IDPH and our public health agency.”

Veterans Memorial Hospital will begin the next 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.

The next Caregiver Support Group meeting will be held Monday, March  16,at 1:30 p.m. in the Meditation Room in the front entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

When a person is diagnosed with a chronic illness, a lot of focus and attention is put on how to keep that person as independent and as healthy as possible. When a person loses some of their abilities to care for themselves the burden of care is often assumed by the spouse, a child (or children), or sometimes friends and neighbors. While everyone who becomes a caregiver handles the added responsibility with different skill sets, attitudes, and understanding levels, there is no question that there is a very real strain associated with care giving.

Recent studies have estimated that the stress caused just by becoming the caregiver of an adult with a chronic illness or disability will take seven years off of a persons’ life. With more and more Iowans aging, this is a real concern in the local community.

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Tuesday, March 10 at 5 p.m. in the Education Conference Room. This informal meeting, held the second Tuesday of each month, is open to anyone suffering from any type of loss whether it be death, divorce, illness or some other grief. Feel free to attend and bring a friend.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will be offering the next recertification course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health care providers (those working in health related fields such as physicians, nurses, EMS, etc.) Wednesday, March 18, beginning at 5 p.m. This “Health Care Professional” CPR class will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital.

All registrants should bring along their own pocket mask, if they have one. Upon successful completion of the class, the participant will receive an electronic card certifying them as a BLS Healthcare Provider for a two-year period.

Pre-registration and a minimum of three participants is required for the class to be held. For more information and to register for the “Health Care Provider” CPR Course, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.