Health

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s Christmas Fantasy 2026 will  be held Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, November 13, 14, 15 and 16, at the Allamakee Fairgrounds Pavilion. The fun-filled theme this year will be “A Visit to the North Pole!”  

For only the second year, the new Live Auction event will be an entertaining part of the line-up of events.  This Live Auction will take place Friday night, November 13, at 7 p.m. during the “Tingle ‘N Mingle” happy hour event. A limited number of specialized items will be offered. All auction items will be shared through the hospital’s social media Facebook and Instagram pages as well as their website prior to the event.

The final Walk-In Flu Shot Clinic will be held Wednesday morning, October 28, from 9-11:30 a.m. at the main entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH).  Anyone is welcome to walk-in without an appointment to received the either or both vaccines.

Flu and covid shots will continue to be offered by Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care - Allamakee County Public Health every Wednesday afternoon. Appointments can be made by calling 563-568-5660. These afternoon by-appointment vaccines will be administered at the Community and Home Care office located at 12 E. Main Street in downtown Waukon. Flu shots are recommended for all those who have not yet received the vaccine and will be effective throughout the rest of the flu season.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2026, an estimated 382,640 women and 2,670 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.   

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Only lung cancer kills more women each year. The chance that any woman will die from breast cancer is about 1 in 43 (about 2.3%).

Breast cancer death rates have been decreasing steadily since 1989, for an overall decline of 44% through 2022. The decrease in death rates is believed to be the result of finding breast cancer earlier through screening and increased awareness, as well as better treatments.

October 13, a “Faces of the Future” health care career day was held at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) thanks to the coordination of Corinne Cook, RN, and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC). The hospital’s Large Conference Room was completely filled with 30 high school students from the area school systems who quickly signed-up to attend this filled to capacity event.

These students spent the school day at the hospital learning about a wide variety of health care careers including nursing, nursing assistant, health information management/medical records, medical assistant, phlebotomy, clinical, respiratory therapy, laboratory, x-ray, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and sports medicine, pharmacy, nutrition, informatics, dietetics, behavioral health, home care, dental assistant, surgery, paramedic and emergency medical technician.

The local Grief Support Group will again be holding their monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Thursday, November 5, from 5-6 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. Nancy Haberichter will be facilitating the meeting.

This informal meeting 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. This grief support will continue meeting the first Thursday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

November is a time to show gratitude for the things one is thankful for. There’s nothing LifeServe Blood Center is more thankful for than generous blood donors. Each donation is a selfless act that saves lives. This November, they honor those who give so much and encourage them to continue providing hope and healing through the holiday season.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Monday, November 2, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. 

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory Ruby Herman by Mary Ann Burke, Randy Burke, Jeremy and Gina Curtin, Charles and Kimberly Deering, Anne Dykstra, Steve and Sheryl Evenson, Mary Fink, Robert and Karen Fossum, Beverly Haas, Elmo and Sheryl Hagen, Donald Hanson, Erik and Janelle Helgerson, Helen Johnson, Patsy Kerndt, James and Jill Kiesau, Bev Krambeer, Myron and Judith Krauskopf, Lyle and Cindy Leikvold, Thomas and Mary Mellick, Greg and Catherine Mohwinkle, Dave and Gail Prestemon, Kevin and Ann Quillin, William and Karen Regan, Allan and Fern Rissman, Dean “Beanzy” Schellhammer, Jerry and Carol Schoenthal, William and Connie Sindelar and friends, Linda Thompson, Regi and Denise Tysland, Frank and Jean Ann Weymiller, Brian and Denise Wullner and an anonymous donor.

Those who are eligible have until December 7 of this year to enroll in or change Medicare drug plans for 2027. Don’t wait until the last minute. Remember, if you’re on Medicare and don’t have drug coverage, or the coverage you have is not as good as Medicare’s, you will face a penalty for each month you delay enrolling.

Anyone who has questions about Medicare drug coverage should call their local SHIIP counselors at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411. Both SHIIP Volunteers, Nancy Schoh and Vicki Bloxham, are trained and available to meet individually with anyone in the community who wishes to compare the Medicare Part D plans available for 2027.  Appointments are required.  Feel free to call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411 to schedule your appointment. You will need to bring your Medicare card, current Part D plan card and a list of your medications from your pharmacy. SHIIP is a free, confidential service of the State of Iowa.

Enjoy a fun-filled Christmas Fantasy this year Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, November 13, 14, 15, and 16, at the Allamakee Fairgrounds Pavilion. The theme is “A Visit to the North Pole!”

Reservations are being taken now for the many popular events held during this four-day event, marking the 35th annual Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation Christmas Fantasy.

Flu and Covid shots continue to be offered throughout various locations in Allamakee County during the month of October by Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health. 

Walk-In flu shot and Covid shot clinics will continue to be offered all remaining Wednesdays in October, including October 21, and 28. These walk-in clinics will be held from 9-11:30 a.m. at the main entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Appointments can also be made for afternoon immunizations these same days by calling 563-568-5660.  These afternoon by-appointment vaccines will be administered at the Community and Home Care office located at 12 E. Main Street in downtown Waukon.

Flu shots are recommended for all those who have not yet received the vaccine and will be effective throughout the rest of the flu season.