April Welcome to Medicare Seminar

 

Updated CDC Guidance

• The CDC provided updated guidance this past week that provides recommendations on mask use and testing in certain areas for both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons.
•  There has been a recent increase in virus activity in Ida County along with the presence of the more transmissible delta variant.
• Every Iowan should remember that the most important thing we can all do is get vaccinated. Vaccination helps to limit the spread and severity of this virus.
• In addition to vaccination, public health continues to recommend the use of other mitigation approaches including staying home when you're sick, washing your hands, and using facemasks and social distancing as a layered approach to make virus spread less likely.
•  Vaccine supply in the state is stable and vaccines are readily available.
• Iowans with questions about the vaccine should reach out to their health care provider or local public health.
• The public health best practice recommendations and CDC information can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

 

Signs and Symptoms of Lung Cancer

Cancer is the leading cause of death across the globe, accounting for 9.6 million deaths in 2018 alone. Statistics indicate that more than 20 percent of those deaths were due to lung cancer, making it the most deadly cancers in the world.

Early detection is often essential to surviving various forms of cancer, and lung cancer is no exception. In fact, the five-year survival rate for people diagnosed before the cancer has spread rises from 18 out of every 100 to 55 out of every 100. With so much at stake, it pays for men and women to learn the signs and symptoms of lung cancer.

Recognizing the signs of lung cancer involves both learning about its potential symptoms and identifying risk factors. Symptoms do not typically manifest themselves in the early stages of lung cancer, though there are some classic symptoms that should be discussed with a healthcare provider if they appear.

 Those symptoms include:

·                     Persistent cough: This is especially concerning for people who cough up rust-colored sputum

·                     Shortness of breath

·                     Hoarseness

·                     Chronic bronchitis

·                     Chest pain

·                     Unexplained weight loss

·                     Bone pain

These symptoms are not generally a cause for concern by themselves, but doctors may still recommend patients who experience them be tested for lung cancer.

Understanding lung cancer risk factors is another important step men and women can take in the fight against this deadly disease. Smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer, but a growing number of people who have never smoked are being diagnosed with lung cancer. So even non-smokers are at risk of lung cancer, which might come as a surprise to those who have never used tobacco. People who have any of these risk factors should speak with their healthcare provider to determine if screening for lung cancer would be in their best interest.

·                     Exposure to second-hand smoke

·                     Exposure to radon gas

·                     Exposure to asbestos

·                     Exposure to other carcinogens, such as chromium and nickel

·                     Air pollution

·                     Arsenic in drinking water

·                     Previous radiation to lungs

·                     Personal or family history of lung cancer

Lung cancer can affect anyone, even people who have never smoked. If you have any of the symptoms discussed above or concerns, talk with your healthcare provide to see if you are a candidate for CT lung cancer screening at Horn Memorial Hospital.

COVID-19 Vaccine Available at Horn Community Health

 

Horn Physicians Clinic Welcomes Joey Hoefling and Jackie Ellison

 

Horn Public Health Recognizes COVID Vaccination Clinic Volunteers

 

Horn Public Health administered 2,710 doses of COVID Vaccine over the course of three months.  “This would not have been possible without the repeated help of volunteers, commented Rebecca Burns, Public Health Coordinator.  The limited vaccine supply required volunteers to assist with over 20 clinics.  We are very appreciative of everyone that stepped in to help us provide these clinics, including St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ida Grove, and Lohff-Schumann Memorial Community Center in Holstein for allowing us to use their space.   We are pleased that we have been able to reach this many in our community, but we still have work to do in regards to educating our community and continuing to make the vaccination available.”

 

Volunteers present: Deb Cosgrove, Linda Klotz, Lori Volkert, Lori Forneris, Katie Clausen, Connie Ludvigson.  

Absent from the photo were: Deb Krager, Sharon and Dale Wellendorf, Jo Hayes, Kathy Henrich, Becky Ricklefs, Mikka Belson, and Pam Shever.

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics at Horn Community Health