by Valerie Herber, APNP, PMHNP-BC, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Southwest Behavioral Services “Marijuana is harmless!”, “I won’t get addicted!”, “Everyone is doing it!” or even, “I could be doing worse!” If you’re a parent of a teenager who is using marijuana or you accidentally fell upon your child’s “stash” while cleaning or looking [read more]
by Gerald Moore, Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) at Southwest Health Making the decision to call an ambulance can be very scary. Your adrenaline kicks in, your thoughts start racing, every episode of “Emergency” starts running through your head. So many thoughts and feelings rush in that you find yourself unable to communicate your message [read more]
by Meghan Raeder, RN, BSN, CLC – OB Supervisor and Certified Lactation Counselor at the Birthing Center at Southwest Health How would you react if you saw a mother breastfeeding her baby in public? Would you stare? Would walk over to her and ask her to cover up or go elsewhere? Would you see the [read more]
By Jennifer Miller Kass, MSW, LCSW, Behavioral Health Administrative Director at Southwest Behavioral Services With all the fog that has fallen on our picturesque community lately, it can be hard to feel excited about getting out of bed or finding motivation. Gloomy and dreary winter weather has this effect on many of us. The days are [read more]
by Rebecca L. Wylesky-Durst MSN, MHA, RN – Director of Nursing at Southwest Health As new parents, we have a mental checklist we go through to make sure our home and lives are ready for our new addition. We make sure the car seat is in place, the nursery has all the right touches and [read more]
By Kim Reuter, Clinic Manager at Southwest Health Understanding your Medicare annual wellness visit is not always easy. So, we’re here to help. Knowing how to prepare for it and what to expect when you get there is difficult if you’ve never been through the process before. Our goal is to make sure that each [read more]
by Jenny Pritchett, MBA, MPH, RN, CIC, Director of Quality Management & Infection Preventionist at Southwest Health As the hospital’s Infection Preventionist, I complete ongoing surveillance of illnesses throughout our area and provide guidance and recommendations based on this surveillance. Over recent weeks we have been experiencing a mumps outbreak in the Platteville and Dubuque [read more]
by Catherine Blume, APNP at The Platteville & Cuba City Clinics at Southwest Health Many of us assume that if we’re not sick we don’t need to see a doctor. But do you know why it’s important to have your annual wellness exam? As we grow and age, we have different needs in life. This [read more]
By Noelle Hebgen, RN, Director of Inpatient Behavioral Health at Southwest Behavioral Services We have all been there. Lying in bed at night, exhausted from the day’s activities yet unable to turn our mind “off” and fall sleep. If this describes you, you are not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 75% of American [read more]
By Jodi Knight, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Therapist at Southwest Health Can you repeat that? What did you say? I can’t understand what you’re saying. If you have Parkinson’s disease you have probably heard these phrases at least a hundred times. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, neurological disease. In simpler terms, this means that there are [read more]
