Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, La Crosse, 2023 Community Benefits
Grassroots Group Hopes to Turn Farm-Fresh Food Into Better Health
Rooftop gardens are more than just a hobby in the Gundersen Region of Bellin and Gundersen Health System. Growing and harvesting healthy foods is tied to preventing, treating and even reversing chronic disease.
Plant Partners, a group of about 130 Gundersen employee volunteers, is growing a wide selection of herbs, chard, kale, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries and more on the Gundersen La Crosse Hospital’s employee terrace. And while staff from 16 departments oversee the garden beds, anyone can harvest what's there.
“Medicine is shifting toward disease prevention rather than treatment,” says Anna Kitzmann, MD, ophthalmologist and Plant Partners founder. “The healthier people are, the less chance they have of developing chronic illnesses.”
“We hope that growing produce right on campus helps our patients and staff see that food is medicine. What we put into our bodies has a direct link to our health,” says Jake Larkin, PA-C, hospital medicine and Plant Partners volunteer.
The group hopes to scale each year, sharing the fresh harvest with patients and employees.
“We see lots of diet-related diseases in internal medicine,” says Larkin. “We can treat patient symptoms, but by teaching more about diet and nutrition, we can actually help get to the root of the problem and empower patients to live healthier lives.”
Plant Partners, a group of about 130 Gundersen employee volunteers, is growing a wide selection of herbs, chard, kale, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries and more on the Gundersen La Crosse Hospital’s employee terrace. And while staff from 16 departments oversee the garden beds, anyone can harvest what's there.
“Medicine is shifting toward disease prevention rather than treatment,” says Anna Kitzmann, MD, ophthalmologist and Plant Partners founder. “The healthier people are, the less chance they have of developing chronic illnesses.”
“We hope that growing produce right on campus helps our patients and staff see that food is medicine. What we put into our bodies has a direct link to our health,” says Jake Larkin, PA-C, hospital medicine and Plant Partners volunteer.
The group hopes to scale each year, sharing the fresh harvest with patients and employees.
“We see lots of diet-related diseases in internal medicine,” says Larkin. “We can treat patient symptoms, but by teaching more about diet and nutrition, we can actually help get to the root of the problem and empower patients to live healthier lives.”
Gundersen Mobile Medicine Team Brings Health Care to Rural Residents
On Monroe County roads usually reserved for tractors, pickups and Amish buggies, a different kind of vehicle ambles through the rolling hills.
Physicians and residents from the Gundersen Region of Bellin and Gundersen Health System Health System ride with La Crosse’s St. Clare Health Mission to provide care at local farms with St. Clare’s Rotary Mobile Clinic, a full-scale, full-service family medicine unit.
Two Fridays each month – dubbed Fridays at the Farm – the team makes stops at farms that employ a predominantly migrant workforce.
The team provides acute care and disease management services. They also handle the unexpected injuries that occur while working on a farm. Many patients they see mostly use local hospitals or clinics for emergency care. The team wants to treat conditions early so trips to the emergency room are avoided.
“We’re getting to know a lot of people gradually,” shares Sarah Brown, MD, the attending Gundersen physician and program coordinator. “We try to keep people connected to health systems or build a bridge back to healthcare, if possible.”
For second-year resident Kate Edsall, MD, rounds at the farm allow her to get to know people in the community who she wouldn’t otherwise see.
“This is a part of our community, but when we stay in the walls of our clinic, we don’t always see all of that,” Dr. Edsall says. “Bringing care to people and helping to break down some of those barriers is a really neat opportunity and what we should be doing if we want to have healthy communities.”
“We view healthcare as a basic human right,” Dr. Brown says. “Our hope is also that caring for people with regularity can help prevent complications from diseases long term, prevent overutilization of emergency services and even reduce hospitalization rates.”
Physicians and residents from the Gundersen Region of Bellin and Gundersen Health System Health System ride with La Crosse’s St. Clare Health Mission to provide care at local farms with St. Clare’s Rotary Mobile Clinic, a full-scale, full-service family medicine unit.
Two Fridays each month – dubbed Fridays at the Farm – the team makes stops at farms that employ a predominantly migrant workforce.
The team provides acute care and disease management services. They also handle the unexpected injuries that occur while working on a farm. Many patients they see mostly use local hospitals or clinics for emergency care. The team wants to treat conditions early so trips to the emergency room are avoided.
“We’re getting to know a lot of people gradually,” shares Sarah Brown, MD, the attending Gundersen physician and program coordinator. “We try to keep people connected to health systems or build a bridge back to healthcare, if possible.”
For second-year resident Kate Edsall, MD, rounds at the farm allow her to get to know people in the community who she wouldn’t otherwise see.
“This is a part of our community, but when we stay in the walls of our clinic, we don’t always see all of that,” Dr. Edsall says. “Bringing care to people and helping to break down some of those barriers is a really neat opportunity and what we should be doing if we want to have healthy communities.”
“We view healthcare as a basic human right,” Dr. Brown says. “Our hope is also that caring for people with regularity can help prevent complications from diseases long term, prevent overutilization of emergency services and even reduce hospitalization rates.”
Gundersen Nurse: “I’m thrilled I found where I fit”
You never know when a foot-in-the-door opportunity will turn into a career to LOVE. That’s exactly what happened for Lorinda Schwartz, RN.
“Before the (Gundersen) nurse internship program, I didn’t feel ready to graduate,” the CNA-turned-nurse intern says. “Now, I feel so prepared. I’m thrilled I found where I fit.”
The Gundersen Region of Bellin and Gundersen Health System offers a competitively paid, 10-week nurse internship. After working closely with RN preceptors in one clinical area, students are one step ahead as they enter their final year of nursing school. Placement opportunities include a variety of positions in Gundersen hospitals, procedural and specialty areas and in Gundersen clinics. And there is an opportunity for employment after the end of the summer internship, along with a potential RN job offer.
During COVID, Schwartz, who graduated from Viterbo University in La Crosse, worked at Gundersen Health System as a CNA, filling in wherever she was needed. When she was accepted into the nurse internship program, she started working in Postpartum.
“I loved it! Parents really depend on you to help them prepare for and adjust to a new baby," Schwartz says. "We are able to help educate parents before they leave the hospital with their little one."
Recruiters reached out to Schwartz with an opportunity. She could stay on and continue her internship if she verbally accepted an RN position at Gundersen upon graduation. Schwartz accepted – and she graduated in December 2022.
“Knowing I had a job right when I graduated relieved so much stress,” Schwartz says. “If you are feeling nervous or unprepared, this program will give you so much confidence.”
“Before the (Gundersen) nurse internship program, I didn’t feel ready to graduate,” the CNA-turned-nurse intern says. “Now, I feel so prepared. I’m thrilled I found where I fit.”
The Gundersen Region of Bellin and Gundersen Health System offers a competitively paid, 10-week nurse internship. After working closely with RN preceptors in one clinical area, students are one step ahead as they enter their final year of nursing school. Placement opportunities include a variety of positions in Gundersen hospitals, procedural and specialty areas and in Gundersen clinics. And there is an opportunity for employment after the end of the summer internship, along with a potential RN job offer.
During COVID, Schwartz, who graduated from Viterbo University in La Crosse, worked at Gundersen Health System as a CNA, filling in wherever she was needed. When she was accepted into the nurse internship program, she started working in Postpartum.
“I loved it! Parents really depend on you to help them prepare for and adjust to a new baby," Schwartz says. "We are able to help educate parents before they leave the hospital with their little one."
Recruiters reached out to Schwartz with an opportunity. She could stay on and continue her internship if she verbally accepted an RN position at Gundersen upon graduation. Schwartz accepted – and she graduated in December 2022.
“Knowing I had a job right when I graduated relieved so much stress,” Schwartz says. “If you are feeling nervous or unprepared, this program will give you so much confidence.”
