NorthLakes Community Clinic-Ashland Downtown therapies department is gearing up for another summer of Kindergarten Readiness groups.  Kindergarten is a time for children to build foundation skills for higher learning and life.  A time to expand upon fine motor, gross motor, social, and play skills. 

Transition into Kindergarten can be a large change for children even if a child has attended a 4K or early intervention program.  Delays with motor, speech, or social skills can make this transition even more challenging for a child. 

NLCC–Ashland Downtown will be offering two types of Kindergarten Readiness groups during the summer of 2019.  The motor group will be facilitated by occupational therapy with an emphasis on fine and gross motor skill development including balance, coordination, and strength.  Following routines and directions, turn taking, and sharing are naturally built into the motor group structure. 

The social and regulation group will be facilitated by occupational and speech therapy.  This group will have a more deliberate focus on social interaction and group skills (i.e. waiting, attending, and routine following) in addition to language development and self-regulation. 

The structure for both groups includes a greeting and good-bye routine, peer interaction, and fluctuation between seated and movement tasks.  The overall goal of these groups is to assist in preparing participants for entering Kindergarten and being part of a larger group setting.

Participants need to be entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2019 and demonstrate challenges with motor skills, social interaction, or self-regulation.  Priority will be given to current patients of the occupational and speech therapy department at NorthLakes Community Clinic.  Children not currently receiving occupational or speech therapy at NorthLakes Community Clinic will need a referral from the child’s primary care provider and an evaluation at NorthLakes to determine appropriateness.  Please call Therapies Coordinator Alaina Archer (715) 685-2200 extension 3119 for more information. 

NorthLakes Community Clinic is pleased to announce the addition of a new Behavioral Health therapist at the Washburn clinic. Michaela Perlberg, LCSW will be providing counseling services within the Hurley School District and seeing patients at NorthLakes.

Perlberg has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota – Duluth and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin – Superior. Prior to joining NorthLakes Community Clinic, Perlberg worked as a counselor at Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Michigan.

Of her new position at NorthLakes, Perlberg says, “I wanted to work at Northlakes because their vision, mission and values align greatly with my personal values.  Northlakes genuinely cares about the communities they work within and place high value on patients and employees. I am grateful to have the opportunity to help others in a creative, challenging and purposeful way.”

Perlberg resides in Hurley where she enjoys spending time with her big family, spending time outdoors and traveling.

 

As of February 1, 2019 Northern Health Centers (NHC) is now part of NorthLakes Community Clinic.  NorthLakes Community Clinic is a sister Federally Qualified Health Center headquartered in Iron River, Wisconsin.  The NHC Board of Directors made the decision in 2018 as a way to respond to better serve patients now and into the future.

“As a smaller community health center, we determined it was time to find a partner that could provide us more depth in some of the foundational back-end aspects of running a community health center,” says Shelly White, CEO of Northern Health Centers. “Merging with NorthLakes Community Clinic allows us to continue serving the people of northeast Wisconsin, while having additional resources available to improve overall patient experience and stabilize our future.”

White, along with the rest of the Northern Health Centers staff, will remain on the team; and additional dental, medical and mental health providers and staff are being hired. The White Lake, Oconto and Lakewood locations will remain open and provide the same services as before.  Patients will notice few changes, other than communication and billing now coming from NorthLakes Community Clinic.  There will also be an additional resource available for patients via a change in the Sliding Fee Scale.  As part of this merger, under- or un-insured patients who qualify for the first level (Slide A) of the Sliding Fee Scale will now pay no ($0) co-pay.  Prior to the merge, their co-pay was $20.

“As a regional community health center, we are also exploring ways to actively remove barriers to care,” says NorthLakes Community Clinic CEO Reba Rice.  “This merger provides an opportunity to ensure patients in northeast Wisconsin have access to high quality, affordable care.  We strongly believe everyone deserves access to care and are always looking for ways to achieve that mission.”

Children in northwest Wisconsin will have expanded access to occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy (ST) services at NorthLakes Community Clinic in Ashland, in part due to a generous grant by the Otto Bremer Foundation.  In fall of 2017, the Otto Bremer Foundation awarded NorthLakes Community Clinic $61,000 to expand treatment spaces and equipment in the clinic’s downtown location.

NorthLakes Community Clinic – Ashland Downtown delivers occupational and speech therapy to children birth through 18 years of age.  NorthLakes’ speech therapists work with patients with a variety of challenges including speech and language delays, auditory processing deficits, cognitive disorders, autism, and swallowing and eating difficulties.  NorthLakes’ occupational therapists work with patients who have challenges with self-regulation, fine and gross motor skills, daily living skills (i.e. dressing, grooming, sleeping), learning disabilities, and eating difficulties.  Thanks to this grant and new space NorthLakes speech and occupational therapists will have an expanded ability to treat infants, children with bowel and bladder challenges, and individuals with social skill deficits.  NorthLakes OT and ST department looks forward to being able to offer more group therapy sessions as well.

Funds from the grant supported a number of new features within current spaces, along with five new pediatric treatment rooms. This includes:

• Large treatment room that includes climbing structures called platforms as well as ceiling supports for suspended equipment essential to Sensory Integration therapy.
• Bathroom designated for therapy to target bowel and bladder challenges (like constipation, bed wetting, and incontinence) as well as daily living skills (like teeth brushing).
• Three medium sized rooms for patients who need a less stimulating environment and designated spaces to work on social skills training. One of these rooms will also have additional equipment for individuals with physical disabilities.
• Parent observation rooms to allow parent/guardians to view therapy sessions without being in the therapy room.
• Expansion of the infant treatment room to better accommodate two therapists and the patient’s family at the same time.
• Specialized equipment needed to expand services to a broader range of patients including a variety of therapy swings, adapted feeding tools, augmentative communication tools, and a hoyer lift to name a few.

Of the grant, Occupational Therapist and Therapies Director Angela Schoeppach, OTR/L says these dollars will go far in helping improve the long-term outcomes of our area’s youth. “We are honored that we were chosen for this grant and so excited about the opportunities this provides for our patients.”

A new tool is helping teachers and school counselors within the Ashland Middle and High Schools address alcohol and other drug use.  Teen Intervene, which was developed by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, uses a suite of screening, intervention and treatment tools to help teenagers who have experienced mild to moderate problems with alcohol or other drug use work on making better choices and modifying their behavior.

Several school based staff members with the School District of Ashland were trained on the research-based model, thanks to a grant written by and awarded to NorthLakes Community Clinic.  This past summer, these staff members began using the tool for students who were caught with tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs at school.  In addition, the program is now being offered as an option for students caught vaping or with vaping paraphernalia on school grounds.  Students and parents may complete the course with a trained school staff person in lieu of a city fine for tobacco products on school grounds through a partnership with the Ashland Police Department and the City of Ashland.

“Teen Intervene provides us the tools we need to work with students and their families on how to make healthier choices,” says Ashland School District Wellness Coordinator Greta Blancarte. “To do this, the program helps identify the reason a student chose to use alcohol or other drugs, examines the effects of this substance use in their life, and then provides some education around how to make healthier choices moving forward. The program also includes an assessment to understand the severity of the use and rules out substance use disorders.”

Similar to other areas in the country, vaping is on the rise.  One reason for this is the surge of candy and fruit flavors available for students to try. In Wisconsin, 88% of high school students say they wouldn’t try e-cigarettes if they didn’t come in flavors like mint, mango, chocolate or cotton candy.  But, a recent study found that there are more than 15,500 unique e-cigarette flavors available online.  And, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that e-cigarette use by high school students increased 78 percent from 2017-2018, bringing the total to 21% of all high school students or 3.05 million. 

“One of the reasons we’re concerned about teens using e-cigarettes is that nicotine is especially harmful to young, developing brains,” says Charmaine Swan of the Northwest Wisconsin Tobacco-Free Coalition. “We’ve made so much progress in reducing tobacco use – the last thing we want to see is that undone by this new generation of tobacco products.”

The school district, along with NorthLakes Community Clinic, hopes that by understanding why students are making these choices, they can help them make better choices in the future.  “We believe that the Teen Intervene tool is an effective, evidence based approach that is uniquely comprehensive,” says NorthLakes CEO Reba Rice. “It was created specifically to drive adolescent engagement and produce positive outcomes.”

As part of the grant, NorthLakes Community Clinic has also adapted the Teen Intervene program to assist adolescent girls with adverse childhood experiences, as studies show that women who have experienced trauma are much more likely to use.  This will be interwoven into new and existing school-based services within the School District of Ashland that are provided by the district’s community partners: NorthLakes Clinic, Ashland MMC, SOAR Services, and Bad River Wellness Clinic. To date, the Ashland School District has seen over 400 students as part of the district’s mental health referral pathway. This pathway provides an online form for staff, family and students to refer students who may need mental health services. Of those, over 70% have been connected to services within the school and community.

NorthLakes Community Clinic – Hayward is pleased to announce the addition of two new providers in 2019. Michele Armstrong, MD will be providing medical and prenatal services and Aaron Hamilton, LPC will be providing counseling services and work with the recovery team.

Armstrong is a graduate of the University of Texas – Dallas and completed her residency at the Mid-Michigan Regional Medical Center in Midland, Michigan.  She went on to practice family medicine at River Valley Medical Center in St. Croix Falls and Rusk County Medical Center. 

Armstrong says she chose to practice at NorthLakes Community Clinic – Hayward because it aligns with her vision for health care. “My own personal feeling is that everyone deserves to be treated as well as I wish my own family to be treated. It is clear, NorthLakes feels the same.”

Hamilton graduated with a MA in Counseling from Lakeland University.  Most recently, he has worked at Northland Counseling in Hayward. He has also worked as a Case Manager for the Jackson/Sawyer County Community Support Program, Northwest Connections and at Family and Children’s Center in Black River Falls.

A long-time resident of the area, Hamilton says he was excited to learn about the opening at NorthLakes Community Clinic. “I am looking forward to being a part of something so recovery based and person centered. It is exciting to see where things are going with NorthLakes and being able to participate in utilizing the strength of the clients is special and rewarding.”

These hires, along with bringing a full-spectrum Recovery Program to Hayward, reflects NorthLakes Community Clinic’s commitment to providing comprehensive, integrated care in the Hayward area.

“Michele and Aaron bring a wealth of experience to the area, while also expanding access to quality medical and Behavioral Health services,” says NorthLakes Community Clinic – Hayward Site Manager Carol Anderson. “These new providers are just one more way NorthLakes is working hard to expand access to services for everyone.”

 

At the beginning of every January, many of us feel hopeful about the upcoming year and resolve to make some big changes in our lives. But by January 31, statistics say 92% of us have given up on those resolutions we so hopefully set barely one month earlier. The following are some tips for making and keeping your resolutions as we move into 2019:

Watch your language! We know that what we tell ourselves makes a difference in how we feel about things. Ultimately how we feel about something will then determine how we behave or respond. Keeping this in mind, tell yourself you are setting goals for the New Year, as opposed to making a New Year’s resolution. Goal setting tends to imply a time line that has steps associated with achieving it and is overall more flexible in nature. Making a resolution can feel like it has a more rigid or limited time frame with little room to adjust or make changes as needed. This can leave us feeling pressured to accomplish our resolution quickly and then feel like we failed when we don’t accomplish what we resolved to do.

Be SMART! When identifying your goals for the New Year, using the SMART technique can help make the process more manageable. This is a technique often used by businesses, but can apply to our personal goals as well!

• S=Specific. Make your goal specific and identify what it is exactly you are trying to achieve. Do you want to live a healthier lifestyle, save more money, or be kinder to others
• M= Measurable. Determine how will you know you are near achieving your goal. If you want to live a healthier lifestyle, maybe this means you are moving toward your goal by having an annual exam, including more fruits and vegetables in your diet or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. When determining how you will measure your success, think of all the steps involved that could indicate movement toward your goal. The small steps matter! “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!” – Lao-Tzu
• A= Attainable. Make sure the goal you have set for yourself is one you can achieve! What will you/your life look like/be like once you have attained your goal? Creating a collage of images that depict your goals can also help keep you motivated toward attaining them.
• R= Relevant. Is the goal you have set for yourself one that makes sense for you in your life? Be sure that you are setting a goal that is important to you. If you are setting a goal in which you do not feel personally invested, you may be setting yourself up for failure before you even begin!
• T= Time Bound. What is the time frame in which you are hoping to achieve your goal? It is important to give yourself enough time to reach whatever goal you choose and be willing to consider extending the time frame if you realize your initial time frame was not enough.

Practice makes progress! Once you have set your goals for the New Year, be sure to express gratitude for any progress you have made toward your goals and to have compassion toward yourself when you discover you have gotten off track. Remember that achieving goals is less about how quickly you get there and more about not giving up along the way!

Jennifer Hodgson is a Behavioral Health Therapist in Iron River, Wisconsin. 

NorthLakes Community Clinic is proud to announce that it has been awarded $15,000 as part of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s High Impact Priority and Direct Effect Grants, offered under the Quality of Life Grants Program. The award was one of 66 grants totaling $1,230,983 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to fund a variety of projects and programs to benefit the paralysis community, strengthening the Reeve Foundation’s dual mission of Today’s Care, Tomorrow’s Cure®. Funding for this new cycle of grants was made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (ACL).

This cycle piloted a tiered grant approach, with three higher-dollar amount levels of High Impact Priority grants that support key areas of need for the community of people living with paralysis, as well as a Direct Effect tier that is broad in scope and awards grants up to $15,000. The High Impact Priority areas include Employment (5 grants at $50,000 each); Nursing Home Transition (4 grants at $40,000 each); and Transportation, Respite/Caregiving, and Disaster Response, each with 3 grants of up to $30,000 each.

The Foundation received an unprecedented total of over 600 requests, and after a rigorous review process, ultimately funded 18 High Impact Priority grants totaling $679,922 and 48 Direct Effect grants totaling $551,061.

“Through our federal partnership with ACL, we constantly strive to make the Quality of Life Grants Program the very best it can be,” said Donna Valente, Senior Grants Manager. “We are gratified that the new grants structure will help to support ACL’s strategic priorities and honor Dana’s vision and her legacy of caring by maximizing the impact of the grants.”

In Turtle Lake, funds will go towards creating a dental operatory room that is wheelchair friendly. This includes a specially designed wheelchair lift that allows patients to remain in their wheelchair during their dental appointment.

“We know that standard dental operatory rooms create barriers for our patients who are wheelchair bound,” says Nikki Liedl, Site Manager at NorthLakes Community Clinic Turtle Lake. “Thanks to the generosity of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, we are one step closer to expanding our dental services to better serve our patients.”

The clinic build was made possible in-part by a $5 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that allowed for expanding medical, dental and behavioral health services at NorthLakes Community Clinic sites in Iron River, Hayward and Turtle Lake. Additional funds are also being raised for the Wheelchair Operatory in the Turtle Lake area. This includes a 1:1 match being offered by Delta Dental. If you are interested in supporting these efforts, please contact Madeleine Rekeymer at 651-792-5534 or mrekemeyer@northlakesclinic.org.

NorthLakes Community Clinic has been partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) since July, 2018 to distribute free well water testing kits at all of their clinic locations as part of a new study to document levels of naturally-occurring fluoride and metals in groundwater.

The project, which was made possible by a $55,626 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources through the Groundwater Coordinating Council aims to test 700 water samples from privately-owned wells for fluoride concentration and 111 additional samples for the metals arsenic, iron, manganese, aluminum, and lead. This study is taking place within 11 counties in northwest Wisconsin, including, Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer, Price, Rusk, Barron, and Polk.

Citizen scientists and interested residents who volunteer to participate in the study will be given a free sample kit and will receive test results and resources for interpreting them. The results of the study will be integrated into the Wisconsin Well Water Quality Viewer (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point), which is available online, and will be shared at public presentations through the 11-county study area.

Residents interested in participating in the study should pick up their free sample kit from the following clinic locations that still have kits available: Balsam Lake, Birchwood, Hayward – River’s Edge Drive, Iron River, and Washburn. Please call ahead to ensure clinic staff will be available at the time of sample kit pickup; ask for the groundwater monitoring study sample kit.

NorthLakes Community Clinic family medicine provider Dr. Jenna walks down the hallway with a tiny green knit hat, sitting tightly in the palm of her hand. She’s delivering this itty-bitty hat to sweet baby Asher, born just the week before to loving parents Jasmine and Marcus. NorthLakes Community Clinic – Ashland began seeing prenatal patients in October and Baby Asher is the first child born into their staffs’ loving hands.

Once in the room, Dr. Jenna sees mom and dad beaming with joy.  “He’s grown!” Dr. Jenna says with a smile. Both Jasmine and Marcus grin and nod, yes. All swaddled in blue and white fuzzy blanket, the star of the show, Asher, does what babies do best, he demands the attention of the room. Everyone starts to coo, and it becomes apparent that mom and dad and all those around are in love.

Dr. Jenna, Jasmine, Marcus and Asher pose for a quick photo before Jasmine shares her experience.  “It was fast,” she says. “I’m just so thankful. Dr. Jenna and her team was amazing. I couldn’t imagine having my baby with anyone else.”

Dr. Jenna is currently accepting new prenatal and medical patients in Iron River and Ashland. To schedule an appointment please call 888-834-4551.