Nurse of the Year: Robin Madsen
Meet Robin Madsen, Nurse of the Year. Robin is an RN at Solvay Hospice House and we had the opportunity to sit down with her to ask her about her journey to this prestigious award. What does winning the Nurse of the Year award mean to you? It honestly means, we have a God who sees us. At a time
What is Your Favorite Music?
What’s your favorite music? We used to believe that it was classical music that made us smarter. Today, thanks to more than 25 years of research, we know that whether it’s rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, hip-hop or classical, your gray matter prefers the same music you do. And it doesn’t just impact your smarts. Music can affect our brains and our
Have You Taken a Shower?
Have you taken a shower? Eaten breakfast? Pooped yet? For most of us these are routine everyday tasks. For many served by the Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center, every move, every step, requires gargantuan effort. Dolly was right-handed. When she had a stroke, she lost the use of her hand and used a walker to stabilize herself. She couldn’t type. She
Meet Lou Ann, Chief Happiness Specialist
Meet Lou Ann, Chief Happiness Specialist. She is the newest Miller-Dwan Foundation staff member and therapy-dog-in-training, and she is bringing joy and smiles to the Essentia Health – Duluth campus. Lou Ann came into our lives on March 2, 2019. Here’s what we know about her and where she came from: We saw her adorable face on Petfinder.com and just
Snorkel Mask on Steroids –The Micromedical VisualEyes 505
Eye movement is a key to assessing dizziness and balance. Now, with funding from the Miller-Dwan Foundation, Essentia Health physical rehabilitation departments throughout our region are using the specialized technology to look more closely at patients’ eyes. That technology is called Micromedical VisualEyes 505 or vestibular goggles. The goggles, which look like a combination snorkel mask and nighttime goggles, completely
Superior’s Up and Coming Mental Health Programming
If you live in Bayfield, Ashland, Douglas, Burnett, Sawyer, Washburn, Polk, Barron or Rusk County in northwestern Wisconsin AND you have a serious mental illness, you have a less than 40 percent chance of getting help. If you have a substance abuse problem, the chances are even less. While stunning, these stats are not all that different from many other
Iron River to Iron River: Two Grants 150 Miles Apart
Iron River, Michigan is known for its vast forest land, scenic lakes and winter sports. It is not, however, known for its mammograms. Until now. Three-dimensional mammograms have been approved for use since 2011, but in 2018, despite studies that have found that 3-D mammograms find more cancers than traditional 2-D mammograms, the clinic in Iron River had yet to
Four Ways to Feel Better About Yourself (without exercise)
This is officially the winter that will never end. Shoveling and more shoveling, a sideways slide down the hilly avenue, and yet again, another day of boots, hats, mittens and scarves. It can get a little old. But the Miller-Dwan Foundation staff have a few strategies that might help. Try something new. I attended my first Thai Yoga session the
Just 20 Minutes Can Change Your Brainwaves and Your Outlook
Patients suffering from anxiety, insomnia and depression are now being treated with new, cutting-edge technology at the Miller-Dwan Behavioral Health department. Rather than receiving medicine in pill form, they are being prescribed 20-minute sessions of electromedical technology. The Miller-Dwan Foundation recently funded the purchase of Alpha-Stim devices that generate unique, patented waveforms clinically proven to relieve anxiety, insomnia and depression
Giving the Gift of Comfort
With help from her nurses, a patient signs her daughter’s birthday card, knowing this is the last time she will do so. A wife embraces her husband, sharing a final dance before she is helped back to bed. Jayme Persch, RN, has witnessed many final moments like these at Solvay Hospice House. “They are things I’ll never forget,” she says.
