Apple a Day

Corina Mark, PA has joined the General Surgery team at Lake Region Healthcare, and we spend some time getting to know her better on today’s show. Inspired by her mom, an RN, she pursued a career in medicine to follow her mom’s passion of caring for people. A native of Dalton, MN Corina was born at Lake Region Healthcare and says she considers this home and that she is excited to care for the commu...

May Mental Health Month Mental health is an important aspect of overall well-being and should be addressed at all stages of life.   Terri Swenson joins us today to talk about mental health signs, symptoms, and solutions for all ages, but with a particular emphasis on   mental health issues in older adults. She also extends an invitation to an open house on May 15 th  to tour the Senior Life Soluti...

Rosacea is a common, chronic skin condition affecting millions of people who experience facial redness, burning, stinging, itching, and sometimes swelling associated with it. Andrea Rader-Mendler, PA in the Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery department at LRH talks with us about the key differences between rosacea and acne, her recommended approaches to managing rosacea flare-ups, and also touches o...

April is Occupational Therapy (OT) Month and two OT’s from Lake Region Healthcare join us today to talk about one of the unique Occupational Therapy programs offered here. The Driver Rehab program at Lake Region Healthcare assesses individuals' fitness to drive and provides training and vehicle modifications to help them maintain their independence. Lisa & Kate share how the program serves a w...

Whitney Johnson is certified brain injury Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) on the Lake Region Healthcare Rehab Therapy team. Brain injuries can have a significant impact on an individual's physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning and Speech Language Pathologists play a crucial role in helping brain injury patients regain independence and return to their daily activities. For March, Brain In...

Dr. Abigail Smith has recently joined our team of healthcare providers to offer foot and ankle care in the Fergus Falls Clinic, the Wound Care Center, the Elbow Lake Clinic and the Morris Clinic. Dr. Smith shares her passion for helping patients with foot and ankle issues and her commitment to providing compassionate, judgment-free care along with more information on the services she will be offer...

On today’s episode we get to know Ashley Fischer, NP, the newest member of the foot & ankle team in the podiatry department at Lake Region Healthcare. She shares the impact a nurse had on her during a difficult time in her life which inspired her to pursue a career in healthcare, as well as how her experiences working in different healthcare settings as a travel nurse gave her a unique perspec...

February is National Heart Health Month, and Kayla Larson from LRH Cardiac Rehab joins us to shed light on various aspects of heart health, including the importance of knowing one's individual risk factors, preventive measures, the role of physical activity, and the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation.

Influenza, RSV, Covid and rhinovirus are all widespread in our region right now. Respiratory Therapist, Jen Eisenhuth joins us to talk about risk factors and symptoms for severe respiratory illness, especially for those with underlying conditions like lung disease, COPD, asthma, diabetes, and heart disease as well as the importance of preventive measures. She also shares more about the role of res...

Lake Region Takes Root is a Community Garden and wellness initiative of Lake Region Healthcare that uses volunteer support to grow fresh produce that’s donated to local food shelves and the Salvation Army each summer. Jason Bergstrand is the visionary and project coordinator, and he joins us today to give us an update on the garden’s impact and inspire support of the latest project to expand its r...

Dr. Dennis Gerold joins our family medicine team this month, serving patients of all ages in both the Fergus Falls and Elbow Lake Clinic. Listen in to get to know more about his roots in Minnesota, his background serving as a physician in the Air Force the past 12 years in places across the globe, and why he chose to settle his family and practice in Fergus Falls now.

Abby Mumm is a clinical supervisor on Lake Region Healthcare’s Radiology team and she also currently serves as the President of the Minnesota Society for Radiologist Technologists (MSRT). She took some time to visit with us about the unique and important role radiology techs play as the “eyes of the patient care team.” She shares the unique training and skills needed, the market demand for these p...

Today we get to know the newest member of our family medicine team in the Fergus Falls Clinic, Jaden Witt, DNP. Jaden is an Ashby, MN native who worked at LRH as an RN before pursuing her DNP certification. She also did her clinical training at LRH and feels a strong connection and desire to serve the community in this role at LRH. With a minor in integrative therapies, Jaden shares her interest i...

Lake Region Healthcare has added a new mental health service aimed at serving seniors in our region. Senior Life Solutions offers intensive psychotherapy services through group, individual and family therapies, medical management and education for people 65 and older. Terri Swenson is the RN Program Director and she joins us to talk about how this service can be accessed and who can benefit from t...

Randi Wicklund has been a Board Certified Emergency Nurse in our Emergency Department for the past five years. After deciding to pursue her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, Randi knew she wanted to stay in Fergus Falls to establish her advanced practice because as she put it “Fergus Falls is home”. A 2004 graduate of Fergus Falls High School she feels a strong calling to serve patients in her ho...

An Apple a Day 2 for 1! This month we get to know two new providers on our primary care team. Katie Peterson, NP has joined the Walk-In Clinic team. She shares how her son Archer was the inspiration behind pursuing her NP degree and how she hopes to use her role and her knowledge to make a difference in research or screenings for children to help alleviate the misdiagnosis of pulmonary hypertensio...

Continuing our Empowered Birth series, Dr. Katie Bressler and Heather Foresman, CNM today discuss empowerment in delivery options. Vaginal or c-section, medicated or unmedicated, water birth or side-saddle, the options for women with the LRH Women’s Health team are many and varied, and what you’ll hear in this episode is that the most important option is the one you prefer.

Meet the newest member of our cancer care team, Dr. Michael Hessenauer. He comes to us from InterMountain Healthcare in Utah where he has been practicing since completing his residency and fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Hessenauer shares his care philosophy, his perceptions of the level of care and treatments available in Fergus Falls, and his desire to be part of the rural ca...

Continuing the series on Empowered Women’s Health, Dr. Bressler and Heather join us today to talk about the benefits of team-based to care. The role of the midwife, physicians, nurses, anesthetists, moms and partners are all crucial to create the best possible birth experience. Beyond that, this topic is important to the overall commitment to ensure continued birth services in rural communities li...

Meet the newest member of our medical staff, Dr. Samantha Luer. She is a small town girl who grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and chose Podiatry after her own ankle injury exposed her to the specialty. Hear more about why she chose to move her practice from Nebraska to Lake Region Healthcare and the services she offers here.

Trace Mendler, Physician Assistant, has recently joined Lake Region Medical Group to serve patients at the Fergus Falls Walk-In Clinic. He joins us today to share his interesting background as a paramedic in San Diego and working in a mobile urgent care unit in California prior to moving to Minnesota where he’s worked in the Long Prairie Emergency Department the past several years. Trace also talk...

Women often tend to minimize health warning signs. One health condition that offers no warning is the silent but potent threat of hypertension. Understanding this condition across different stages of a woman's life is important for many reasons, and of particular importance during pregnancy. Dr. Bressler joins us today to share a few high blood pressure facts every woman should know.

Dr. Katie Bressler is a family medicine physician who does obstetrics at Lake Region Healthcare, and she kicks off our summer series on Women’s Health topics today by discussing the benefits of pre-conception counseling. It’s a conversation she hopes any woman planning a future pregnancy will have with their providers well in advance to be proactive about making it the healthiest pregnancy possibl...

Meet the newest physician in our Fergus Falls Emergency Department, Dr. Janessa Sickler, who has moved here from the Pacific Northwest to be closer to family and bring her extensive knowledge & experience to our team. She shares more about her background, what to expect when you end up in the Emergency Department, and some tips for what to have on hand to treat minor emergencies as well as tip...

Dr. Sarah Myron joins us to share her background, how joining LRH will actually cut down on her commute, and some timely advice for eye health.