A Look Inside: OakLeaf Clinics Ladysmith

LADYSMITH, Wis. (WEAU) - When HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals along with Prevea Clinics left the region, Ladysmith clinic leaders considered different scenarios to keep their practice in place for people of Ladysmith and Rusk County. WEAU’s Bob Gallaher and photojournalist Jeff Ralph take A Look Inside how the county, clinic providers and the OakLeaf Medical Network teamed up to keep healthcare in the area intact.

“It’s scary when you kind of look at it. And so anything we’re doing basically to keep that physician population in rural areas is huge.”

Prevea’s announcement of widespread clinic closures back in January sent shockwaves throughout Rusk County.

“When the announcements were happening, it was nothing but support, you know pouring out from the community, our patient population which just made us want to fight even more to keep our clinic running,” says Samantha Runstrom, MD at OakLeaf Clinics Ladysmith.

That need to fight was recognized by Rusk County government officials who stepped up to find a solution to keep healthcare options in the region intact.

“If we lost this clinic, we would be down to one healthcare option in Rusk County and living in a rural area, you know that for a lot of your healthcare needs, you’re going to have to drive,” explains Ashley Heath, Administrative Coordinator for Rusk County. “And if we were to lose yet another provider or providers in this area that would have a huge impact on our residents. So our board members knew that we had to do something.”

Rusk County voted to purchase the Prevea Clinic building and land on March 12th and a week later to lease the facility to OakLeaf Clinics for five years.

“It literally works the best in small towns if what goes on in those places is local and it’s public. It’s private, It’s kind of everybody and so you know that’s what’s cool about this is that, you know Rusk County has had a long history of being involved in healthcare and be willing to step in and willing to very quickly make decisions about securing a building and the property was huge,” says Chris Longbella, MD, President of Oakleaf Clinics.

The goal of OakLeaf Clinics Ladysmith is to continue to provide high quality healthcare for those living in Rusk County. By also allowing the local providers to keep caring for their patients.

“We’re just very grateful that we were able to maintain our footprint instead of being removed,” says Runstrom. “We get to stay so that is huge thanks to OakLeaf, our local government and the county for stepping in to acquire the building and the land and just allowing us to continue to see patients and preventing there being more of a healthcare desert here in the northwest Wisconsin region.”

“It means everything to have local providers. Dr. Runstrom, Dr. DeKrey and Nurse Amanda, all of the staff here. We really wanted to keep them. They have the knowledge of what it’s like growing up and living and raising a family in a rural area. The challenges that we face. So keeping them was definitely a top priority,” adds Heath.

For Runstrom, who grew up in nearby Weyerhaeuser, it’s a feeling of relief knowing she won’t have to physically uproot her family.

“You build a rapport, relationships and when it comes to you know, regardless of the end of the spectrum, whether you’re a newborn infant or pediatric patient all the way up to elderly geriatric population,” explains Runstrom. “You get comfortable and I think what’s unique about our clinic is that you know we have a very tight knit feel here, so when people walk through the doors, they’re not just a number.”