Northern Wisconsin Women | March 2026

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 1Northern Wisconsin WomenThe cost of clarityfighting for breast cancer screeningMarch 2026

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4 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationcontentsDon’t just ‘tough out’ menopauseExercise experts weigh in on sustainable wellnessThe cost of claritySpooner Health leader thrives in hometown communityDementia specialist discusses brain health resourcesBook reviewThe job of a lifetime6101320222426Copyright 2026 Adams MultiMediaAll rights reserved.Design & Layout by Angela Rediess.Editor’s noteSomewhere between 40% and 50% of women have dense breast tissue, an independent risk factor for breast cancer and a quality that can obscure tumors on mammograms. But insurance companies don’t necessarily have to pay for the additional tests that can offer diagnostic clarity. At the time of my writing, Gov. Tony Evers is likely any day now to sign Gail’s Law, which would seek to change that. The proposal and how it could impact rural women is the subject of this edition’s cover feature.The rest of the magazine showcases stories at the intersection of health, sex and gender, and the leaders who are shaping the sphere of support. From a dementia care specialist in Barron County to a Spooner Health staffer serving patients in her hometown, the health care landscape in northern Wisconsin is brimming with people who care.As a final note, it feels appropriate that my inaugural issue as editor of Northern Wisconsin Women comes in March, which is Women’s History Month. I hope you take this time to thank, love, celebrate and support the women in your life — including yourself. Happy reading.– Celia HiornsEditor, Northern Wisconsin Women

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6 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationDon’t just “tough out” perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms impacting your quality of life. A mental health care professional can help distinguish hormonal “change of life” symptoms from those caused by life transitions (such as empty-nest syndrome) and tailor treatments to meet the needs of individual patients.Dr. Brenda Kibola, of Rice Lake’s Brada Clinic, has 10 years of experience as a psychiatrist specializing in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy and trauma, plus helps patients manage depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.The psychiatrist talked about the mental health aspects of perimenopause and menopause, from symptoms and their causes to individualized therapy options.During the perimenopausal time, which surrounds the menopausal time, a cluster of symptoms are most common, including sleep disruption, an uptick in anxiety and lack of focus or concentration, she said.Menopause is more than just a reproductive change. It changes the brain as well. “We don’t realize that many of the hormones in our body actually affect our mood and our ability to focus and our ability to sleep,” she said. “A lot of people are focusing more on the physical changes in their Don’t just ‘tough out’ menopauseBy Michelle JensenRice Lake Chronotype““ - Dr. Brenda KibolaA lot of the things that you may have been OK with suddenly become very overwhelming.

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 7body but not necessarily on the brain chemistry changes.”Fluctuations in estrogen as the body’s production of the hormone begins an overall decline drive the onset of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.“With the symptoms that we see, they tend to be episodic, they tend to fluctuate,” Kibola said. “Some people have periods of being OK and then some periods of being more irritable or just not sleeping well.”Hormones have receptors in the brain, and the connections interact with many of the brain’s “mood circuits,” she said.“You have some receptors in what we call the amygdala and that dictates anxiety,” Kibola explained. “We have some in the frontal cortex and that’s more of decision-making, planning, focus and attention.“When estrogen changes and that communication is disrupted, people feel these physical symptoms that are actually biochemical changes going on in the body,” she said.The onset of perimenopause and menopause typically will not correlate with a lessening of symptoms related to pre-existing mental health conditions. And any strategies women may have adopted over many years to address symptoms may no longer work as effectively. What once worked well for handling stress, for example, may no longer suffice.“A lot of the things that you may have been OK with suddenly become very overwhelming,” Kibola said.A woman who has experienced depression, anxiety or other mental health concerns in the past may find her “camel’s back” broken as stresses add up because of perimenopause and menopause, Kibola said.When the body’s biochemistry and resulting symptoms, such as hot flashes and irritability, stabilize as menopause runs its course, some women may do well and see the life change as only a “bump in the road.” But the body remembers the symptoms and may continue to carry habits forward.Someone experiencing sleep disturbances who was waking up at 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. for a time may see the habit continue, even in the absence of the original factors driving the behavior.Women also may adopt maladaptive behaviors, such as taking caffeine to stay awake and focused. Over the long term, however, this can create more stress because it’s not solving the underlying issue. The real problems are not addressed.“What happens is once you’re hitting postmenopause, a lot of the problems are perpetuated,” she said.The time to address changes in the body is as soon as they are noticed, and it’s best to deal with symptoms directly — not superficially, she said.Perimenopause and menopause typically occur at a transitional time in women’s lives — be it watching the last of their children leave the nest or becoming primary caregivers to elderly parents. To help differentiate between the causes of symptoms, a woman needs ““The biggest thing I would recommend to people is to start learning how to listen to their bodies.- Dr. Brenda KibolaDr. Brenda Kibola

8 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publicationto become sensitive to how her body reacts over time.“It goes back to the pattern,” Kibola said. “When you notice a more episodic mood change, that’s more of a hormonal shift. Whereas with the caregiving or the responsibilities, typically those have been going on for a while or will continue going on for a while and that’s more constant.”Treatment options for menopause are different for each person, Kibola said. They include improving lifestyle, taking hormone replacements or getting prescriptions for medications to address mental health conditions. “Some people will need hormone replacement therapy,” she said. “Some people will need more talk therapy like CBT [cognitive behavioral therapy]. Some people may need a whole lifestyle change. I would say the vast majority of people fall into those categories.”The doctor said people can get away with a “moderately OK” lifestyle — until something happens. Treatment may be more targeted and effective after a woman makes an honest evaluation of her lifestyle and improves eating habits, hydration, physical activity and time management. She recommended starting a journal to track habits and their outcomes.Kibola also noted that lifestyle intervention fortifies the body and its ability to withstand stress, increasing resilience and resulting in less dependence on medication.The doctor warned women against adopting the mindset that they just need to “ride out” perimenopause and menopause for a few years. Negative effects may last longer, and women need to focus on themselves as much as others.Unfortunately, the current health care model bounces women from one medical discipline to another as they seek to address individual symptoms, such as lack of sleep or vaginal dryness.“It seems very fragmented and it’s also very confusing for the person and frustrating as well,” she said.People have been conditioned to think of their bodies as various parts, but a lot of the problems women experience are actually whole-system issues.“The biggest thing I would recommend to people is to start learning how to listen to their bodies,” Kibola said.

OUR SERVICESCONCRETE- PATIOS- APRONS- FLOORS- SIDEWALKSEXCAVATION~ SITE PREP ~ TREE REMOVAL~ LAWN PREPJUNK REMOVAL~ PROPERTY MANAGEMENT~ DECLUTTERINGLANDSCAPING~ EDGING~ RETAINING WALLS~ STEPS~ TREES AND SHRUBSDEMOLITION~ REMOVALS OF OLD STRUCTURES ~ LAND CLEARINGWE DO IT ALLMarch 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 9Notable American women who shaped the United StatesWomen born in the United States have had a profound impact on the nation’s history. Women have led social revolutions, pioneered scientific discoveries and broken various glass ceilings. Here’s a look at a handful of noteworthy women who have helped to shape the United States.Susan B. AnthonyAnthony was a central figure in the women’s suffrage movement, traveling the country giving speeches and organizing for the right to vote. Although Anthony died before the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920, it is often referred to as the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment.”Katherine JohnsonJohnson’s calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed space flights. A brilliant mathematician at NASA, Johnson’s work was essential for the Apollo 11 mission, which helped to land the first humans on the moon.Sandra Day O’ConnorWhen she was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Regan in 1981, O’Connor became the first woman Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. O’Connor served for 24 years and frequently became the swing vote on many noteworthy cases.Rosa ParksWhen she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus in 1955, Parks became a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. Her quiet defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and served as a pivotal moment that helped end legal segregation in the U.S.Eleanor RooseveltRoosevelt was one of the most active First Ladies in history. She redefined the role by becoming a diplomat, politician and activist in her own right. Roosevelt became the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and was a champion of civil rights.Serena WilliamsWidely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles tennis titles. Apart from her work on the tennis courts, Williams is a prominent advocate for maternal health and a successful venture capitalist.Alexandria Ocasio-CortezOcasio-Cortez, widely referred to as “AOC,” is the youngest woman ever to serve in the U.S. Congress. She was elected at age 29 and has become a leading voice for a new generation of progressives. She has championed issues like climate change and economic inequality.The United States has been transformed by key women throughout the nation’s history.

10 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationWhile winter weather and colder temperatures may be sticking around for a while longer, there are ways to stay motivated and on track with wellness goals. Amy LaRue, a University of Wisconsin-Superior health and human performance assistant professor, and Nicole Nathan, founder and instructor at Hayward Fitness Fanatics and Hayward Dance Experience, offered some reminders for women of every age and at every stage on their health and wellness journeys.Say no the negativesNathan identified one of the main obstacles that may hold women back from pursuing paths to wellness as perfectionism. “We [believe] we have to be ‘good at something’ before we are able to enjoy it and reap the benefits of it,” she said. But, modifications to people’s exercise routines and diets have a direct connection to health outcomes, according to Nathan. Wellness doesn’t have to be perfect to bring a level of benefit.Make it personalOftentimes, people get bogged down by “fads or quick fixes” when it comes to health, according to LaRue, who is also a certified health and wellness coach and health education specialist.“I believe that one of the most important things that women should consider when they are looking at their own health and Exercise experts weigh in on sustainable wellnessBy Parker Sterling

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 11health goals is focusing on what works for them,” LaRue said.“Particularly when we struggle with things like losing weight, maintaining habits … We try something and it doesn’t work, so we hop to the next thing that we’ve recently seen on social media,” she continued. “That’s not helpful, and it’s certainly not sustainable. No wonder we feel exhausted and defeated. Slow and steady always prevails.”Inspiration is motivation“I seek constant inspiration from others around me … without comparing,” said Nathan, who is also a certified personal trainer and a Devanadi School of Yoga teacher training program graduate.She said finding joy in a friend’s success and seeking inspiration wherever she goes can be powerful ways to stay motivated. Nathan noted, however, that illness or injury can also spur her to move. When she starts feeling “out of sync” with her body, Nathan said she becomes motivated to make a change.Start micro-habit stackingLaRue said it’s important to move away from an all or nothing mentality. While this isn’t something all women experience, she said it’s the case for many. Plus, social media algorithms contribute by creating unrealistic expectations for success.“Motivation is fantastic for getting started and cannot be relied on for maintenance,” she said. “It can get you going. But think of it as like a muscle [that] will tire out.”She also said creating a sustainable health and fitness routine is about building habits. LaRue suggested “habit stacking,” a practice that leverages existing healthy practices. “...For instance, you start flossing in addition to brushing your teeth,” LaRue said. “Or you walk out to your mailbox and back every day and then do 10 squats. People who incorporate micro habits on a regular basis maintain them longer.”Nathan agreed and said micro-habits are powerful and immediate ways to honor your health and wellness goals. She said some of the best habits don’t have to take a lot of time. “I believe you can get as much out of 10 deep breaths when overwhelmed as you do taking 10 minutes to meditate,” Nathan said. “It all adds up.”Rest and resetNathan said she also takes time almost weekly to reset her exercise routines. She said it’s important to let go of the guilt that may come with starting over, because in many cases, it can benefit overall wellness.“Any type of change in activity will generally elicit some form of ‘soreness’ as the body acclimates to the new demands put on it,” she said. “For example, going from doing a lot of skiing in the winter to more running in the spring. Starting small and building up along the way, with proper recovery time built in, is important.”Find the ‘why’ behind wellnessHealth can be “a complex issue for women,” according to LaRue. She said society places a large emphasis on how women look when, in reality, there are internal and external factors shaping health. She said the best wellness plans consider both. LaRue also said finding the real motivations behind health goals will make a significant difference in the quality and success of wellness journeys. “Really drill down to the why,” she said. “Why is this important for me? Is it about getting better sleep? Or quitting smoking? Or something else? The answer has to be genuine outside of cosmetic reasons, a genuine desire for health and longevity.”Listen to your bodyYour body sends you signals to tell you how it’s doing, according to Nathan. For example, if you have been seeing improvements when you experience a sudden decline, your exercise regimen might be doing “more harm than good.”“Our intuition is so strong,” Nathan said. “Lean into that feeling and trust what your body is trying to tell you … Health is not linear. It’s a web. It’s complex. Approach it with more grace, and accept the small changes that ripple through.”Become a curious health researcherLaRue said women will likely experience changes throughout their health journeys, particularly during perimenopause. Women’s health is often not as simple as tracking calorie intake and expenditure. For that reason, LaRue said it’s important to use reliable health information to build exercise and wellness plans. “Vetting information and making sure the information is solid, fact-based information” is critical, LaRue said.Both experts stressed the importance of building sustainable habits, receiving strong support and finding good resources — no matter where you are in your fitness journey.Amy LaRueNicole Nathan

12 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationBy Celia HiornsSawyer County RecordLast month, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed Gail’s Law, a measure to require insurance coverage for diagnostic and supplemental breast cancer screenings for those who need them. That includes women with dense breast tissue, an independent risk factor for breast cancer that can also obscure cancer cells in mammographic screenings, increasing the possibility of delayed diagnosis.Until now, multiple iterations of Gail’s Law have failed to garner the support they needed to pass, over about five years of trying. This legislative session, the bill gained nearly unanimous support — passing 32–1 in the Senate and 96–0 in the Assembly. As of March 10, Gov. Tony Evers had not yet signed the bill but he was expected to do so.Republican Sen. Rachael CabralGuevara and Democratic Sen. LaTonya Johnson have largely led the bipartisan effort that made that landslide of support possible.Critical in their effort has been witnessing or experiencing firsthand a key reality about women’s health: Mammograms have long been a tool used for breast cancer diagnosis. But for women with dense breast tissue, they might not tell the whole story.“Men don’t have to go through that in order to make sure that they’re healthy,” Johnson said. “But it’s something that women do and it’s hard pressed to find … someone who doesn’t know a woman who has been impacted by breast cancer and the need for screening.”The proposal is named after Gail Zeamer, a Wisconsin woman who passed from breast cancer in 2024 at age 56. Though she had mammograms done regularly, she had dense breast tissue that delayed her cancer diagnosis until it had progressed to stage three. She spent the final years of her life advocating for better prevention and detection tools to help women with breast cancer receive earlier diagnoses, according to Cabral-Guevara.Years-long fight for breast cancer screening coverage pays offThe cost of clarity:Sophie Zeamer, daughter of the late breast cancer advocate Gail Zeamer, spoke in favor of a policy to increase insurance coverage for supplemental breast cancer screenings in May.

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 13Zeamer first approached CabralGuevara to discuss the additional screenings measure before she became a senator and was instead working in the Assembly about five years ago. Motivated by her own experiences of a delayed breast cancer diagnosis, Zeamer wanted to improve access to screening resources for other women.“She had been diagnosed with breast cancer after numerous failed mammograms and she felt it was her mission to make sure that people were getting the proper screening so that they didn’t also have to go through what she went through,” Cabral-Guevara said.Since Zeamer’s passing, her daughters have taken up the helm of advocacy, working to pass Gail’s Law in their mother’s honor. Despite the years-long process to make the bill a reality, CabralGuevara said Zeamer’s dedication inspired her to press forward on a policy she believes can save many women’s lives.“I want the women of Wisconsin to know that just because you are getting a screening doesn’t mean that you are getting 100% accuracy if you are an individual with dense breast tissue,” Cabral-Guevara said.While diagnostic and supplemental screenings for women at higher risk can help identify cancer sooner, scientists are still learning more about the trends and risk factors that may cause the disease in the first place.Demographic, lifestyle factors impact breast cancer riskDr. Cecilia Stroede is a breast cancer surgeon at Aspirus Health in Wausau. She said there are a number of risk factors that can help predict who is most likely to develop breast cancer. The top risk factor is being born female, Stroede said. (Men can get breast cancer, though it’s far less common.) Age, hereditary conditions and genetic mutations may predispose some people to breast cancer. Lifestyle factors, too, can play a role.“I think the most recent research points to alcohol being of increased significance,” Stroede said. “About one in seven breast cancers turned out to be alcohol related.”She added that eating highly processed foods and smoking (to a lesser extent than alcohol consumption) have also been linked with an increased risk of breast cancer.Data from the National Cancer Institute indicate the three Wisconsin counties with the highest incidence rates for late stage breast cancer are considered rural. Green Lake (57%) and Marquette (55%) Counties in southcentral Wisconsin have the two highest rates, while Ashland County (54%) comes in at third. Seven of the top 10 counties for late stage breast cancer rates are rural.While some of the highest rates appear in Wisconsin’s south, there’s a band of relatively high incidence rates of late stage breast cancer in the state’s northwest region, too. Washburn (47%), Sawyer (46%), Chippewa (45%) and Bayfield (44%) Counties have some of the highest rates in the area. Each is considered rural, except for Chippewa County.Higher cancer rates in rural areas have been tied to less access to prevention resources and a greater likelihood of certain risk factors such as smoking, obesity and poverty, according to the Centers for Disease Control.Additionally, Stroede said breast and other cancers are becoming more prevalent among young patients.With older people living longer than they used to, cancer incidence among senior patients is also becoming more common.Just as cancer incidence has progressed among certain demographics, so too have screening technologies. Stroede said three-dimensional mammography, for example, has made it much easier for radiologists to detect cancers in women with dense breast tissue.“Having said that, there’s a category of women, about 10% of women in general, and more commonly in younger women, who have extremely dense breast tissue, where mammograms are not reliable at all,” she said. “If you have extremely dense breast tissue, the chances that a cancer is going to show up on a mammogram is like 50-50. And so we’re still falling way short in our screening efforts.”It’s in those situations when other technologies

14 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publicationare needed to fill the gap, according to Stroede. And many experts believe this technology is making great strides.Dr. Elizabeth Burnside is a radiologist and researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who offers interpretive services for breast imaging studies. She said she’s encouraged by how much breast cancer detection technology has improved since she’s entered the field.“And since then we’ve had an amazing proliferation of technology,” Burnside said. “It’s really promising for better early detection of breast cancer. So that’s really good news.”She too pointed to threedimensional mammography — a type of screening that shows images in “slices” — offering a much better view of the breasts, especially in women with dense tissue. Another form of technology, the breast MRI, uses magnetic fields to create detailed images of breasts.Burnside said her research has evolved to include these technologies and computing in general to improve early breast cancer detection tools, taking into consideration women’s individual characteristics. Besides technology, Burnside said another aspect of the field that has evolved is a trend towards teambased care. This means every specialist involved in screening for, treating and recovering from breast cancer works closely to offer continuous services.“It’s so important for the patient to get a cohesive experience,” Burnside said. “I work with surgeons and medical oncologists and radiation oncologists and pathologists and so it’s just such a team effort to take the screening to those next steps that are so important for every woman participating in screening … [it’s] one of the things that I think really enables us to provide good care for what can be an anxiety provoking experience if a woman is recalled from a screening exam and all the stuff that might happen after that.”Compared to their urban counterparts, achieving this “cohesive experience” may be more difficult for patients living in rural areas, where resources are often more geographically dispersed.Rural patients face barriers to accessAccess to breast care services in Wisconsin’s northern and rural regions has greatly improved over the past couple of decades. The Marshfield Clinic Breast Care Program, which originated in Marathon County in 2007, sought to address challenges in access and continuity of care for rural residents.The Marshfield Clinic’s breast care unit has since expanded to additional centers in Marathon County and Eau Claire. The centers offer a variety of services including radiology, risk assessment, reconstructive surgery, survivorship and more.Other treatment resources in the northern region include the Northwest Wisconsin Cancer Center (part of the Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center) and Mayo Clinic’s HERS Breast Center in Eau Claire.Still, barriers exist. Women in rural areas are less likely to access mammography screenings, which corresponds with higher rates of late stage breast cancer diagnoses. That’s according to a 2022 study from Preventive Medicine. The study also identified travel distance as one of the most significant barriers to positive breast cancer outcomes in rural areas.One aspect of Burnside’s research seeks to close these disparities in screening access. Population-based screening is a proactive approach that aims to provide high-quality breast cancer screening no matter a person’s circumstances, according to Burnside.“Population-based screening really means trying to make sure everyone has access to the same quality of screening, has the same opportunity no matter what,” she said. “Oftentimes we don’t see that. We see that screening in certain settings is easier to offer and there’s access to more medical resources. And then other parts of Wisconsin, it’s much harder to have that access be as seamless.”This is particularly the case for people who live in rural areas, according to Burnside. But challenges related to transportation, cost and time make populationbased screening difficult to scale.One organization in northern Wisconsin has been working to ease some of the barriers to care for Barron County residents for more than two decades. Pink Ribbon Advocacy was founded in 2004 and provides financial resources to support breast cancer screening and treatment.Co-founder and treasurer Lisa Janty said the idea to generate funds for breast cancer treatment started around 2002 when a friend experienced recurrence of breast cancer after two years being cancer-free. As members of the curling community, Janty and others organized a Curl for a Cure event, inspired by a similar event in Two Harbors, Minnesota. They donated the proceeds to a national organization. But the community wondered if there would be a way to keep the funds local and benefit women in Barron County.The image on the left shows a mostly fatty breast, and the image on the right shows a dense breast.

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 15“And we looked around and we were trying to find an organization that would support local people and we couldn’t find one,” Janty said.That’s when Pink Ribbon Advocacy came to be. Originally, they offered grants of up to about $750 per year to support medical expenses. Now, the organization offers up to $3,000 annually to women in need. They’ve also expanded to support gynecological cancer treatments and to run a wig bank out of the Rice Lake Public Library.Janty said the application process is “modest” and that anyone asking for help is offered it. While they cover only medical expenses, Pink Ribbon Advocacy embraces a generous definition to include things like transportation to and from treatment services.Over its roughly 22 years in existence, Pink Ribbon advocacy has supplied more than $1 million for women’s cancer-related expenses, which Janty said doesn’t include the cost of mammograms. But arguably the biggest impact of the organization has been creating a support network in Barron County.“I think our impact has been … ‘there’s a group of people out here who care about me and they don’t even know me,’” Janty said. “I think that can be support, mentally, emotionally, that it’s like these people are helping me and they don’t even know who I am.”Another critical impact of the organization has been to raise awareness about breast health guidance and statistics, available screening and treatment resources, and support group opportunities. Janty said they’ve tried to spread the message to people who speak different languages and exist in different spaces in the community.The organization has had a marked impact on breast cancer treatment ““And I was so mad, I kept going and I kept saying, ‘This doesn’t feel right.’- Ashley Inda

16 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationSome of the highest incidence rates for late stage breast cancer in Wisconsin appear in rural counties in the south and northwest regions.access in Barron County, according to Janty. She said she’s noticed a large impact from the work Pink Ribbon Advocacy does to cover the cost of mammograms for those in need. This has made a particular difference for women younger than 45 whose mammograms may not be covered by insurance but who might have other risk factors.Breast tissue density is one of these risk factors that is more common in women under 40, according to Stroede. A key dimension in Gail’s Law, dense breast tissue was first identified as a risk factor for breast cancer in the 2000s, according to the International Journal of Cancer.Density linked to screening challenges, cancer riskBreast density has to do with the amount of fibrous and structural tissue compared to the amount of fatty tissue in a woman’s breasts, according to Burnside. She said breast density is an independent risk factor for breast cancer, about equal to the risk presented by a family history of the disease. In addition to being a risk factor for breast cancer in and of itself, dense breast tissue can also obscure the appearance of cancer in regular screenings. That’s because both dense breast tissue and cancer cells appear white in mammograms, according to Burnside.She worked on a 2021 study in which researchers used computers to analyze breast density among women with and without cancer in the United Kingdom. The research aligns with one of Burnside’s broader research focuses which has sought to understand how screening can be made more effective — not only to better detect cancer early but to avoid false positives and overtreatment in healthy women.The study found that one type of breast density more closely aligned to breast cancer risk than some of the other types, according to Burnside. She’s hopeful these findings will advance tools to measure breast cancer risk and to better understand why breast density is a risk factor in the first place.“I’m excited that we’ll get improving measures for how breast density is going to enhance our ability to measure risk better in women,” Burnside said. “And then, also, it’s possible that these kinds of algorithms might help us understand the biology. Like why does breast density cause this increase in risk?”Though the technology to help women get answers is improving, many women have already received delayed diagnoses due to dense breasts.Ashley Inda is one of them. As a board member of the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition (WBCC) and as an occupational therapist, she now uses her story of delayed diagnosis to advocate for policy outcomes that can benefit women with dense breast tissue.Mammography is an effective tool for women with lower breast densities. But for women with dense breast tissue, mammograms may mostly indicate a need for additional screening, according to Inda.“It’s really a health care disparity,” she said. “If you don’t have dense breasts, you have a complete breast cancer screening. If you do have dense breasts, it’s incomplete.”That was the case for Inda when she noticed a lump in her breast about four years ago. She was 35 and had just finished nursing her youngest child. At the time, she didn’t think much of it because she knew her body was going through many changes as part of the reproductive cycle.But, the lump continued to grow. About six months later, she got a mammogram and doctors didn’t identify cancer. Another six months and another mammogram later, she was again told nothing was wrong.“They were like, ‘It’s fine, it’s just dense breast tissue,’” Inda recalled. “They were using that — ‘it’s just dense breast tissue’ — as a way to kind of calm my fears, when in reality it should have elevated it … that means you’re at risk.”Three years after initially noticing the lump, her doctor performed a breast exam and told her again that she was fine. But Inda knew something was wrong. The lump was causing a lot of pain, which prevented her from laying on it, working out and even hugging her child. At that point, it had grown to about the size of her left breast. So she pushed for another mammogram.Finally, after two and a half years of uncertainty, the scan detected something. Inda had stage three cancer that had grown beyond her breast and into her lymph node.“And I was so mad,” Inda said. “I kept going and I kept saying, ‘This doesn’t feel right.’ And so I knew that if I had such a hard time, working in healthcare and being an advocate, I knew that it would be — this is something I’m going to get involved in. Because I did everything right and this still happened to me.”Inda said she’s still undergoing treatment, the cost of which has accumulated to “several million” — a figure that could have been more manageable had her cancer been

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 17detected earlier on. She said she thinks about women who don’t have as much time or resources to push for additional screenings or don’t have experience in healthcare to know something might not be right.For that reason, Inda was motivated to advocate for a change that put women first. She is not alone in her experience of delayed diagnosis due to her dense breast tissue. This reality is a large reason why the WBCC has been advocating for Gail’s Law for years.Legislature tackles breast cancer prevention legislationBefore Gail’s Law was written, Zeamer worked on another effort to help women with dense breast tissue receive the health care they need. Wisconsin’s breast density notification law went into effect in 2018. It requires health care providers to notify a woman if her mammogram reveals she has dense breast tissue.The notification also informs women with dense breast tissue they should follow up with their doctor to learn about the risks involved and the potential need for further screening. It was after the successful passage of the notification law that Zeamer approached CabralGuevara, the Republican senator, about the proposal that would become Gail’s Law.The first version of the bill was introduced in 2021 but failed when it wasn’t voted on before the end of the legislative session. A new bill was introduced in 2023 that originally had broad bipartisan support. But when an amendment was introduced that limited the types of supplemental screenings women would have access to under the measure, advocacy groups dropped their support, according to WBCC.The newest version of Gail’s Law was introduced in May 2025. It prohibits insurance companies from charging patients a cost-sharing amount for diagnostic breast examinations or supplemental breast screening examinations for women at higher risk of breast cancer and for women with dense breast tissue.“If an average woman … gets a mammogram done and it indicates that there is this density and it can’t be viewed appropriately, there would be insurance coverage and so forth to allow them to get the proper secondary screening without that coming out of their pocket,” Cabral-Guevara said of the measure.Under Gail’s Law, if a breast abnormality is identified during an initial screening, women won’t have to pay out-of-pocket for a diagnostic examination (such as a breast MRI, ultrasound or 3-D mammogram) to further evaluate it. Similarly, women with dense breast tissue won’t have to pay out-of-pocket for supplemental screenings (such as a breast MRI or ultrasound) when a mammogram alone cannot determine whether cancer is present.State law at the time of writing requires insurance companies to cover two mammograms for women between the ages of 45 and 49 who meet certain criteria, and annual mammograms for women ages 50 or older. If additional screenings are necessary, the costs are not always covered by insurance.

18 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationSubmitted photo from Lisa Janty.Lisa Janty, left, serves as the treasurer for Pink Ribbon Advocacy, an organization that provides financial assistance to Barron County residents undergoing breast cancer screening or treatment.“If you’re saying you’re doing your job — the insurance company — they’re saying they’re doing their jobs well, then they need to do the job for all 100% of women, not just the 60% with regular tissue,” Cabral-Guevara said. She’s referring to the roughly 40% of women who have heterogenously dense breast tissue. About 10% have extremely dense breasts, according to the CDC. Those with extremely dense breasts are at highest risk of mammograms missing tumors.Johnson, the Democratic senator, said the main reason the bill has taken so long to pass through the legislature has been pushback from insurance companies, who say without charging cost-sharing amounts for additional screenings, insurance premiums will increase. But with more than half of the U.S. states having passed similar measures, Johnson said it’s a worthy tradeoff.“So just like anything, cost plays a factor,” she said. “But when you have moms who are dying and they are leaving their daughters, it begins to make you wonder: When is it actually morally wrong to put costs in front of the ability to save a life?”In many ways, being able to save lives relies on adequate education about breast density and other risk factors.Experts, advocates urge women to understand their breast cancer riskJanty, the Pink Ribbon Advocacy treasurer, said it’s important women take the time to follow up on anything they deem to be abnormal in their breast health. Even after several years of mammograms that didn’t show cancer, Janty was glad she followed through when her next one indicated an abnormality. She ended up being diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 47.“If there is something going on, make sure you give yourself permission and the time to go and investigate that because I think it’s easy to put off,” she said.”Inda owns Growth Wellness, a clinic where she treats people in all stages of cancer. She agreed but noted there is a lack of knowledge about breast density.“I will be working with women and I will say, ‘Well, what’s the breast density?’” she said. “And they will have had cancer and so maybe they just had a lumpectomy, and they’re like, ‘I don’t know.’ Like, oh my gosh. You need to know what your breast density is.”She also recommended the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment which considers a variety of factors to calculate a woman’s overall risk of breast cancer. A 20% or greater lifetime risk is considered high, which can help inform individual screening plans.An important part of this process is finding a health care provider who listens to your concerns and helps you find the answers you’re looking for, according to Inda. She said it’s OK to “break up” with a doctor who isn’t right for you.Stroede, the breast cancer surgeon, had two main pieces of advice about breast cancer. For one, healthy breasts will not change much in post-menopausal women. Women at that stage of life who feel a lump in their breast should see it as a major warning flag that something is not right, Stroede said.Second, for women with any breast type or risk factors, a mammogram that comes back normal might not signal a clean bill of health if there are other concerns, such as a lump in the breast, which indicates additional testing is likely needed.“I would want to emphasize for women to know that if you feel a lump in your breast and you go for a screening mammogram and the screening mammogram is normal, you are not done,” Stroede said. “There’s a very big difference between a screening mammogram and a diagnostic workup that’s done to troubleshoot a problem.”Gail’s Law seeks to address the reality that a simple mammogram might not give a woman all the answers she needs. Johnson and Cabral-Guevara have both said thanks to the advocacy from women like Zeamer, they’re hopeful the proposal can save many lives.In a press conference announcing the most recent version of the proposal, Zeamer’s daughter Sophie spoke in favor of Gail’s Law and the impact it could have on families across Wisconsin.“While she may not be here physically, my mom’s life passion of bettering the lives of those around her lives on through each and every person working to get this bill passed,” Sophie Zeamer said. “My family and I cannot thank you enough for keeping my mom’s legacy of advocacy alive through this piece of legislation. I know it would make her so happy to see everyone working together to make this dream come true.”

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 19Breast cancer terms to knowA recent analysis from the Agency for Research on Cancer and collaborators estimated that 3.2 million new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed annually across the globe by 2050. That would mark a significant increase in annual cases since 2022, when the World Health Organization reported 2.3 million individuals were diagnosed with breast cancer.Though breast cancer affects millions of women and their support networks each year, it’s not always so easy to understand all of the terminology surrounding the disease. With that in mind, people recently diagnosed with the disease or those who know someone in such a position can learn these common terms to make their journey to recovery a little easier to navigate.• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): Many terms related to breast cancer can be scary, but DCIS is among the more welcoming words a doctor may utter. DCIS is a non-invasive form of breast cancer that doctors may characterize as “stage 0.” Breast cancers identified as DCIS are very early stage and highly treatable.• Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC): Susan G. Komen®, an organization dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness, notes that IDC is a form of the disease that begins in the milk ducts but has spread into surrounding breast tissue and possibly into the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.• Lumpectomy: According to Susan G. Komen®, a lumpectomy is a surgical procedure that removes only the tumor and a small amount of tissue around it. Most of the breast skin and tissue is left in place during a lumpectomy.• Mastectomy: A mastectomy is a surgical removal of the breast. Susan G. Komen® notes there are different types of mastectomy. A modified radical mastectomy removes the breast, the lining of the chest muscles and some of the lymph nodes in the underarm area. This procedure is used to treat early and local advanced breast cancer. A total mastectomy involves surgical removal of the breast but no other tissue or nodes.• Hormone receptor status: Hormone receptor status indicates whether or not a breast cancer requires hormones to grow. Susan G. Komen® notes a significant number of hormone receptors on a breast cancer cell indicate it needs the hormone to grow.• Family history: Family history refers to current and past health conditions of a given individual’s biological family members. Family history of breast cancer is considered a risk factor for the disease.• Ki-67 Rate: Susan G. Komen® notes this is a common way to measure proliferation rate. The more cells the Ki-67 antibody attaches to in a given tissue sample, the more likely the tumor cells will grow and divide rapidly.• Local treatment: This refers to treatment that focuses on removing cancer from areas local to the breast, including the breast itself as well as the chest wall and lymph nodes in the underarm area.These are just a handful of terms that women diagnosed with breast cancer and their family members can learn to better understand the disease and the various ways it’s treated. Additional terminology can be found at komen.org.

20 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationAnne Focht always knew she wanted to help people, and as director of Social Services at Spooner Health, she gets to help those in the community in which she was born and raised. Her contributions to the local health landscape were recognized last year when she earned the Rural Health Ambassador Award from the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative. A 2000 graduate of Spooner High School, Focht said it was a long journey to get where she is today. In high school, she interned in South Africa for five months.“My intention upon graduating was to do something in advocacy,” she said.Focht went on to get a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, followed by her master’s at St. Thomas University in St. Paul.While taking a medical social work class in college, Focht said she realized “this is right up my alley.”She interned at Abbott Northwestern in the Twin Cities.“I enjoyed that,” she said. “You get to experience a lot of different aspects in a hospital.”This included general medical and behavioral health.Focht said that when you’re young, you feel you need to get out in the world, but suddenly, you realize how great and nice your hometown can be. She began dating her future husband, Steve, whom she went to high school with. He was serving in Iraq and then returned and got his degree from UW-Stout before moving back to Spooner. They would meet up on the weekends and Focht said she realized that “Spooner would be a good place” to continue her career. She moved back to the area and worked in behavioral health at Aurora Community Counseling in Spooner. She also did intensive outpatient and transitional care in Amery before going to Anchor Bay Counseling in Spooner. She was there for seven years and “that was fantastic,” she said.Former Spooner Health Director of Social Services Diane Neste was retiring, and her husband was Focht’s basketball coach in high school. Focht commented that back in undergraduate school, this was a career she thought she might enjoy and said to herself, “I have to seize this opportunity.”Now, she has been with Spooner Health in that position for a little over two years come August. For her, it was “coming back to some roots,” as she had hospital experience and loved connecting with people in her community. Though she loved her time in an urban hospital setting, she said here, she knows a lot of people and gets to work with them more frequently and build close relationships.“It’s a blessing … that we get to take care of members of our community” By Regan Kohler, Spooner AdvocateSpooner Health leader thrives in hometown communityAnne Focht

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 21at Spooner Health, Focht said. “Health care is busy, but it is a privilege to work with people on what can be their scariest days. You’re dealing with some pretty big fish to fry.”She said at Spooner Health, people can feel more comfortable in their hometown health care setting.“We’re using the same grocery stores,” Focht said. “We’re all part of the same team in that way.”Focht loves connecting with members of the community, talking to them and helping in any way she can. She also gets to meet out-of-town patients who are visiting, which ebbs and flows, especially in the summer. People coming in from outside the community often say they feel safe and heard at Spooner Health and that the community is lucky to have such a great medical facility in a small area.“I have the best colleagues,” she added. “My coworkers are phenomenal.”Outside of her job, Focht said she is in the thick of children’s sports with her 15-year-old daughter, Nora, and her 10-year-old son, Max. “We spend a lot of time in the car driving to and from practice,” she said. “It’s fun to see and watch them grow.”She enjoys spending time with her friends’ families, as well, and as a parent, she is understanding more about how much you want to protect people. “I think I am a lifelong learner,” Focht said.

22 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationAs of 2025 the number of people in Barron and Rusk Counties living with dementia is an estimated 1,938. Barron County’s estimate is 1,464 and Rusk County’s estimate is 474. And these numbers represent people living with dementia in the community, not in skilled nursing facilities.These numbers come from Trisha Witham, the dementia care specialist for Barron and Rusk Counties with the Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC). She has been with the ADRC for 21 years, the past 11 in her current role. Witham, who has a B.S. in Community Health Education, began her career with the ADRC at a time when the centers were just establishing themselves as vital community resources.She was key in developing, coordinating and maintaining the many ADRC resources that today exist for older adults and people with disabilities who need access to many health promotion programs, including falls prevention, medication management and chronic disease selfmanagement courses that empower people to take charge of their health and well-being.Today she describes her job and her work with dementia as a “profound passion,” a passion profoundly influenced and developed in large part because of her son.“I gave birth to my son who was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease, a progressive condition that affected his brain and muscles,” Witham said. “Through this deeply personal experience, I came to understand firsthand the feelings and emotions families face, along with the complexities of navigating a health journey that many people and professionals are unfamiliar with — a journey that can feel overwhelming and isolating.”When she took on the job of dementia care specialist 11 years ago, Witham said her experience with her son propelled her into the role, where, she said, “I could bring both professional expertise and genuine empathy born from my own family’s journey.”Dementia specialist discusses brain health resourcesBy Kathy HansonSawyer County Record Trisha Witham,Dementia Care Specialist

USED • RAREANTIQUE • TRADE-INSGENTLY USED HARDCOVERS & PAPERBACKS318 S. Main Street | Rice Lake, WI 54868(715) 234-4788Starting April Hours will beTue, Thur, Fri 10 - 7; Wed 10 - 5 and Sat. 10-3March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 23Witham describes her work with dementia as having three core pillars, as established by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Dementia Care Specialist Program.• Foster a dementia-capable ADRC by training staff, volunteers and community partners, including law enforcement, emergency responders, healthcare providers and municipal employees.• Develop and facilitate dementiaspecific programs, coordinate brain health cafes and conduct dementiafriendly business trainings that help communities become places where people with dementia can remain active and safe.• Provide direct education and support to individuals with memory concerns or dementia diagnoses and their family caregivers.Many people wonder what a “brain health cafe” is. Witham explains.“Brain health cafes are just memory cafes reinvented,” she said. “I have found that older adults in Barron & Rusk Counties identify more with focusing on improving their brain health regardless of their cognitive status than the dreaded term ‘memory,’ which carries so much stigma with it. “Brain health cafes are for people living with changes in their memory or thinking and the people who care about them,” Witham continued. “Oftentimes, people living with dementia and even their care partners become embarrassed that they can’t remember, may repeat themselves, have trouble following a long conversation, or say something without that social filter. This often leads to isolation, which is about the worst thing for the brain, especially one that is already struggling.“Just because the brain, which is an organ (just like the heart, lungs or kidney), gets diseased, doesn’t mean that people living with dementia don’t have the core needs of being a part of their community, enjoying company and laughter, eating a good meal, giving and receiving love, and getting their errands done,” Witham said. “Brain health cafes help reduce the stigma so that people living with dementia continue to be part of their community. The goal of a brain health cafe is to provide a place to have fun together, talk with others who understand what you’re going through, and try something new.”Witham said there are two cafes running each month in Barron County and they’re working on setting one up in Rusk County this year. Each drop-in event features conversation, sometimes a project, brain health exercises, snacks and fun, according to Witham. The cafes are free to attend and staffed with people trained in dementia-friendly communication, though people at any stage of brain health are welcome.She added that there is a mix of women with dementia and women with care partners in regular attendance. They have reported that being able to connect with others who have shared experiences has been valuable.In addition to brain health cafes, the ADRC has implemented several brain health programs, including Wits Works for mental fitness and a seven week workshop called Boost Your Brain and Memory. Witham said these are highly attended by both people in the early stages of cognitive impairment and older adults without a diagnosis, hoping to work on building their cognitive reserve.Now in her eleventh year as a dementia care specialist, Trisha said she has noted an uptick in young-onset dementia, occurring in those under the age of 65, often people in their 50s.“The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Association has also observed an increase and we are unsure why, but that presents with even more complex dynamics,” Witham said. “Every county and tribe in the State of Wisconsin has access to a local dementia care specialist. There are a lot of treatable causes of dementia and I encourage folks to get a free 10-minute memory check through their local ADRC as a baseline.”The memory check is like a blood pressure check which can tell you whether there is reason for concern and can help start a conversation with your doctor about brain health.“It is your command center and often times the doctor checks our heart, lungs, and blood pressure, but we aren’t having the conversation about the organ that is in charge of it all…our brain,” Witham said.Yet, she said there is hope. Alzheimer’s or related dementia is now being viewed as a chronic condition that can be managed, with many drugs and treatments in the pipeline that are being studied. Questions about what causes the plaques and tangles that develop in Alzheimer’s is still a difficult question and scientists are working on it.“There is nothing you did wrong and I encourage you that there is a lot of life and joy to be experienced,” Witham said. “Keep being you and reduce the stigma. Reach out for help early, and don’t wait for a crisis. Planning ahead helps keep you involved in decision making that is important to you.”For more information go to www.adrcconncections.org or call 1-888-538-3031. Email [email protected] or contact Trisha directly at [email protected].

24 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationThere’s a great big hole in your life, and it’s the same size as the person you lost.Oh, how you miss hearing their familiar voice. Thinking about their little peculiarities makes you sad. You’d willingly be irritated all over again by the things they used to do that bugged you once. As in the new novel, “Dandelion is Dead” by Rosie Storey, you’d have them back again in a hot minute.As Poppy arranged the flowers in a vase in Dandelion’s kitchen, she talked to her sister about this and that. But Dandelion wasn’t listening. She’d died a few months before, and Poppy just couldn’t let go of the apartment.When she was there, she rifled through Dandelion’s LPs, slept in her bed and mixed drinks with her glassware, pretending like Dandelion was in the next room. She wore Dandelion’s clothes and used Dandelion’s phone – which is how she met Jake.Dandelion was a big presence, so it was no surprise to Poppy that she’d been on the dating app, Hinge. Scrolling through her sister’s phone, Poppy noticed a year-old message that Dandelion had obviously ignored, and she impulsively replied.She wasn’t sure why. Poppy already had a boyfriend.Still, for a minute, pretending to be Dandelion was comforting – until Jake messaged back.Meeting women online wasn’t great but that was Jake’s only option for now.Ever since his divorce, which was entirely his fault, he’d had a series of awkward text-sessions, clumsy conversations, and disastrous dates with all the wrong women. When someone as pretty as Dandelion messaged him back, well, maybe his luck was turning around.Their first coffee-date went exceptionally well. She was sassy and funny and he genuinely liked Dandelion. He saw the future, and it was good.Poppy meant to tell Jake the truth, that she wasn’t Dandelion, that Dandelion was dead, but she couldn’t. Pretending made her miss Dandelion less. It was harmless fun, wasn’t it? – until he found out, he was angry, and it felt like her sister had died again...So is that the crux of this novel?Nope. There’s a lot of Jake-and-Poppy left to “Dandelion is Dead,” and you’re going to want every delicious part of it.The interesting thing about it is, though, that in a novel with limited characters, the main one is not even there. Eventually, you’ll find out why but in the meantime, author Rosie Storey takes readers along on this sarcastic, funny, awkward romantic tale that – fair warning! - includes a surprisingly high bit of spice in it. Reading it can be cringey sometimes – it can be momentarily slow and somewhat overly introspective here and there, but that squirminess perfectly conveys the realities of grief and of dating today. It becomes part of the allure.For anyone who’s ever pretended to be someone else, who’s grieving, or looking for love and failing badly, you’ll fall hard for this book. “Dandelion is Dead” is a just-right read for when you’ve got a great big hole in your time.Book review:Dandelion is Dead“Dandelion is Dead: A Novel About Life”by Rosie Storey; c.2026, Berkley, $30.00; 354 pagesTerri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

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26 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationSometimes life comes full circle and that suits Laurie McKuen just fine. In fact, she worked and studied for decades to find her way back where it all started — but this time she’s in charge.McKuen was named vice president of operations and patient care services for Marshfield Medical Center-North Region in July 2023. The health system’s merger with Sanford Health resulted in a change to McKuen’s title to administrator and chief nursing officer on March 22. McKuen started her career in nursing roles that were traditionally filled by women and so were most of the nursing supervisory roles she held later on. Moving into higher management positions was newer territory, however, and with that until recently were traditionally held by men. She found herself in the minority on the management team when she started and is happy to say that since then there is much more equality across most management positions with women and men.“The role that I sit in today as vice president is pretty new, I would say, to women,” McKuen said. “I’m very pleased the longer I’m in leadership, the more and more women you see in leadership, especially in healthcare.”McKuen was born and raised in Butternut and started as a home health aide upon graduating from Butternut High School. In 2002 she became The job of a lifetimeBy Tom LaVenture, Price County ReviewTom LaVenture, Price County ReviewLaurie McKuen, at right, vice president of operations and patient care services for Marshfield Medical Center-North Region, taking part in a ribbon cutting to mark the end of major construction for the newly rebuilt Marshfield Medical Center on Sept. 9, 2025. The ribbon cutting, organized by Kortney Veitengruber, at left, executive director of the Park Falls Chamber of Commerce, includes MMC Region of Sanford Health President and CEO Brian Hoerneman, M.D., MMC North Region President Ty Erickson, Park Falls Mayor Tara Tervort, and Gov. Tony Evers at center with the scissors among other staff and officials.

March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 27an emergency medical technician with the Flambeau Hospital (the previous name of MMC-Park Falls) and fell in love with emergency nursing.“This community, Marshfield Clinic, and rural healthcare have meant a lot to me for a long time,” she said.But her interest in health started as an 11-year-old fifth grader when her mother developed a brain aneurysm. She and the family spent many hours with her at the Marshfield Clinic, where she observed the medical staff on the job.“It really made a very big impression on me,” McKuen said. “I knew from a very young age that I wanted to do something for the community and something in healthcare. I just wasn’t sure what.”After completing an associate’s degree in nursing school at Gogebic Community College, in Ironwood, Michigan, McKuen continued on at the Flambeau Hospital ER for around five years, becoming a “really patient focused” bedside nurse.“I volunteered as a first responder for Butternut,” she said. “I also was on our ambulance service locally and that was really where my passion was.”During that time McKuen completed a master’s degree in nursing through continuing education with Aspen University. That schooling and experience led her to become the emergency department manager for Memorial Medical Center in Ashland, where she oversaw the ER, along with urgent care and cardiac rehabilitation. From there she was appointed director Submitted photoLaurie McKuen, vice president of operations and patient care services at Marshfield Medical Center-Park Falls, addresses staff, community and members of the hospital auxiliary who funded a $100,000 patio that was dedicated on Aug. 26, 2025.

28 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationTom LaVenture, Price County ReviewLaurie McKuen, vice president of operations and patient care services for Marshfield Medical Center-North Region, in the cafe of the newly constructed hospital in Park Falls on Jan. 30, 2026. of nursing for Aspirus at Pleasant View Nursing Home in Phillips and then at Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff.McKuen accepted her leadership roles as they came, from team leader to supervisor and then to the manager level. For those positions you must be a very driven person, she said.“I’m really about people, so I am here to support the people that support the people that support the patients,” McKuen said. “It’s really getting out there and having a really thorough understanding of what everybody does. It’s walking a day in their shoes and having an appreciation for it. That’s kind of what led me on my path of leadership.”Throughout her career there were mentors, female and male both, who helped move her toward leadership in healthcare in one way or another. Their impressions, good and bad, helped her to understand that to make others feel appreciated and valued was what leadership was all about.“My goal is for every person to feel appreciated, every day,” she said. “When I walk down the hallway, I want them to know that I appreciate the fact that they’re here.”The promotions were great but McKuen said she kept her ties close to home, including her own health care at Flambeau Hospital with Yusuf Kasiye M.D., who is now the chief of staff for MMC-Park Falls. She maintained her nursing license with the idea of always being available if needed.“I’ve lived in the community and this has always been my hospital,” McKuen said. “So now my goal is to make everybody else feel that this is their hospital.”When McKuen was recruited for the vice president position, the opportunity to pursue a leadership position with her home hospital was the best possible next step. Her goal was always to come back in a leadership position but this she wasn’t expecting.“It was like a bucket list job,” McKuen said. “It’s really like my dream come true.”McKuen stepped in just as a two-phase $35 million hospital reconstruction was set to begin. She had the privilege of reviewing various planned upgrades over the years and asked if reviving those plans was relevant or even feasible.“We really had to kind of dig in to say, what are our rural health care needs today, and is the plan that essentially had been developed several years ago going to work?” McKuen said. “My role really was kind of digging in to see what it is that we need in our community and if the design is going to work like they thought it was going to five years prior to that, when they really started creating that design.”Applying those needs with the available spaces required moving some department locations for improved efficiency and support. She said the hospital is more user friendly for staff and patients as a result. “I did have a pivotal role in really determining what the layout was going to be and ensuring that it was patientcentered,” McKuen said.The best improvements are not as obvious as the aesthetics, she added. The rehabilitation center was moved to be closer to patient areas and the main

Keeping HealthcareSimple & [email protected] | www.tayloredfamilycare.comMedford 715.748.5580 | 811 W Broadway Ave Phillips 715.339.2273 | 133 N Lake AveYou deserve a healthcare partner that answers to you, not a middleman. We believe medicine should be simple, transparent, and personal. That’s why we’ve built a fee-for-service model that prioritizes your needs over paperwork. From same-day appointments to direct access to your provider, we’re bringing the “care” back to healthcare right here in Central Wisconsin.Our ServicesOur goal is to provide our patients with a comprehensive list of services for your entire family...at affordable prices. • Annual Exams - physicals, bloodwork, etc.• Pediatrics - well-child exams, sick visits, WIAA physicals, etc.• Acute Care Visits - ear infections, sinusitis, strep throat, bronchitis, UTIs, etc.• Lab Testing - most results in 24 hours• CDL Physicals• Chronic Disease Management - diabetes, hypertension, thyroid, asthma, allergies, etc.• Hormone Imbalance - perimenopausal and menopausal• EKG - same-day results• X-ray - same-day resultsMarch 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 29entrance. Before construction, patients in wheelchairs or crutches had to travel further and navigate ramps and steps.“The physical and occupational therapy area was specifically developed for the patient in mind,” McKuen said. “So we’re very proud of that area.”The physical rehabilitation center has an outdoor area for the summer. It is designed to assist patients with navigating various platforms, stairs and uneven surfaces once they leave hospital.When the hospital auxiliary stepped forward and said they wanted to offer something with the rebuild, McKuen said she did a hospital walkaround to identify the best patio location and worked with contractors to create a warm, inviting place for staff and patients to have a quiet respite.“Whether you want to eat your lunch, go out and read a book, meet with family, or just to kind of get away from the hustle and bustle of the ‘med-surg area,’” McKuen said. “And it worked. It just turned out beautiful.”Before the construction was completed, Marshfield Medical Center started its merger process with Sanford Health. McKuen found herself busy with adapting to new job descriptions, new medical software systems, payroll timekeeping, quality control, budgeting and supply and eventually patient charting. There are a lot of changes but all positive changes, she said.McKuen relays new information to employees in a way to make the transition move in a positive manner. Change is by nature difficult, and being trained to implement change is crucial.“So, I’m a change champion right now for Park Falls,” she said. “We’re really excited about the integration and are really trying to become part of their family and team. It’s been really positive, but it’s just a really large learning curve.”

30 Northern Wisconsin Women March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia PublicationAs the administrator for day-to-day operations McKuen supervises some departments directly and the managers of other departments across the campus and the MMC North Region. She is every department’s point of contact for emergencies and works to ensure “everyone has what they need to succeed.” McKuen said her new role is the confluence of her passion for nursing and her drive to be an administrator. She is proud to hold a position where she can be working in the office and leave everything to assist in the emergency department as either a nurse or a coordinator. “I’m really comfortable that I have a foot in both worlds,” she said. “That’s not the core of my job anymore, but it’s still core of who I am. I’m still always going to be that nurse and always want to be able to keep part of that. In rural health care, when it’s all hands on deck, it’s truly all hands on deck.”A health profession usually means demanding schedules and constant change, placing challenges on family life, she said. But she said her family understands that her life is centered around her staff and their patients and being there for them during holiday schedules.A testament to that family support is a 35-year marriage, McKuen said. Her son was a middle schooler when she started nursing school at Gogebic Community College, while also working the night shift at the Flambeau Hospital ER.“My son is now 32 and has watched me every step of the way in my career and has probably been my biggest cheerleader,” McKuen said. “I have an amazing, supportive family. My husband is fantastic.”McKuen said that women, especially in health care, really can do whatever they decide to do. There are many options out there for women along with grants and scholarships to help achieve them and it just takes a little drive and a belief in yourself to succeed.“Don’t give up on your dreams,” McKuen said. “Just because you’re from a small town and you’re not sure where you’re going to land in your life, if you have the dream, just pursue it.”

Mother and DaughterDental TeamA family owned dental practice with a mother and daughter team continue to provide full service dental care for rural northwoods communities in their offices located in Woodruff, Park Falls, and Manitowish Waters. The roots of Liesen Pinzl Kessinger Dental (LPK Dental) were established 38 years ago when Christine Liesen, DDS, was an associate dentist for a dental practice in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. In 1988, Dr. Liesen and her husband, Dr. John Pinzl, purchased the practice and started Liesen & Pinzl Dental. Together in 1994, they purchased a second dental practice in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. While in Mukwonago, they started a family and continued practicing dentistry for many years. In 1999, they relocated their family to Mercer, Wisconsin to start their now Woodruff practice. Their second practice followed in 2003 in Park Falls and the third in 2023 in Manitowish Waters. Spending nearly four decades in the dental industry, Dr. Christine Liesen has been a member of the Wisconsin Dental Association, the American Dental Association, American Association of Women Dentists, and the CEREC Doctors organization. Her career specialties include sleep medicine, partials and dentures, restorative dentistry, cosmetic dentistry. Outside of the dental industry,  Dr. Liesen enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren. She loves to travel, attend sporting events and explore the outdoors. Their daughter, Lauren Kessinger, DMD, graduated in 2008 from Park Falls High School. Dr. Kessinger then attended University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for her undergraduate degree, where she ran collegiate cross country. After college graduation, she worked as a dental assistant in the Madison area.  She attended  Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health. After earning her dental degree, she practiced as an associate dentist in St. Louis, MO.  Dr. Kessinger, her husband and young family moved to the Arbor Vitae area in April of 2020.  She then started practicing with her parents, later partnering with them forming Liesen, Pinzl, Kessinger Dental, LLC in 2021. Dr. Kessinger specializes in Invisalign®, Botox®, and dermal fillers, along with restorative and cosmetic dentistry. When she’s not at the office, she’s outdoors with her husband and five sons, biking, hiking, boating or skiing their way through Wisconsin’s changing seasons.For more information on Dr. Liesen, Dr. Kessinger, and their practices, visit lpkdental.com and their Facebook page under Liesen Pinzl Kessinger Dental.March 2026 | An Adams MultiMedia Publication Northern Wisconsin Women 31

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