Only on decorahnews.com: Gundersen Lutheran sets up community-to-community health partnerships

It's not uncommon for doctors and medical professionals to go on mission trips to underserved areas of the United States or overseas.  But Gundersen Lutheran Health Systems has decided to do such service differently.  It has established long-term relationships with three different communities--the Oglala Sioux Reservation at Porcupine, South Dakota; the rural area around Nyakato, Tanzania; and the Matagalpa district of Nicaragua.

At all three locations, the goal is to improve medical services, including primary care and some specialty care services.  To that end, Gundersen employees--including three so far from the Gundersen Clinic in Decorah--agree to spend time in one of the three locations.

The Gundersen employees pay for their own travel expenses and either take vacation time or PTO in order to travel.  Gundersen helps by helping to make plans for the visits and by committing some of its resources, including medical supplies that are provided at cost, with the three communities paying the expenses.

In addition to volunteering their time in one of the three communities, the Gundersen employees meet every two weeks for the three or four months leading up to their visits.

For stories about the three Decorah residents who have volunteered their time for this program, click on the two stories posted below.