"Tell that doctor thank you for giving me my life back"
This is the impact one Global Partners volunteer was able to make for a Lakota woman in Pine Ridge.
Chad Thurman, MD, Family Medicine-Onalaska, met this woman when she came as a patient to the Wanblee clinic, seeking help for a chronic rash that had taken over much of her body. Dr. Thurman had seen this woman a year prior when the rash was in its beginning stages, but typical treatments had no effect. The woman came back the next year with hope that the Gundersen team could perhaps do more to help her.
The rash was now severe and had spread across portions of her face, arms, chest and back. Dr Thurman explained, "Normally I would refer this patient to Dermatology, but this type of consultant was not available on Pine Ridge Reservation. I partnered with Dr. Abigail Taub [Dematology-Onalaska] through Medlink."
Together, they determined it was a painful and blistering rash that can be chronic. From there, Dr. Thurman was able to partner with Wanblee provider Meg Musselman, NP, to assist with the complicated follow-up care.
Not more than a few months later, Dr. Thurman heard back that the woman's rash was completely resolved. Thanks to the care made possible through Global Partners' partnership with the Wanblee clinic in Pine Ridge, this woman's suffering had finally come to an end. She thanks and credits Gundersen's Global Partners for her new-found confidence.
