Support Groups

Interact with others who have gone through similar weight-loss challenges and receive encouragement and support from our experts. We offer separate support groups for:

• Patients considering bariatric surgery or those in the first year after surgery
• Patients more than a year after surgery
• Patients who have had a sleeve gastrectomy

The Cancer Center Support Group gives adult cancer patients and their caregivers a safe, confidential place to share feelings and experiences with others whose lives are affected by cancer.

The support group meets at 5 – 6:30 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of each month at the Healthy Living Center. To confirm dates or for more information, please call (608) 775-2385.

The Caregiver Support Group is open to all people who are caring for, or have cared for, someone affected by stroke, brain injury, amputation, spinal cord injury or any other debilitating illness. More information will be announced soon for our Caregiver Support Group.

The Diabetes Support Group helps participants grow more confident in managing prediabetes and diabetes, focusing on education, stress management, healthy recipes, physical activity, emotional eating, success stories and much more. The group is a partnership between Gundersen Health System, the La Crosse Area Family YMCA and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

The Gundersen Palmer Diabetic Support Group offers a healthy place for you to learn how to better manage your condition. (Located in West Union)

Are you living with diabetes? This six week workshop will teach you ways to live with and better manage your condition.

Free, six-week sessions held at various times throughout year to provide the opportunity for members to share feelings and be with others who have had a death in the family. Grief Education offers education on the grieving process and readjustment to life after death has occurred.

Location: Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center-La Crosse Campus, 1900 South Ave., La Crosse, WI 54601

Phone: Pastoral Care - (608) 775-3620

The Gundersen Palmer Grief Support Group provides education on ways to cope and grow through the grieving process. (Located in West Union)

The Aphasia Support Group allows you to learn ways to improve communication skills alongside others who are dealing with aphasia.

The support group meets on the last Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon in the first floor Patient Education Conference Room, located in the clinic lobby/atrium. Pre-registration is requested. Contact Vicki Monk, speech pathologist, at (608) 775-3050 with questions or to register.

The Brain Injury Support Group offers people who have suffered a brain injury a chance to share mutual concerns related to their injury, learn about available resources and more.

You're invited to join the discussion Gundersen Health System hosts a Laryngectomy Club for people whose lives have been impacted by a laryngectomy. It is also open to friends and family members. For more information about the Laryngectomy Club, please contact Speech Pathology at (608) 775-3481

The Parkinson's Disease Support Group allows you to learn the many aspects of Parkinson's Disease, as well as such topics as community resources and receiving support from speakers and other members.

The Spinal Cord Injury Support Group is for those whose lives have been impacted by a spinal cord injury. Receive the support and information you need to live life to the fullest.

The Greater La Crosse Area Stroke Club helps survivors cope with stroke-related problems and lead more meaningful and productive lives.

Gundersen offers a number of programs for those looking at quitting tobacco. These support groups ensure that you don't need to navigate the quitting process alone.