Independent Health Care: Sunrise Family Care Clinic
Patient-focused care is informed by kindness and compassion at this Chippewa Falls provider
"When people are heard well, they heal well," says Dr. Mary Landwehr, founder and physician of Chippewa Falls' Sunrise Family Care Clinic.
The independent clinic, located on the east side of town, quietly celebrated its 15th anniversary this past summer. Found within the same building as fellow small businesses and providers including Whirlybird Coffee Co. and Midwest Chiropractic Neurology, Sunrise Family Care Clinic has long offered what more individuals are seeking: patient-centered care.
Dr. Mary’s medical expertise is informed through years of education and training; earning her medical degree in both Germany and the U.S., she went on and completed Mayo Clinic’s family medicine residency program in Rochester. Then she put down roots in the Chippewa Valley.
In the winter of 2003, Dr. Mary moved to town – with her young family– falling in love with the area’s scenic outdoors and ample opportunities for work and play.
Sunrise Family Care Clinic opened its doors in July 1, 2010, following the acquisition of Family Health Associates, the team Dr. Mary was formerly part of. The decision to go independent was not an easy one.
Individualized care for the person coming into the office is the heart of Dr. Mary’s approach to care. This, she realized, would be best realized by becoming an independent provider.
I wanted to be able to offer hope founded in science and experience. –Dr. Mary Landwehr
In Dr. Mary’s experience, creating accessible, affordable care – that is readily available – is crucial to health care. Further, trust in the care team and the quality of care received is a key ingredient to healing. Those ideals made it obvious, to Dr. Mary, that her own practice would need to be a tight-knit, small team within an independent clinic.
“That’s how we started and that’s who we have remained,” she said. “I felt like this approach would allow me to serve the people who sought care more directly,” she said.
“I believe the patient to be the expert in their care,” Dr. Mary explains. “We all have different beliefs about what makes us sick and pulls us off balance; we all have beliefs of what health is and how to regain or maintain it. I feel it is my honor as a physician to be a guide on that journey, in a way that suits that particular person at that particular time.”
Aided by an excellent team of four full- and part-time registered nurses, two receptionists and two billing and human resources staffers, Sunrise Family Care Clinic offers a wide breadth of services.
The family-friendly clinic provides teen and adult care; pediatric and newborn care; mental health care; management of chronic health conditions, pain management; and alternative therapeutic approaches such as medical acupuncture and clinical hypnosis, among its various services.
At the Chippewa Falls clinic, care encompasses early morning appointments so patients can be seen before work and school; appointment availability after commitments like work and school, too, is an opportunity provided at Sunrise Clinic. Sunrise Clinic accepts a variety of insurances and works with those who do not have health insurance.
In addition to her board-certified family medicine care, Dr. Mary is also board certified in medical acupuncture and clinical hypnosis, is knowledgeable in aromatherapy and is a certified laughter yoga leader.
“These additional therapeutic approaches help inform our clinical care in situations where traditional western medicine can leave both the provider and patient with limited options, feeling defeated,” Dr. Mary said. “I wanted to be able to offer hope founded in science and experience.”
The benefits of receiving care from a small, independent provider can be numerous, Dr. Mary said; the ability of the provider and staff to spend time with and get to know patients, more direct communication between both the team and patients, and ample flexibility in scheduling and therapeutic approaches.
The most common reasons patients come to Sunrise Clinic? Dr. Mary says, “I think to be seen and heard as an individual, not just a summary of medical conditions needing to be fixed.”
Take anxiety for instance – a very common condition that can affect anyone at any given time of their life.
At Sunrise Clinic, patients have the option to decide if they would like to treat symptoms with soothing lavender essential oil; treat the muscular tension that can come with chronic anxiety with medical acupuncture, Chinese massage (gua sha), fire cupping or relaxing moxa treatment. Guided imagery which can be part of a relaxing clinical hypnosis experience and can help to lower stress hormones in the body, as can a hearty laughter session. And, of course, there is always classic western medical treatment available as well.
“We can offer you the options and then work with you so you can devise a treatment plan that works for you,” Dr. Mary said. “This is how agency begins to develop. Agency is a force for positive change that can lead to better understanding of what our bodies are trying to tell us and how we can listen with compassion and improved understanding.
“As we heal ourselves we can bring healing and balance to the world around us,” she continued. “At Sunrise Family Care Clinic we work to bring compassion and kindness to medical care and as we do so we hope to bring it into the community at large which is another aspect of healing for all of us.”
Sunrise Family Care Clinic
Address: 2829 County Hwy I, Suite 2, Chippewa Falls
Phone: (715) 726-3096
Website: SunriseFamilyCareClinic.com
