Valued Voice

L to R: Kyle O'Brien, Jerry Berge, Cynde Larsen, Theresa Braudt, Dr. Robert HolnessYesterday, I had the privilege of presenting one of the Wisconsin Hospital Association’s (WHA) 2025 Trustee of the Year Awards to Cynde Larsen, a board member at Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital and the Chief Academic Officer/Executive Dean at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College.

When I walked into the hospital around 3:55 PM, I noticed a family in the urgent care center waiting to be seen. I asked the receptionist for directions, clearly ignoring the instructions that were on my phone and entering through the wrong entrance of the hospital.

She told me to zig-zag through hallways. “Take a right, then a left, then another right…the stairs will be on your right, head downstairs and they should be waiting for you.” Each turn was a subtle sign of renovations from years past, like rings in the trunk of a tree.

When I walked down what I thought was the correct flight of stairs, I noticed three hospital staff members waiting for a guy who appeared to have lost his way. That was me.

They began to give me instructions for the award ceremony. “Theresa will be introducing you. She is in with the Board right now, but Cynde still doesn’t know.” It was a flurry of activity with everyone playing their own part not to spoil the surprise.

Cynde’s executive team from Southwest Wisconsin Technical College was hiding in one conference room with the door closed. Cynde’s family was in another conference room. While Cynde knew someone on the Board was being recognized, she didn’t know it was going to be her.

When I entered our room, I saw what can only be compared to the doings of an excited parent having their first child’s birthday party (notice, I said first child…); homemade signs, balloons, beautiful array of snacks, music, tablecloths, candles and a podium with a microphone.

While it was my job to present Cynde with this honor, it was the community surrounding her that stole the show.

Signs on the wall said, “Cynde Larsen is a remarkable woman,” quoting words from Jerry Berge’s nomination letter. Hospital staff, providers, board members, community leaders and Cynde’s family lined the walls of this modest room on the main floor of a rural critical access hospital to recognize the contributions of their beloved board member.

It was awesome. I wish every elected official could have experienced first-hand the community pride that was present in that room. This is what we are blessed to represent at WHA.

When I was leaving the ceremony to return to Madison, I saw a mom walking through the parking lot holding her young son’s hand while carrying an infant. She or one of her sons needed care. I thought about our kids in suburban Madison and how fortunate we are to have access to great health care. The many times that we’ve been to the emergency department in the middle of the night, scared when the wheezing seemed to be too much. I thought about what happens in a community if that health care goes away.

The two observations that were the bookends of my visit to Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital were tremendous reminders of what we must work hard to protect. Access to care in communities, large and small.

Hospital care is hard work. While there is no shortage of opinions on how to deliver hospital care, only some have lived it – like Cynde and her colleagues on the Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital Board. They work through the challenges that hospitals face, rather than use them as an opportunity to point fingers and blame.

When I present to various groups, I often say that some of our best advocates are hospital board members – including some of our strongest champions who have been elected to the state legislature.

These community leaders come from various backgrounds but are given the unique opportunity to witness the impact of many external forces that make it difficult for hospitals to deliver care to patients. Board members are often amazed with the hospital administration’s fortitude to navigate through each of these challenges only to face the next, many of which are completely foreign to any other industry.

And these board members are proud of what hospitals provide for their community, even against these headwinds. It’s why they continue to serve.

This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for the providers and staff who will be covering shifts while we are all enjoying meals with our families.

We are also grateful for the gift of time that our hospital trustees and volunteers give us. Their support, motivated only by selfless community service, is inspiring to our entire team at the Wisconsin Hospital Association.