Health Care on Madeline Island

A short history

 (Published in the Island Gazette, January 15, 2026)

THE EARLY YEARS…

Health care service to the residents and visitors of Madeline Island has always posed unique challenges due to the 2.2 miles of Lake Superior that separate the Island from the mainland. In the early years, mainland doctors were brought to the Island by boat when waters were navigable. In winter, medical help came by dogsled, wind sleds, or, if a good “ice road” formed, by car, but only when needed. Residents and visitors to the island were more likely to leave the island to seek medical help that receive it on the island.

THE MADELINE ISLAND HEALTH CENTER

It was not until around 1968 that a summer health service was made available on the Island. A small clinic, the “Madeline Island Health Center,” was established in a small house on Library Street owned by the Ted Gary family and rented to the Town of La Pointe. The staff included a summer nurse and a medical director. Dr. Kreher from Ashland was one of the first directors to staff the health center.

THE MADELINE ISLAND AMBULANCE SERVICE

In 1970, to enhance the medical service, two islanders, Ken Cadotte and Ted Okonek, enrolled in the first Emergency Medical Technician training class offered in Wisconsin, and they became the first Island EMTs. The class was known at the time as the “D.O.T. course” because the US Department of Transportation developed and promoted the training. The idea was to use EMTs to alleviate the number of yearly traffic fatalities by providing a professional field response. The course was modeled after the training in Vietnam.  In 1979, Wisconsin offered an EMT class on the Island taught by Larry Ganske and attended by a class of twelve volunteers. The ambulance service also acquired its first “real” ambulance (a Type I van) in 1979. In later years, updated ambulances would include the first paging system, pagers, and radios with telephone interconnect.

THE MADELINE ISLAND HEALTH SERVICES

As the Island population and number of visitors grew, the Town of La Pointe recognized the need for a larger, permanent building to house the summer medical staff and ambulance service. In 1981/82, the Town began construction of a new “Madeline Island Health Services” building across from the Town Hall with a large $30,000 donation from Dick Agee. The building was designed to include staff housing, a treatment area, and a garage space for the ambulance and its equipment. By 1984, the new clinic was providing health services to the community. It was staffed by a nurse or paramedic and eventually by Dr. Steven Kreuser, who came from Washburn one day a week during the summer season.

THE LA POINTE COMMUNITY CLINIC – 2000-2006

In January 2000, Dr. Margie Frederickson and her husband, Carl, moved to the Island. Dr. Frederickson was working part-time at the Duluth Clinic in Ashland.  She met Gary Russell, who was an owner of the Madeline Island Ferry Line and an active community member. Gary had long hoped to staff the current Health Services building with a permanent Island doctor who would practice year-round. Gary asked Margie if she would be interested in setting up a new clinic in the building, and Margie agreed. In 2004, with Gary’s leadership and Margie’s medical expertise, Gary and Margie began discussing plans for the new clinic.

 The original building that had been occupied since 1984 had fallen into disrepair and had to be made ADA compliant. Margie’s husband Carl was an architect, and he donated his services to draw up the remodeling plans and to assist with some of the physical work. It was decided that the Town would continue to own the building, but it would lease it to the new “La Pointe Community Clinic.” At the request of the Town Board, the clinic applied to the IRS and became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so that it could solicit donations to help establish the clinic and keep the small operation running.

 The same volunteers who served on the Health Center Committee became the first Board of Directors of the La Pointe Community Clinic. They were Gary Russell, board president, and Barb Christensen, Marcia Coleman, Sue Hackett, Sally Hoffman, LeeAnn Merrill and Cile Naumann. The new Board of Directors drew up By-Laws and a business plan for the clinic. Gary began fundraising efforts and solicited a $25,000 donation, a $3,000 grant from the Apostle Islands Area Community Fund (AIACF), and many other donations and gifts to start the clinic on its way. In future years, funding to supplement the billable income from services would come from an annual stipend from the Town and an Annual Appeal to the community for donations.

 In early 2006, the remodeling was underway for a new layout, new flooring, and new cabinets and fixtures. Dr. Frederickson was responsible for furnishing and equipping the clinic. She hired Madonna Francois as her receptionist and together they brought in a new computer system and a new EMR (Electronic Medical Record) system. The clinic was registered with Medicare and Medicaid and then slowly with other major insurance companies. With supplies and equipment ordered and staff in place, the La Pointe Community Clinic opened in July 2006.

THE CLINIC TODAY

In 2014, Brianna Sullivan joined the office staff. Her knowledge of medical records coding was a great asset to the clinic, enabling more accurate and timely billing to insurance providers. When Madonna retired in 2019, Brianna was promoted to clinic manager, a post she holds today.

In 2018, Dr. Jerry Browne responded to an article in the Island Gazette that stated that Dr. Frederickson was looking for additional support at the clinic.  Jerry and his wife, Shari, were living in Iowa City, but they had been longtime seasonal residents on the Island. Jerry was nearing retirement, and he was intrigued by the prospect of serving at the clinic. Jerry shadowed Margie at the clinic in late 2018, and he decided to join the clinic staff following his permanent move to the Island. His motivation for joining had simply been to give back to the community, and he was surprised to learn later that the position came with pay. With a background in internal medicine and emergency medicine, Jerry brought a broad set of wound care and procedural skills, often stabilizing and treating patients after an injury requiring minor surgery or procedural care.

 In 2019, Marnie Sanborn Myhre became the first physical therapist to join the clinic after discussing her interest with board members Max Imholte and Carol Neubauer.  Marnie and her husband, Ken, had moved permanently to the Island in 2018, and Marnie was looking for a way to lend her talents and interests in holistic medicine to the Island community. By then, the ambulance service had moved out of the clinic’s garage space and into the new Emergency Services building. Soon after meeting Marnie, the Clinic board approved remodeling the garage to give Marnie her own dedicated physical therapy space with an easy-access entrance for patients.

 In 2024, nurse practitioner Gina Hand-Eoloff was recruited from a busy internal medicine practice in St. Louis, Missouri. Gina had been a seasonal visitor to Madeline Island with her husband, Eric. The two decided to relocate permanently to the Island that year, and Gina began seeing patients at the clinic in July 2024. Gina’s expertise in women’s health has added an important service to the clinic.  

THANK YOU, DR. FREDERICKSON

With additional providers hired, Dr. Margie Frederickson retired in the spring of 2025, having served the Island community for more than 20 years. Margie’s legacy includes not only helping to start the clinic but also laying the foundation for a group of experienced providers and staff to continue the clinic’s mission.  A celebration in Margie’s honor was hosted by the Board of Directors at the Beach Club in early June, 2025. Many longtime Island residents and visitors attended to thank Margie for her commitment to providing health care on the Island.

Today, thanks to the ongoing support of the Island community, the vision of Margie Frederickson, and the dedication of the clinic staff, the La Pointe Community Clinic can look forward to a bright future of providing quality health and wellness care on Madeline Island.