News · Sault Ste. Marie
LSSU nursing students join the Sault Tribe’s mobile clinic, bringing care as far as Romulus
SAULT STE. MARIE — Nursing students at Lake Superior State University got a look at health care that travels to the patient, the university said Monday, after a clinical rotation with the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ mobile clinic.
The work was part of the Nursing of Populations course in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, led by Associate Professor Jaimee Gerrie, according to a university release dated Nov. 9. The clinical partner was Cheryl LaPlaunt, manager of the Tribe’s St. Ignace Health Center.
The St. Ignace Health Center Mobile Health Unit is meant to reach tribal members who live far from that Upper Peninsula clinic, the university said. The unit travels to Romulus, in Wayne County, so patients do not have to make the long trip north for care.
Gerrie said the rotation shows students that access to care is not the same from one community to the next. “They gain a greater appreciation for the role nurses play in reaching underserved populations, building relationships, and removing barriers to care,” she said in the release. “It’s an important part of preparing graduates who understand not only how to care for patients, but also the communities that shape their health.”
The university said gift funds helped pay for student participation in the community-based work. It did not give the date of the trip, the number of students who went or a patient count, and this account is based on the university’s description of the rotation.
LSSU’s School of Nursing is on the university’s Sault Ste. Marie campus. The release said experiences like this are meant to prepare graduates to work across Michigan, not only in traditional hospital units.
Sources:
Lake Superior State University, “LSSU Nursing Students Gain Hands-On Experience through Tribal Mobile Health Services,” Nov. 9, 2026, https://www.lssu.edu/lssu-nursing-students-gain-hands-on-experience-through-tribal-mobile-health-services/
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, “2009-0618-LSSU-Admin.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, June 18, 2009, CC BY 3.0, cropped, color-adjusted and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0618-LSSU-Admin.jpg
More from Sault Ste. Marie
All Sault Ste. Marie newsNews · October 27, 2026
LSSU study counts 6,453 Great Lakes oil spills in a decade, and finds the St. Marys River among the hot spots
Researchers at Lake Superior State University’s freshwater center reviewed U.S. and Canadian spill records from 2015 to 2024. Most spills were small, many had no volume recorded, and connecting rivers like the St. Marys saw far more spills per square mile than the open lakes.
Michigan Travel · October 30, 2026
Sault Ste. Marie November shows: Cassie & Maggie, a U.P. orchestra suite premiere at the Soo Theatre and $5 Mauritius at LSSU
The LSSU Arts Center and the downtown Soo Theatre fill the first three weeks of November. Two Soo Theatre shows are by donation, and one LSSU play is $5.
News · October 31, 2026
Sault Ste. Marie asks the state for $8 million toward a combined police and fire station near the airport
The police department leases an aging, undersized building and the fire hall’s bays no longer fit its trucks. The city’s own six-year capital plan doesn’t list the new building, but it does price a $7.8 million Dial-A-Ride garage.
News · October 29, 2026
Former Soo Area Little League president gets 11 months in jail for taking more than $46,000 from the league
Matthew Hudecek pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement after a State Police investigation found league money in his personal account, forged board signatures and a PayPal account that diverted payments. The judge said only full repayment kept him out of prison.
News · October 22, 2026
Neebish Island ferry runs a limited schedule for about two weeks after dense fog leaves it with one rudder
The Neebish Islander III lost one of its two rudders in dense fog on Oct. 20. The Coast Guard is letting it run on the other, with morning and evening runs only, eight cars per trip, no trailers and no service after dark. Here is how the ferry is running and what islanders should plan for.