Rainbow Honors Dr. Rick Anschuetz for Service to Country and Hospice

Rainbow Honors Dr. Rick Anschuetz for Service to Country and Hospice

Most of the Rainbow Community Care staff affectionately refer to him as Dr. “A.” They have gotten to know him quite well over the years and look forward to seeing him almost every Tuesday.

“He is very personable, passionate, caring, and has a wonderful sense of humor,” said Rainbow Dietitian Heidi Hartz.

After retiring as a family medicine physician in Fort Atkinson, Dr. Harold “Rick” Anschuetz decided he wanted to stay involved in healthcare. Since 2012, he has volunteered at Rainbow Community Care.

“I had seen Rainbow in action for the last six to eight years of my practice and I thought that might be a place I could contribute when I retire,” said Anschuetz. “I didn’t just want to sit at home. I want to repay the community and profession that has given me a rewarding career.”

Dr. Anschuetz leads Rainbow’s Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) meetings each week where nurses, social workers, a dietitian, a chaplain, and members of the bereavement team gather to discuss patient care plans. His extensive medical expertise and experience provide a unique perspective, ensuring that patients and families receive the best care possible, addressing their medical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual needs.

Dr. Anschuetz leads IDT.

Dr. Anschuetz feels right at home leading IDT and the Rainbow staff are comfortable having him in that role too. During his time in private practice, he was his patients’ biggest advocate. Now he continues that important work for hospice patients, striving to enhance their quality of life during their final days, weeks, or months. With lots of topics to discuss, IDT meetings can be lengthy, sometimes lasting well over seven hours. Dr. Anschuetz’s focus is keeping everyone on track and determining how the team can best care for patients, especially those whose needs may change daily.

“Sometimes in IDT, I find myself thinking too much in black and white,” Anschuetz said. “Here’s the situation, here’s the decision, and here’s what we need to do. Well, that may not work for this patient or family, so maybe we should consider alternative approaches.”

Rainbow RN Case Manager Jody Goodle organized a surprise birthday party in IDT for Dr. Anschuetz in October. It gave everyone a chance to show their appreciation for the time he gives to Rainbow as a volunteer and his commitment to hospice and end-of-life care.

Dr. Anschuetz is pictured with Rainbow RN Case Manager Jody Goodle who organized a birthday surprise for him in IDT.

“He dedicates almost every Tuesday spending the majority of his day sitting in a room but also talking about patients he does not know,” said Goodle. “He listens to what we are saying and offers suggestions/tips when we seem stuck or unsure of what to do next.”

Dr. Anschuetz and his wife, Ruth, typically vacation in Mexico over the winter, which means he misses a few months of IDT meetings. But when he returns in the spring, he is warmly welcomed back and ready to pick up where he left off. Dr. Anschuetz has had to adapt to recent changes in healthcare, but one of his biggest challenges now is staying up to date with the new medications approved each year.

“I retired 12 to 13 years ago and now there are so many new meds,” Anschuetz said. “I have to Google them and find out what they are because I don’t use them.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Dr. Anschuetz continued to lead IDT meetings virtually from home, or alone in Rainbow’s Jefferson office.

“It’s his compassion and love for his community that keeps bringing him back week after week,” said Rainbow Hospice Nurse Manager Kelly Hildebrand.

Dr. Anschuetz didn’t always plan on being a doctor though. Growing up in Milwaukee, he seemed destined for a different line of work. After graduating from Carroll College with a degree in math and physics, he earned a Master’s in geography from the University of Georgia, aiming for a career in teaching or meteorology.

“I was going to teach, and that was really the direction I was headed. I even taught while I was in graduate school,” Anschuetz explained.

In the late sixties, with the United States embroiled in the Vietnam War, he decided it would be wise to choose a branch of the military before he was drafted.

“My draft number was low enough that I knew if I didn’t choose something, they were going to choose me,” Anschuetz recalled. “I scouted out all the various military options to see if I could enlist and work in meteorology or a related field, but I got assigned to something different instead.”

After joining the United States Air Force, he became a missile launch officer for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and was stationed in Minot, North Dakota for four years.

“We had alert shifts where we were underground in this little control center capsule for 12 hours at a time,” Anschuetz explained. “Then we were topside for 12 hours and back down for another 12 hours, and then finally back to base, which was about 70 to 80 miles away.”

It was during that time that Dr. Anschuetz considered going to medical school. He began taking prerequisite courses at Minot State College and soon after resigned from his position in the Air Force.

“I spent four years in Minot and didn’t harm anybody and didn’t launch a single missile,” Anschuetz said. “That’s the sum of my military experience but I admire all the people who enlist and look out for us and our freedom. It was a great choice for me, and I have no regrets.”

Dr. Anschuetz never served in any combat missions but has deep gratitude for all the soldiers who served during the Vietnam War, especially those who never returned home.

“Many of us forget or don’t know that we lost over 50,000 individuals in Southeast Asia,” Anschuetz said. “And those aren’t even the people who were maimed or disabled. That’s how many died over there. Those guys endured a lot more over there than I did in North Dakota. I dealt with the cold, but they had far greater challenges.”

As he has matured, Dr. Anschuetz has come to appreciate even more everyone who makes the sacrifice to serve their country, whether they are on the frontlines or not.

After leaving the military, all the pieces started to fall into place for him. Dr. Anschuetz enrolled at the Medical College of Wisconsin and graduated in 1977. It was during this time he met his wife, Ruth, and they are closing in on celebrating 50 years of marriage. He completed his residency at the former Deaconess Hospital in Milwaukee and did several clinical rotations at Children’s Hospital, County Hospital, and in Racine. The GI Bill paid for most of his medical school tuition.

Dr. Anschuetz and his wife Ruth have been married almost 50 years.

“A lot of people coming out of med school at that time in the mid-70s had around $100,000 in debt and now it’s probably three or four times that,” Anschuetz said. “Who gets out of college without student loans to pay off?”

During his final year of residency, he learned about a job opening in Fort Atkinson and visited the clinic for a few days where he got to meet some of the doctors and even had the chance to see patients. Dr. Anschuetz recalls one afternoon when the other doctors were called away to the ER for surgery, leaving him alone with a waiting room full of patients.

“So here I am, all by myself and I don’t know any of these people and they don’t know me,” Anschuetz recounted. “I told the nurse to make an announcement that both physicians got called away and we don’t know how long they’re going to be gone, but a third-year resident will see you if you want, but don’t feel bad if you want to reschedule.”

The nurse came back with the news that no one left the waiting room. What could have been an overwhelming situation ultimately gave Dr. Anschuetz the encouragement he needed to make the move to the small town of Fort Atkinson and go into private practice.

“I spoke to my wife, and I said, ‘This is an unusual situation,’ Anschuetz said. “Those people didn’t know who I was, but they stayed. We thought this might be a good place to establish a practice.”

He wanted to leave the big city life behind and practice medicine in a smaller community where he could connect with his patients on a personal level.

“That was a great practice to join,” Anschuetz said. “I got to do a variety of things like delivering babies, performing C-sections, surgeries, orthopedics, and sports medicine.”

Dr. Anschuetz as a physician in the mid-90's.

Dr. Anschuetz and Ruth have remained in Fort Atkinson ever since. He also served for several years as the team physician for the Fort Atkinson Blackhawks and UW-Whitewater. He continued in his role at Dean Clinic in Fort Atkinson until his retirement in 2012.

“What happens in family medicine is your practice ages with you,” Anschuetz said. “You pick up a lot of patients when they are young adults or middle-aged, and as they grow older, so do you. Many of their parents are patients of yours too and you see what’s available for them as far as hospice care is concerned.”

Mindy Triebold, Rainbow’s Director of Social Services, is one of the many people who have gotten to know Dr. Anschuetz from IDT. She coordinated a special pinning ceremony for him the day after Veterans Day at the Rainbow Hospice Care Inpatient Center and he couldn’t have been more surprised.

“It was extremely meaningful, and a very special time,” Anschuetz said. “It brought tears to my eyes because it showed how much they cared.”

Mindy pinned Dr. Anschuetz, while Jessica Gray, a social worker and fellow veteran, presented him with an Air Force tie blanket and a certificate recognizing his service as a veteran.

Rainbow Director of Social Services Mindy Triebold pins Dr. Anschuetz during a special ceremony during IDT.

The occasion turned out to be even more special because Dr. A’s wife, Ruth, was there to see everything unfold. Mindy had called Ruth that morning to clue her in on the surprise pinning ceremony. The moment became even more memorable when Dr. A saw his wife being honored with a patriotic angel pin for being the spouse of a veteran.

“I told Ruth that we want to thank you for taking care of this veteran and all you do to support him and the sacrifices you both make, especially on Tuesdays,” Triebold said.

The experience resonated with nearly two dozen staff members who attended the ceremony. They gave Dr. A and his wife a warm round of applause and exchanged many hugs.

“Many of us have participated in other pinning ceremonies, but this one touched us deeply because we know Dr. Anschuetz well and are truly grateful for his service,” said Rainbow Chaplain/Bereavement Coordinator Laura Wessels. “We are thankful that his service led him to a career in medicine and Rainbow continues to benefit from his dedication.”

Dr. A never expected to still be volunteering at Rainbow after 13 years, but he continues to enjoy helping others and sharing his clinical expertise in retirement.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to live this long actually,” Anschuetz said. “But as long as there’s a need and a place I can serve, who knows how long I’ll keep going? It keeps my mind active.”

“He asks appropriate questions, is always engaged and we have thoughtful discussions,” Hartz said. “His years of experience provide invaluable care to our patients.”

What makes Dr. A’s contributions even more remarkable is that he does all this work voluntarily, without pay.

“Dr. A is always prepared, listens intently, and provides excellent insight and medical advice,” Triebold said. “We don’t always agree but I always respect his viewpoint and appreciate his perspective. The fact that he does this for us is a blessing and gift to our organization, and then to do it so well makes us even more fortunate.”

“He is an inspiration to us all and I truly appreciate all he has done for Rainbow and the patients we serve but also the knowledge he has provided me for my own growth as an RN Case Manager, reminding me why we do what we do,” Goodle said. “Fingers crossed we got him for another 19 years – around the time I can finally retire.”