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COMMUNITY LIVING
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Ellenbecker excels
Collin Ellenbecker, a graduate of Athens High School, will participate in a sought-after rural medical education program through the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
He will spend the next four years in medical school to pursue a career as a rural medical professional.
Ellenbecker was accepted into the Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine (WARM) program of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. The program is a nationally recognized initiative that prepares and supports students who intend to practice in rural Wisconsin and help improve the health of those communities.
The program was created due to the shortage of physicians in rural Wisconsin. In 2018, while 29 percent of Wisconsin residents live in rural locations, only 13 percent of physicians in Wisconsin have rural practices.
In the rural medicine program, students complete their first 16 months of medical school in Madison at the School of Medicine and Public Health.
Ellenbecker and the other students will spend the remaining years of medical school at statewide School of Medicine and Public Health sites including Aurora BayCare in Green Bay, which is part of the Advocate Aurora Health/Eastern Academic Campus; Gundersen Health System/Western Academic Campus in La Crosse and Marshfield Clinic Health System/Northern Academic Campus in Marshfield, along with their networks of rural hospitals and clinics.
Students will also participate in regular core days at their sites to focus on a specific topic from a rural perspective and complete a community health project.
Past project topics have included farm-to-table programs, concussion awareness for youth athletes, rural drug and alcohol abuse, health literacy and community disaster drills.
Opportunities also exist for students to do electives at away sites and pursue global health opportunities, as well as complete the Master’s of Public Health program or the Path of Distinction in Public Health at the School of Medicine and Public Health.
Only 26 students are accepted for the program each year, and admission is limited to applicants who are legal residents of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois or Iowa.
Since May of 2011, almost 180 students have graduated from the program, and 79 percent of those graduating from residencies are practicing in Wisconsin. Twenty-eight percent of graduates returned to practice medicine in or near their hometowns, according to Alison Klein, WARM outreach specialist.
“The program is looking forward to working with another wonderful group of talented students who joined us in August,” she said. “We continue to be impressed by the dedication to and passion for rural that our students possess.”
Christmas concerts
St. Anthony Catholic School’s Christmas concert will be at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, and at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Athens Elementary School’s Christmas concert is at 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13. The Athens middle and high school choir and band concert is at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17, in the high school gym.
Trinity Lutheran School’s Christmas concert will be at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22.
Weekly knitting
Adults can practice their knitting, crocheting and more on a weekly basis with new sessions of Needle Arts afternoons from 1-4 p.m. each Tuesday until Dec. 31 at the Marathon County Public Library’s Athens Branch, located at 221 Caroline Street.
Advent meals
Wednesday Advent Meals will be served in Trinity Lutheran Church basement in Athens from 5-6:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 and 18.
There is a free will offering to help cover the meal expenses and to help Trinity’s youth to raise funds for the 2020 Youth Mission Trip to Benton Harbor, Mich.
The Dec. 11 menu is chicken dumpling and chili soup and the Dec. 11 meal includes cheesy potato and chili soup. All meals includes grilled cheese sandwiches, salad, beverage and dessert.
Library event
Adults and teens can create and decorate their own planner, journal or diary at the Marathon County Public Library’s Athens Branch, located at 221 Caroline Street.
They are welcome to visit the Athens library any time it’s open from Dec. 5-12 to participate in this free event, in which all supplies will be provided. People wanting more information on this event should call the library at 715257-7292.
Book Club
People are welcome to stop by the Marathon County Branch Athens Library to take part in a lively discussion on the classic novel, “The Four Agreements” by author Miguel Ruiz.
