News & Events

Wishing you good health and happiness in the new year!

The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage and above by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay.

Anderson Waelchli from Whitewater, WI, who is studying Cybersecurity at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, will perform in the university’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble during the 2024-25 academic year.

Waelchli is a tenor for the group, which includes 21 student musicians.

The group performed at UW-Whitewater’s Gala Concert on Dec. 7 in The Young. The Gala is an annual tradition that features nearly every student ensemble in the university’s Department of Music. All profits from the event support the department’s scholarships.

Vocal Jazz Ensemble is a small, select group that performs swing, jazz, and musical theatre repertoire. The group is open to all university students by audition and tours annually with the Chamber Singers.

UW-Whitewater’s Department of Music, a part of the College of Arts and Communication, prepares students for a future of performance, composing, teaching, and other music-related roles. The university’s musical ensembles have played in famous venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall in New York City, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, the Symphony Center in Chicago, and at venues in Germany, Poland and England.

To learn more about the department, visit uww.edu/music.

Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by Garik Barseghyan from Pixabay.

Written by Kristine Zaballos
Photos by Craig Schreiner

Web story: https://www.uww.edu/news/archive/2024-12-rock-county-nursing-program-builds-infrastructure

At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Rock County campus, construction is complete on two state-of-the-art spaces where the next generation of students will earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Edgewood College, the result of a collaborative nursing degree program. These graduates will be primed for high-paying jobs — and ready to fulfill a critical regional workforce need.

The new labs feature patient simulators, which introduce nursing students to clinical scenarios in preparation for real clinical interactions and allow them to safely practice team-based care and improve individual skills. Three realistic patient rooms are viewable from a control room that allows instructors to monitor students and record sessions with audio-visual equipment that provides live-feed simulation. In the labs, robot patient simulators are programmed to replicate patient conditions and physiologic responses.

“This learning environment places students in the experience and fosters team-based learning as students learn, train, and work together,” said Rachel Icke, director of academic operations at the School of Nursing at Edgewood College. “This is where students apply their textbook knowledge, learn from their mistakes, practice skills, and improve communication. It’s also when future nurses emerge and begin to build their self-confidence.”

“Touring the new labs, it’s amazing that we have this opportunity here in Janesville,” said Heidi Rye, a cardiology nurse practitioner at Mercyhealth in Janesville who is on the faculty at Edgewood College. “It’s a great addition to our community, and students get a quality education close to home.”

Rye, who teaches medical-surgical theory courses for the Collaborative Nursing Program at Edgewood College, says a major benefit of the collaborative program between Edgewood College and UW-Whitewater at Rock County is the smaller class sizes.

“You get more one-on-one time and attention from instructors in smaller groups,” said Rye. “And we stagger the classes so they are closer together so they can have full days off so they can work or take care of their families if they need to.” 

A program that meets a critical workforce shortage

The new nursing simulation and skills labs expand the capabilities of the collaborative nursing degree program with Edgewood College, launched in 2023, which allows students to study face-to-face on the Rock County campus without traveling out of the region to earn their degrees. Because students complete their clinical work in area hospitals, clinics and healthcare organizations, they are more likely to be hired by those employers and stay in the region after graduation. In 2023, southeastern Wisconsin experienced more than 1,500 nursing vacancies — a gap the program was designed to help fill.

“You have these goals and missions when you develop a partnership like this, and you really hope it translates to the student experience,” said Icke. “It’s always wonderful when you hear that students recognize that. All of our prerequisite nursing courses are full, and they have been since April.”

Michele Demmin, system director of professional development of nursing education and programs at Mercyhealth, has been involved in developing the collaborative degree program since its inception. She says the program’s collaboration with the hospital, where many of the students do their clinical work, has been successful.

“It is going very well, and we are enjoying having the Edgewood students onsite. Some of the students were part of our Student Nursing Intern Program this past summer, and we hope they continue to stay on with Mercyhealth after they graduate,” said Demmin. “The Edgewood students are very well prepared and professional — they take initiative and ask questions.”

The BSN program has enrolled 22 students on the Rock County campus in two cohorts of 11 students since the first classes began meeting in the fall of 2023. Eleven of the students participated in Mercyhealth’s Student Nursing Intern Program over the summer of 2024, at the halfway point in their program.

“It helps them continue on the educational pathway,” said Icke. “It helps them gain experience in an area they thought they wanted to work, maybe confirming to them that this is where they want to be. Some students stayed on in the workforce in a lighter capacity with the school year beginning.”

Nursing student Betsy Stanek participated in the nursing internship, which Mercyhealth calls the Student Nurse Intern program, or SNI, working in the emergency room. Even with five years of emergency medicine experience as an EMT with the Whitewater Fire Department, she was looking to confirm what area she might want to work in after she earns her BSN.

“The SNI program is one every nursing student should do,” said Stanek. “You have an instructor in clinicals who’s helping five or six students. In SNI you can help one nurse and work under their license — it makes it less terrifying.”

Stanek, who has a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in business from UW-Whitewater, selected the collaborative nursing program offered on the Rock County campus because it allowed her to live at home in Whitewater, saving money so she would be able to fully focus on her studies rather than having to fit in a job. An unexpected benefit of the program was the small class sizes and the quality of the instructors.

“Heidi Rye is phenomenal,” said Stanek. “She’s a big part of why we’ve been able to succeed. She’s one of the best teachers I’ve had in my whole undergraduate experience.”

A seamless shift between campuses

Edgewood student Nick Jacobus grew up in Janesville and enrolled at UW-Whitewater at Rock County, where he earned his associate degree and served as student government president. After moving to the Whitewater campus to complete his bachelor’s degree, he heard about the new nursing degree. He realized he’d already completed a good number of the general education requirements — or gen eds — needed to apply to the BSN program.

“The program is more hands-on, which I kind of like,” said Jacobus, who was interested in working in public health but didn’t want a job behind a desk. “We do a clinical rotation every semester. This semester I’m doing a clinical rotation in a surgical pediatric unit, and one in their ortho/neuro unit. That means we go in, get assigned a patient, and work as the nurse’s primary assistant, passing meds and helping to care for patients.”

Students work about 10-and-a-half-hour shifts in their rotations, and Jacobus, who also works 12-hour shifts as a CNA at SSM Health in Janesville, feels it is going well.

“I’ve got three more semesters,” he said. “I would like to stay in the region and get some more bedside experience in the hospital I am working at now.”

Jacobus, who looks especially forward to rotations in public health at local schools or at a free clinic in Beloit, said the transition to being an Edgewood student was seamless.

“The cohorts are small and the classes are small. It’s the same level of closeness as I had with the teachers with Rock. They are very personable.”

An open door to an opportunity to work in healthcare

A total of 696 students were enrolled at Rock in 2023-24, a 103-student increase from the year before. More than 50 are working on their general education requirements on a path to apply to the collaborative BSN program.

Kenosha native Daijshia Brown is one of the Rock County students on a pathway to apply. Like many who struggled during the pandemic, her grades coming out of Bradford High School left her with limited options when it came to pursuing a career in health care. The first-generation student knew she wanted to live away from home and yet still be close enough to help care for her three younger sisters. Rock County’s 100% admission rate was an open door — allowing her a fresh start academically and offering enrolled students the opportunity to live in the residence halls on the Whitewater campus for the same cost.

“It’s been hard, to say the least. Nursing is a very hard program to be in. I’ve almost given up on myself multiple times,” said Brown. “If I can’t pass a simple math class, why would I be able to pass a nursing class and save someone’s life down the road? But I know this is something I can do. I’m going to stick to it.”

In the second year of her prerequisites, Brown works as a caregiver at Aspire in Whitewater and plans on applying to the cohort that will start in the fall of 2025. She knows she may have to take classes during Winterim to get credits.

“I want to do labor and delivery nursing,” said Brown. “It comes from the time when my mom had a miscarriage, and it really affected me. It hit me hard and made me realize it was what she wanted to do — be the support system for someone else when that happens.”

A program reinvigorated

Kerri Wrinn, who has taught biology and related classes on the Rock County campus since 2012, can attest to the way the nursing program has reinvigorated campus — and filled up her classrooms with students preparing for a nursing or physical therapy program.

“When I began teaching at Rock we had higher enrollment, with many of our students taking classes to help prepare for a change in career,” said Wrinn, who then noticed a decline in enrollment over time as demographics changed.

“I enjoyed the smaller classes because I could build stronger relationships with students, but I like that we can serve more people now and that they are excited about the nursing program.”

Wrinn says that the Rock County campus offers an especially good opportunity for students such as nontraditional students, generally defined as students aged 25 or older, to get started in a low-pressure environment, with small classes.

“We understand they are juggling kids, jobs, etc. We make it easier for them to come in as nontrads and manage all that.”

In her classes, she purposefully works in confidence-building activities for her students, such as sending someone up to the board to answer a question, or having them work in groups for a lab.

“I want to get you prepared to where you are comfortable talking in front of people — at your pace and what’s comfortable for you — and talking to the public in a way a lay person can understand.”

After seeing the pre-med and pre-nursing courses decline so much, Wrinn says it feels pretty good to be thinking about adding classes again.

“It happened so quickly after the program was created,” she said. “It’s great to see.”

Serving the needs of the region

The nursing program is just one of the ways the Rock County campus has been looking to serve as a critical partner in delivering educational pathways to meet the needs of the region, which includes northern Illinois.

“We’ve been successful in innovating and partnering, which allows us to provide students better opportunities,” said Tricia Clasen, dean of the College of Integrated Studies and assistant vice chancellor.

“What hasn’t changed is that strong general education foundation and our affordable pathway to a bachelor’s degree. But, because we are partnering with private organizations and departments at UW-Whitewater and other universities, we are also able to provide these other opportunities.”

Since 2019, Rock County has invested $1.85 million in capital projects and operational funds to support the campus. During a visit to the campus in August 2024, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman noted that care had been taken to keep the facilities looking great.

“I appreciate the community’s support of the institution. The Rock County campus is a success story. Our public universities are focused on access and affordability, and, as we move the needle on enrollment statewide, this campus is on a positive trajectory,” Rothman said.

Rock County nurses report an average salary of $83,720. Nationally, nursing job opportunities are expected to grow by nearly 200,000 — or 6% — in the coming decade.

For more information on the collaborative nursing BSN with Edgewood College, contact Rachel Icke, director of academic programs at the School of Nursing at Edgewood College, at rIcke@edgewood.edu or 608-663-6809.

…

December 29, 2024

The United States flags should be flown at half-staff effective immediately until sunset on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, in honor of the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter, who passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia.

Gov. Evers Releases Statement on the Passing of Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today released the following statement regarding the passing of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away today, December 29, 2024, at the age of 100. “Former President Carter was a committed and dedicated advocate for peace, human rights, and treating others with dignity, decency, and respect—qualities that earned him respect and admiration from many across our country and around the world. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of humanitarian and public health achievements not only during and throughout his presidency but beyond it, as well,” said Gov. Evers. “Kathy and I extend our sympathies to former President Carter’s family and loved ones and wish them peace during this time.” Former President Carter served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, and upon his death, he was the longest-living former American president in the nation’s history. Former President Carter is remembered for several notable achievements during his time in office, including his work to broker the Camp David Accords, his leadership in addressing climate change and investing in solar energy research, and his commitment to equity and inclusion and appointing more women and people of color to positions in the federal government. Throughout his presidency and his subsequent philanthropic efforts, former President Carter was also widely recognized for his steadfast commitment to human rights and public health, working to eradicate infectious diseases and promote peace and democracy across the globe. In 2002, former President Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.

Wisconsin among first states to launch both Home Energy Rebate programs under Inflation Reduction Act Rebates for low- and moderate-income households will help save energy and money when switching to energy-efficient home upgrades and appliances Gov. Tony Evers, together with Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) Chairperson Summer Strand, on December 19 announced the launch of the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) Program. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Wisconsin was awarded $74.5 million for the HEAR Program, which provides instant discounts to low- and moderate-income households for installing energy-efficient appliances and aims to lower costs for working families by helping households save on energy bills. “We’re incredibly excited about this program, which is designed to lower costs for working families and helping Wisconsinites save on their monthly energy bills,” said Gov. Evers. “Eligible households are going to be able to get discounts for installing energy efficient appliances while also allowing folks to have a little breathing room in their monthly household budgets. This is great news for folks across our state, and we’re excited to be among the first states in the country to launch this program.” In August 2022, President Biden signed the IRA, which included $8.8 billion for the Home Energy Rebate programs. Wisconsin was allocated $149 million under the federal formula to administer two Home Energy Rebate programs: the Home Efficiency Rebate (HOMES) Program, announced in August, and the HEAR program, as announced today. While the HEAR program is focused on helping families install energy-efficient appliances, the HOMES Program provides rebates to households undertaking whole-home, energy-saving improvements, such as heating and cooling systems. Wisconsin was the first state in the nation to launch the HOMES program and is one of the first states in the country to launch both IRA programs. Overall, individual households could save hundreds of dollars on monthly energy bills and save thousands of dollars on energy-efficient home upgrades by participating in the Home Energy Rebate programs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), these energy-saving measures will save American households up to $1 billion annually in energy costs and support an estimated 50,000 U.S. jobs in residential construction, manufacturing, and other sectors. “Due to Gov. Evers’ leadership and the widespread support of our industry partners and engaged stakeholders, Wisconsin continues to lead in the deployment and implementation of these exciting new Home Energy Rebate programs,” said PSC Chairperson Strand. “We have already achieved tremendous success with the registration of new contractors and the delivery of rebates to Wisconsin households undertaking upgrades to make their homes more energy efficient. We are very excited to continue this momentum with the official launch of the HEAR Program, which will help even more people save energy and money through the purchase and installation of energy-efficient appliances and equipment.” Wisconsin’s launch of the Home Energy Rebate programs are part of the nationwide initiative under the IRA to provide $8.8 billion in federal funding for states, territories, and Tribal Nations to lower energy costs and increase efficiency by making it cheaper to install cost-saving measures in homes, such as heat pumps, electrical panels, and insulation. While Wisconsin ranks 24th in the nation for total energy costs per capita, according to the DOE, many Americans spend a large portion of their monthly income on heating, cooling, and powering their homes—with some of the lowest-income families spending upwards of 30 percent of their income on energy bills. “From getting extensive public input on program design to being among the first handful of states to launch both rebate programs, Wisconsin continues to be exceptional,” said Keishaa Austin, Principal Deputy Director of DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs. “With today’s launch of the HEAR program, Wisconsin will provide even more savings to those with the greatest need, enabling thousands of households to afford energy-saving upgrades.” WISCONSIN’S HEAR PROGRAM The Wisconsin HEAR program will launch in two phases. In the newly launched phase, registered contractors can offer discounts for certain appliances and projects that require installation, including electric heat pumps and electric wiring and panel upgrades. Rebates will be available in 2025 for insulation and air sealing that require contractor installation. In the second phase, launching in 2025, eligible customers will receive instant rebates for appliances, such as electric clothes dryers, electric stoves, and insulation bought at stores or through a contractor. Qualified new or existing single- and multi-family homes are eligible to participate. Households may receive rebates for more than one type of appliance and project under the HEAR Program, but the maximum amount a single household can receive is $14,000 total in rebate dollars. Total rebates will range between 100 percent of total project costs up to $14,000 for households making less than 80 percent of their area median income (AMI) and 50 percent of total project costs up to $14,000 for households making between 80 percent and 150 percent of their AMI. Wisconsinites can check the AMI for their county and household size using the 2024 Income Eligibility Household Limits Calculator. More information about HEAR savings and eligibility is available here. In most cases, a home assessment is not needed to receive a rebate through the HEAR program. Eligible appliances and equipment include electric heat pumps, electric stoves, insulation, and electrical panel and wiring upgrades. Heat pump technology is an option for high-efficiency home heating and cooling and works well even in negative temperatures during Wisconsin’s extremely cold winters. More information about heat pump technology can be found on the Focus on Energy website. WISCONSIN’S HOMES PROGRAM Under the HOMES Program, $74.8 million was made available to support whole-home energy efficiency improvements, including insulation, air sealing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning upgrades. All Wisconsin households are eligible for HOMES, including existing multi-family buildings. Interested households can currently verify their eligibility status and locate an IRA Registered Contractor who will guide them through the program. More information about HOMES rebates and eligibility is available here. The launch of the Home Energy Rebate programs has been successful and, to date, includes:193 registered contractors;1,298 customers approved for income-qualified rebates; and97 HOMES program project applications received. The HOMES and HEAR rebates are administered by Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s existing statewide energy efficiency program. Utilizing Focus on Energy’s existing statewide framework for delivering energy efficiency programs and rebates uniquely positions Wisconsin to deliver HOMES and HEAR rebates to households across the state expeditiously and effectively. Focus on Energy will continue to manage and maintain its existing programs separately to ensure transparency, accountability, and compliance. Focus on Energy created the Residential Rebate Finder to help households find available rebates and incentives by answering several simple questions. Visit the Residential Rebate Finder at FocusonEnergy.com/get-started. More information about the Home Energy Rebate programs is also available here.

As part of National Rural Health Day, Fort HealthCare has announced we have earned a 2024 Performance Leadership Award for excellence in Outcomes. Compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, the Performance Leadership Awards recognize top quartile performance (i.e., 75th percentile or above) among rural hospitals in Quality, Outcomes and/or Patient Perspective.

“We’re honored to receive this award for excellence in outcomes,” said Michael Anderson, MD, President & CEO of Fort HealthCare. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team in providing exceptional care and improving the health of our community. It’s rewarding to see our efforts make a real difference, and we’re proud to celebrate this achievement.”

The Performance Leadership Awards are based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®, a comprehensive and objective framework for assessing how rural hospitals are performing. INDEX benchmarks are relied upon by rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure performance across multiple areas impacting hospital operations and finance.

“The Performance Leadership Awards capture the commitment, diligence, and innovation with which America’s rural hospitals approach the delivery of care within their communities,” said Troy Brown, Network Consultant, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “It’s a tremendous honor to be able to recognize the efforts of this year’s award winners and celebrate their achievement as part of National Rural Health Day.”

Editor’s note: The above press release was received from Fort HealthCare.

Four City of Whitewater Common Council seats are up for election on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. If necessary, a primary will be held on February 18 to narrow down each race to two candidates. The two-year term for council member begins on Tuesday, April 18, 2025. The Council regularly meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Members are expected to review the agenda packet prior to the meetings. They also serve on one or more committees, many of which meet on a monthly basis. The salary is $300 per month.

Here is the status of candidate filings, per deputy city clerk Tiffany Albright, as of December 27 at 4 p.m.:

Council member AD 1
Mike Smith, 327 E. Clay Street, #29, has taken out nomination papers.
J. Christopher Wilt, 334 Parkside Drive, has taken out nomination papers.
The incumbent, Patrick Singer, has filed a notice of noncandidacy.

Council member AD 3
Steven Sahyun, 250 N. Franklin Street, has submitted his nomination papers.
The incumbent, Brienne Brown, has filed a notice of noncandidacy.

Council member AD 5
The incumbent, Neil Hicks, 1254 Tower Hill Pass, has filed his nomination papers.

Council member at Large
Patrick Singer, 263 Amber Drive, has taken out nomination papers.
The incumbent, Lisa Dawsey Smith, has filed a notice of noncandidacy.

Information concerning aldermanic (council) district boundaries may be obtained from City Clerk Heather Boehm, 312 W. Whitewater St., 262-473-0102, hboehm@whitewater-wi.gov. There is also a map on the city website that shows the districts; however, it is a bit difficult to decipher. Choose “VotingWardsAldDist-Aldermanic Districts,” and the districts will be shown in the large numbers.

The first day to circulate nomination papers was December 1, 2024, and the deadline for filing nomination papers and required documents is 5:00 p.m., on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in the office of the city clerk. Candidates for an at-large seat must collect a minimum of 50 signatures on nomination papers; a candidate wishing to represent a district must obtain a minimum of 20 signatures.

Photo on homepage and text by Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com