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St. Joseph's Community Health Services, Inc.

Neighbors Caring for Neighbors...Body, Mind and Spirit"

Not long ago a resident of the St. Joseph's Nursing Home launched into an animated conversation with Rita Winchel about mushrooming and what she had found on her most recent excursion.

What was so amazing to the rest of the staff was that this patient rarely talked to anyone, and certainly not at length. It is that kind of job satisfaction that has kept Rita working at St. Joseph's Nursing Home for 18 years. Working with people in the winter of life is a challenge, as they can often be difficult and it is also an emotional strain. Rita says she has learned to deal with the emotional strains by simply continuing on with her duties and not allowing it to bother her. A native of Elroy, Rita often knew the patients as a child, and says she loves to listen to their stories of the "old days".

Before becoming an LPN, she worked as an aide at Pleasant Acres in New Lisbon. Her duties now include taking vital signs, administering medication, helping with meals, giving skin treatments and working on medical records. She also served in the National Guards.

Rita and her husband, Steve, who works for the Vernon County Highway Department. They have two sons, Sam 14, and Seth, 12.

To find out more about St. Joseph's Nursing Home, contact Rita at 489-8000.