North Central Health Care Welcomes Secretary Eloise Anderson from the State of WI Department of Children and Families
For Antigo Times
(Wausau, WI) North Central Health Care (NCHC) is pleased to welcome Secretary Eloise Anderson from the State of WI Department of Children and Families as she meets with community leaders about LENA Start Marathon County, a program launched in 2018 that is a collaboration of many private and public sector partners. LENA Start Marathon County uses a learning system to measure the early language development in children ages birth to 32 months. LENA Start Marathon County is the first LENA Start site in Wisconsin. NCHC is currently hosting employer-based LENA Start classes at the Wausau Campus.
The LENA Start program utilizes “talk pedometer” technology to support interventions that improve early language exposure. Cohorts of 10–15 parents participate together for 13 weeks. Each week, families complete a day-long recording with their child wearing the device. Parents then attend weekly 1-hour sessions, led by trained LENA staff, in which they receive a feedback report and learn evidence-based Talking Tips that will help improve interactions with their child.
Secretary Anderson will talk with leaders from around Marathon County that have been supportive of the development and implementation of the program including Michael Loy, CEO North Central Health Care; Erica Huffman, Executive Director of Children’s Hospital Community Services; Dr. Amy Prunuske, Medical College of WI-Central WI; Ralph Illick, Director of Marathon County Public Library; Brad Karger, Marathon County Administrator; Brad Gast, Dean of Business and Industry at Northcentral Technical College; Jeff Sargent, Executive Director of United Way of Marathon County; Brian Gumness, BA & Esther Greenheck Foundation; and Eric Giordano, Director of Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service.
North Central Health Care provides compassionate and specialized care for people with complex behavioral and skilled nursing needs in Langlade, Lincoln and Marathon counties. Person-centered services are provided for mental health, substance abuse, crisis, developmental disabilities, adult protection, aquatic physical therapy and skilled nursing care that fulfill and enrich lives throughout our communities.