The Southwestern Center for Independent Living (SWCIL) is currently accepting resumes for a part or full-time Independent Living (IL) Specialist working in Southwest Minnesota: Murray, Pipestone, Redwood, or Rock counties and surrounding communities. SWCIL is an independent living resource center that works to promote societal acceptance, inclusion, and equal access for all persons with disabilities. Primary job functions include: providing independent living skills training, advocacy assistance, career consultation, information and referral services, and peer counseling services to youth in schools and adults in the community.

CentraCare Hospice is gearing up to celebrate 40 years in service in November during national Hospice Month. The service that serves eighteen counties in West Central Minnesota including Lyon, Yellow Medicine, Chippewa and Redwood, began in Willmar with its first satellite office in Montevideo. “What kind of happened in the early 1980s, the hospitals started with private insurance and then went to Medicare also in what is diagnosed as a disease- related group. We in those groups were given certain number of days that a person could be in the hospital,” explains Judy Stendahl, one of the key players in the creation of the Montevideo satellite as the Director of Nursing at CCM Health. “When that started, we realized we needed to start having more programs within the hospital setting, so we started with Home Care in the early 80s, and then in 1983, we started putting together a Hospice program.”