MATTON – This fall, Lakeland College began offering two new sterile processing courses.
Students enrolled in the courses are trained to work as a central service technician. The individual in this role prepares surgical, laboratory, and other health care equipment for use by performing routine sterilization, installation, and inspection procedures.
The new Central Service Technician courses serve as a starting point and pipeline for a full surgical technologist degree program currently in development for fall 2024. The program will be submitted to the Illinois Community College Board for approval.
Sarah Bush Lincoln offers a scholarship to assist with tuition fees for students in the examination review and clinical practicum semester.
“We have identified a need to grow surgical technologists and technologists from within our community. We appreciate Lakeland College’s willingness to work with us to develop an educational training program that will provide a pool of highly skilled technicians and technologists,” said Kim Uphoff, hospital president and CEO.
For more information about the program, contact Erin Swingler at 217-234-5448 or eswingler@lakelandcollege.edu.
Mattoon area places over the years
Young radiator
1983: The Young Radiator plant was scheduled to close due to a disputed union contract. Local 162 UAW and the company reached an agreement on a new three-year contract at the last minute.
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oil well
(1945: Baker’s Betts No. 1 well, a half-mile north of Current production, awaiting drill plug, raises tense speculation about possible field expansion
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New post office
1981: The Postmaster General gave his seal of approval for the establishment of the new post office. One remaining problem is the different alignment of mailboxes that forced new numbers on 112 customers and left 65 others with smaller boxes than they were accustomed to.
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Memorial Area Hospital
1956: Many residents remember the events and personalities of the hospital’s historic 50 years with the completion of the $1,150,000 expansion project.
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Matton compositions
1985: The Mattoon Academy of Gymnastics and Dance Class IV state champions are: front row, from left, Christa Boddy, Michelle Cessna, Stacy Brown; 2nd row, Christy Horren, Erica Fultonburg, Jennifer Daily, Lori Schaeffer, Dixie Ossinger, Toni Best, Jessica Kessler; Back row, Tina Barnes, Nikki Shaw, Kim Jurgens, Penny Lin, Elizabeth Etelbrick, Angie Telford, Christina Ritter, Jonah von Behrens.
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Cozy scored
1983: W.D. “Pill” Fisher stands next to the log house he is building for his family. Fisher became a distributor for Kozy Log homes.
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Illinois Central Railroad Depot
1977: The once bustling waiting room is quiet except for an occasional passenger on one of the station’s four trains.
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downtown
1973: Mattoon earned a spot in the All-American City Finals.
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downtown
1988: The Mattoon store was busy in the 1950s, as this old photo shows. The images are compiled in a book by Alice Larrabee, Jill Lumpkin, Jan Johnston and Marianne Thiele.
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