Join us for this FREE training at our Medford campus from expert speaker Mark Louden on our Plain Clothes Community. 

General sessions: 11:30am & 5:30pm

This session will provide an overview of the faith and culture of Plain groups in Wisconsin, which has the fourth largest Amish population among US states, and clarify a number of misunderstandings and stereotypes about them.

Health care session: 1:30pm

This session will address the health culture of Plain groups, that is, how they view health and well-being and health maintenance and restoration. We will also explore how Plain people access health care within and outside their communities and consider common challenges for Plain patients and the providers who care for them.

Service provider session: 3:30pm

As Plain communities grow, so do their contacts with social and CPS workers, law enforcement, and the legal system increase. This session will focus on interactions between Plain people and a range of service providers dealing with a range of issues including mental health, abuse, and road safety.

Meet The Instructor

Mark Louden is a professor of Germanic linguistics and religious studies and director of the Max Kade Institute for German-American studies at UW–Madison. A Mennonite and a speaker of Pennsylvania Dutch, he is active in outreach to Amish and traditional Mennonite (Plain) communities in Wisconsin and other states, mostly related to health care.