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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate William Ribbing, 
4M.D. for receiving the 2022 Rural Physician Lifetime of 
5Service Award from the Illinois Rural Health Association; and
  
 
6    WHEREAS, One of the biggest healthcare challenges across 
7our nation is the shortage of physicians who practice in rural 
8settings; and
  
 
9    WHEREAS, Dr. Ribbing graduated from UHS/Chicago Medical 
10School in 1987; and
  
 
11    WHEREAS, Dr. Ribbing completed his residency in family 
12practice at Resurrection Medical Center in 1990; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Dr. Ribbing relocated to Anna and went to work 
14for Rural Health Inc., where he has made a huge impact on the 
15well-being of the region, seeing 20-30 patients daily since 
161990, and was responsible for bringing such specialty services 
17as women's health, cardiology, orthopedics, and behavioral 
18medicine to the area; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Dr. Ribbing has also been a huge asset to Union 
20County Hospital, where he served as president of the medical 
 
 
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1staff, as well as on its board of directors; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Dr. Ribbing guided efforts to successfully 
3address the rural opioid epidemic through the creation of the 
4Medicated Assisted Treatment Clinic, which has helped break 
5the cycle of addiction for many and improve the quality of life 
6in his community; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Dr. Ribbing has been a tireless advocate for the 
8advancement of the physician assistant profession, in order to 
9alleviate the physician shortage, and developed a partnership 
10with Southern Illinois University to serve as a training site 
11for physician assistants; he also successfully lobbied for the 
12ratio of physicians to physician assistants to be removed in 
13health professional shortage areas; and
  
 
14    WHEREAS, As an active member of the Society of Teachers of 
15Family Medicine and of the faculty of both the University of 
16Illinois College of Medicine and the SIU School of Medicine, 
17Dr. Ribbing has helped train countless medical students to 
18provide exceptional patient care; and
  
 
19    WHEREAS, In his "free time", Dr. Ribbing can be found 
20honing his culinary skills on an outdoor grill, fishing, 
21hunting, and debating whether he has a stronger allegiance to 
22Star Trek or Star Wars; therefore, be it
  
 
 
 
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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
2HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
3we congratulate William Ribbing, M.D. for receiving the 2022 
4Rural Physician Lifetime of Service Award and commend him for 
5his compassion and dedication to his patients and for filling 
6such a tremendous void in rural medicine over the past 45 years 
7in Southern Illinois; and be it further
  
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
9presented to Dr. Ribbing as a symbol of our respect and esteem.