Joining a small town clinic is not a problem for Dr. Mark J. Giovanelli. The newest member of the medical staff at Mercy-Kalona clinic, he comes to the area from Hudson, Wisconsin “which is also a small town.”

However, prior to serving as an independent contractor through the Hudson Hospital and later serving with the Medford Clinic, Dr. Giovanelli maintained a solo practice in metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1974-1991.

He expects he and his wife will reside in the Iowa City area, although at present “we are staying in a motel just off the interstate.”

He also has a good acquaintance with Amish and Mennonite communities ( in Wisconsin) and is “looking forward” to being in the largest such settlement west of the Mississippi River.

He also is equally looking forward to being with Mercy Hospital and its services, noting that “in a solo practice, you need a minimum of four people to operate an office.”

For him, the local clinic offers a physician the opportunity to do “what he is trained for,” rather than be involved with equipment purchase, bookkeeping, billing and running a business.

He also noted that for medicine, as with many other areas, “there is an information explosion,” which can often exceed an individual’s capacity to learn it all.

As a result, hospitals and clinics can generally meet patient needs better by providing specialized services.

Dr. Giovanelli noted that in a rural practice the “challenge is to deliver equal service,” to that of large cities. He agreed that with Iowa City and the facilities of both Mercy Hospital and the University, this area is better served than other parts of the country.

His first day at Mercy-Kalona Family Practice Clinic involved attending the Kalona Chamber of Commerce meeting where he was introduced to the members.

His wife, Phyllis, is a qualified EKG and EEG technician who previously “worked in my office,” but has no present plans to resume duties in the area. The couple has three daughters, Lorna, a college freshman at Riverside College in Wisconsin, Brenda, a high school freshman and Sara, a student at the University of Iowa.

Dr. Giovanelli received his BA degree in 1969 from Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio and his D.O. degree from the University of Health Sciences in Des Moines. He also studied at Davenport Osteopathic Hospital, G.P. from 1973-74 and received Family Practice Board Certification in Palm Springs, California.

Besides solo practice, independent contracting and clinic work, he did full time emergency room work through Hudson Emergency Physicians and Hudson Physicians Clinic and Hammond clinic extension in 1997-98.

He has been a member of the American Osteopathic Society for 22 years, and is a member of a number of other medical and professional associations.