All posts by Loretta George

Mercy Home Health Named to HomeCare Elite™ List, Again

December 7, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

Pictured left to right: Albert Sacbibit, physical therapist; Brenda Bailey, RN; Bob Meredith, physical therapist; Sandy Hayes, administrative assistance; Becky Davied, director; Jo Gauthier, account coordinator ; Alice Helton, RN; LaShawn Noel, social worker and volunteer coordinator; Chris Welch, community relations coordinator; Barbara Endicott, RN; Kathy Stienbarger, RN; Ashley Helton, RN; and Wade Pellett, RN. Not pictured are Hugo Dahlstrom, occupational therapist; Kyli Gates, RN clinical supervisor; and home health aides Cindy Remlinger and Golda Young.

Earning national awards is no easy feat. Add to that, repeatedly making the list and the pursuit is especially rewarding.

Just so happens that Mercy Fort Scott Home Health proudly announces it has been recognized once again on the prestigious list of the nation’s HomeCare Elite™. The list is compiled by OCS HomeCare and Decision Health and names the top 25 percent of home care agencies in the nation. This marks the fifth year Mercy Fort Scott Home Health has received the recognition.

Five domains of performance were analyzed to determine the elite awards – quality of care, quality of improvement and consistency, and experience (HHCAHPS), process measure implementation and financial performance.

The methodology behind the OCS HomeCare Elite™ is derived from publicly available data from Home Health Compare and the CMS Cost Reports to create the HomeCare Elite™ list of agencies.

The quality of care component indexes agency performance in each of the 10 publicly-reported Home Health Compare measures released in July 2017. The process measures implementation index based on agencies’ rates in the 13 process measures included in the July 2017 Home Health Compare release.

“The Mercy Home Health team continually goes over and beyond to exceed expectations, at many times taking on extras that might not always fit in the job role,” said Becky Davied, Mercy Home Health, and Hospice director. “This is a special group of people and I feel privileged to work with them.”

Mercy Home Health, based in Fort Scott, was established in November 1978 and today serves approximately 900 annually in the counties of Linn, Anderson, Allen, Bourbon, Crawford, southern Miami, northern Neosho and northern Cherokee. In July 2012, Mercy Home Health launched hospice services and currently employs nine full-time staff plus multiple volunteers.

For more information about Mercy Home Health services, call 620-223-8090.

Area News, Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Submitted

Christmas Parade Entry Winners

December 6, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

Winners of the Christmas Parade entry contest:

1. Parkway Church of God Holiness
2. Mercy Hospital
3. Fort Scott High School Cheerleaders

The Decorated Golf Cart Category Winner is Phillips Lawn Care.

Fort Scott

Fort Scott’s Christmas Parade

December 6, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

Fort Scott Parks and Recreation Department served free hot cocoa and cookies to parade attendees Tuesday night.

About 50 parade entries and a large crowd braved temperatures in the 30s Tuesday evening to enjoy the 2017 Fort Scott Christmas Parade. The event was sponsored by Briggs Automall and hosted by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.

The theme was “Christmas Vacation” and new this year was a decorated golf cart category.

Mayor Jolynne Mitchell waits with Santa before the lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree following the end of the parade.

Children could make craft items while waiting for Santa at Papa Don’s Restaurant, with the help of Fort Scott High School Pride students.

Santa was available to listen to children’s wishes at Papa Don’s Restaurant, with a free photo provided by Walgreens. A book was given to each child courtesy of USD 234.

Brita Rygmyr, manager of Papa Don’s Restaurant; Lindsay Madison, executive director of the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, and Santa Claus share a moment before names were drawn for the lucky-draw.

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott, Submitted

Mercy Auxiliary Hosts Holiday Bargain Sale

December 6, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

Just in time for the holiday season, Mercy Hospital Auxiliary will host a Holiday Bargain Sale on Friday, Dec. 8 from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. in the main lobby of Mercy Hospital Fort Scott.

The one-day fundraising event is a favorite with the public. Typically the Mercy Auxiliary brings the vendor to the hospital twice a year. The sale will feature over 1,000 items perfect for special occasions or stocking stuffers. These include trendy fashion accessories such as jewelry, scarves, seasonal items, gadgets, gifts and much more.

Many items are name brand, top quality products but priced up to 80 percent below retail.

The Mercy Hospital Auxiliary is a volunteer organization that raises money to benefit the hospital and provides scholarships for students.

Over the past 12 years, Mercy Auxiliary has donated nearly $850,000 to Mercy Hospital for equipment upgrades, program support, supplies and scholarships for nursing students. Proceeds from sales in the Mercy Market Place gift shop and other specialty sales support the Auxiliary. Collectively, auxiliary member’s volunteer the equivalent of almost seven full-time co-workers in hours of service each year to the hospital.

Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2016 by Truven, an IBM company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes 45 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Area News, Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Fort Scott’s Price Chopper To Open Dec. 13 According To CFO

December 6, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

The cover sheet for the Price Chopper Fort Scott plans.

Citing “unforeseen issues” at the delayed store opening, Dennis Riley, Chief Financial Officer of Price Chopper, said the new grocery store will open at 9 a.m. Wednesday, December 13, not December 6.

“Barring any other unforeseen issues, we will open Dec. 13,” Riley said. “We wish it would have been sooner… Everything will be open and operating and ready for the citizens of Fort Scott .”

“Late August is when demolition began,” Riley said. “It’s been a top to bottom remodel and a relocation of the flow of the store.”

The store is similar to the Price Chopper in Paola, Riley said.

“We have a heavy emphasis on fresh foods,” he said. “We are proud of our meat department and our produce department.”

There will be a cut fruit and salad bar where people can dine in, Riley said.

The Dunkin’ Donuts area has a drive-up window feature.

Price Chopper Fort Scott currently has 120 employees and is located at 2322 S. Main Street on the city’s south side.

The site was formerly Woods Supermarket.

Barry Queen is the owner of the store and has family ties to the Fort Scott area, Riley said.

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Where Is Winnie?

December 5, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

Winnie the elf works for the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.

Her job is to encourage people to shop in Fort Scott.

“Where is Winnie” is the Facebook page where you can learn more about her.

“The goal is to get people to shop local businesses,” Allison Turvey, administrative assistant at the Chamber said.

Turvey “escorts” Winnie to one of the Chamber member’s businesses and places her there.

A photo clue is given on the Chamber Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/196009193830966

Participants can win a chance to enter a drawing for $100 in Chamber Bucks.

There are two ways to win a chance.

The first is to guess where Winnie is at and post the answer on Facebook.

The second way is to shop at the store Winnie visits then take a photo of your receipt and post it to the discussion board of the “Where Is Winnie” Facebook event page.

All receipts must come from shops where Winnie visited and be posted by December 15.

Each is one entry into the drawing for the $100 Chamber Bucks prize. The bucks can be spent at any of the 55 Chamber businesses.

Anyone unable to upload their receipt photos to Facebook may bring their receipts to the Chamber office, 231 E. Wall.

For more information, contact Turvey at 620-223-3566.

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Submitted

Health for Life Fitness Center Waives Joining Fee

December 5, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

Fitness just got easier, or at least the cost of it.

Now through Feb. 28, 2018, Mercy Health for Life fitness center is waiving the new member joining fee. That means members can access all the best cardiovascular equipment, free weights and strength training equipment at Health for Life, plus the services and amenities for the low monthly rate.

Monthly fitness center membership rates are $30 plus tax for a single, $40 plus tax for a family, or $25 for active duty military. SilverSneakers and Silver&Fit memberships are also available for those who qualify.

And at Health for Life members can upgrade to 24-hour access with the purchase a special access card. The cost is only $10 per card. With the card, members can simply swipe the card at the fitness center entrance to enjoy the freedom of exercising at a convenient time, any day of the week. For security and safety, a sophisticated security and camera system will monitor the facility around the clock.

“We take pride in providing an environment that meets all of our member’s needs,” said Kirk Sharp, fitness center manager. “Whether new to exercise or fitness fanatic, we’ve got something for everyone.”

For starters, the fitness center offers new members one, free baseline-fitness assessment and a customized workout plan.

“It just gets better from there,” Sharp added. “We offer dietician consultation, free towel usage, daily locker usage and shower facilities. Members can also purchase personal training packages with one of our two certified personal trainers.”

With the New Year quickly approaching and resolutions to eat healthily and get fit, here’s a chance to make the first move. And, a membership to Health for Life makes a great Holiday gift.

To learn more, call Mercy Health for Life at 620-223-7073 or visit the fitness center in the lower level of Mercy Hospital.

Area News, Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Bourbon County Commission Agenda For Dec. 5

December 5, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

The Bourbon County Courthouse, 210 S. National Avenue.

The Bourbon County Commission Room meets on the 2^ndFloor of the Bourbon County Courthouse, 210 S. National Ave. at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays.

Today, December 5, 2017, the agenda is:

9-9:45 a.m.-Jim Harris

9 a.m.-Motor Grader Bid Opening

9:30 a.m.-Open Bank Bids for 2018 Mac Dump Truck

9:45-10:15 a.m.-Commissioners consider and take action on any and all questions or issues which may arise regarding the law enforcement project.

10:15-10:30 a.m.- Bill Martin

10:30-10:45 a.m.-KCAMP and Cereal Malt Beverages Licenses

10:45-11 a.m.-2018 Wages

11:00-11:15 a.m.-Justin Meeks

11:30-11:45 a.m.-Clint Anderson

Commissioners will be gone by noon.

1^st District Commissioner is Lynne Oharah,2^nd District-Jeff Fischer, 3^rd District-Nick Ruhl, County Clerk-Kendell Mason.

Bourbon County, Fort Scott

HPA’s Annual Fundraising Event Concludes

December 4, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

To help meet the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County’s goal to save historic buildings in Fort Scott, money has been raised since 1980 in their annual Homes for the Holidays tour. This year in addition to four homes showcased and a shopping event offered, a quilt show was added along with a Christmas tree contest.

This year, the Ed and Christine Lundberg home on Friday evening was the first part of the HPA’s tour, called Moonlight and Mistletoe. The home was built in 1970s contemporary style. Guests were limited to 100 and appetizers were served.

The doorman greets visitors at the Lundberg home on Lees Circle Drive Friday evening.

Deb Martin takes a photo of Carl Repp, Dande Lyon Vredenburg, Christine and Ed Lundberg at the Moonlight and Mistletoe Event.

Jeff and Vera Norris get a tour of the Ed and Christine Lundberg home.

Crystal Mason, Elaine Kirby, and Bernita Hill share a conversation during Moonlight and Mistletoe evening Friday.

Piles of food were provided by the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County at the Lundberg home.

The Stocking Stuffer shopping event was held Saturday and Sunday at Fort Scott Middle School also as part of Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County’s fundraising.

Mercy Hospital Auxilary volunteers work a booth at the Stocking Stuffer.

Shoppers pick out gifts at a booth during the Stocking Stuffer at Fort Scott Middle School Saturday morning.

Three Homes for the Holiday were decorated for the tour.

The Nate and Bailey Lyons home at 919 Burke was built nearly 100 years ago by Charles Gunn and completed renovated into a contemporary family home by the Lyons.

The completely remodeled kitchen of the Lyons home.

The living room, which was completely renovated in the Lyons home.

The Bob and Terri Taylor home at 315 Holbrook was built in the 1880s in the Victorian style.

Visitors admire the front room of the Taylor home Saturday morning during the tour.

A hostess tells of the home’s history during the tour.

The Shiney Studio, 2nd Street and National Avenue, is the former St. Andrews Episcopal Church.

DandeLyon Vredenburg greets visitors to the Shiney Studio in costume as Cindy Lou Who.

Visitors were given tours of the Shiney Studio which included the private home of DandeLyon Vredenburg along with other businesses.

The Presbyterian Village Christmas Tree Contest was part of the Homes for the Holiday tour for the first time this year. The village is an assisted living facility.

Pictured are some of the trees that were stationed around the assisted living facility at 2401 S. Horton.

A quilt show was a feature of the Homes for the Holidays tour for 2017, which was located in the Beaux Arts Center, north of the Fort Scott Post Office.

Denise Duncan stands before a few of the quilts that were part of the quilt show. The Duncan’s own the Beaux Arts Center.

Some of the quilts that were displayed as part of the Homes for the Holidays tour.

Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Fort Scott National Historic Site Candlelight Tour

December 4, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

A visitor catches the full moon over the fort on his cell phone during the candlelight tour Saturday evening.

Fort Scott National Historic Site celebrated its 175th anniversary by presenting the 36th annual Candlelight Tour Friday and Saturday evenings.

The theme for this year’s candlelight tour: “Happiness Amid Hardship.”

The tour featured five scenes from the 1840s at Fort Scott, the years that it was an active frontier military fort.

Traditionally, the site’s candlelight tour has been “ghosted,” meaning that the reenactors in the scene do not interact with or even recognize the people on the tour.

This year, the staff encouraged some audience participation in most of the scenes, which made the scenes fun and engaging.

The full moon as a backdrop to the tour added to the ambiance of the evening. Temperatures in the 50s added to the enjoyment as well.

Visitors get information from Park Guide Tiffany on the scene that is about to be portrayed on the Fort Scott National Historic Site Candlelight Tour Saturday evening.

Visitors are invited to join in dancing at the dragoon barracks in this scene.

Enlisted men are treated gruffly in this scene.

There is a discussion of reasons why soldiers are going to become Oregon pioneers in this scene at the sutler building.

Men enjoy visiting during this scene at the fort’s store.

Visitors participated in an evening social at the officers’ quarters, amidst gossiping and matchmaking activities in this scene.

There was singing of Christmas carols led by Ralph Carlson and also refreshments offered in the Grand Hall at the end of the tour.

Submitted

“A Classic Christmas” Presented Dec. 17 at FSHS

December 4, 2017 Loretta George Leave a comment

The Fort Scott High School Select Ensemble Presents “Classic Christmas” at 3 p.m. Sunday, December 17 at FSHS Auditorium.

Please come enjoy an afternoon of classic Christmas music performed by the FSHS Select Ensemble with guest appearance by Dan Duling and the Stone Country Band. The program will feature songs like “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “We Three Kings,” and many more!

Cookies and coffee to be served following the concert.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students K-12. All proceeds go to the Select Ensemble.

Tickets can be purchased from the FSHS office or from Select Ensemble students.

Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Christmas In The Park

December 2, 2017 Loretta George 1 Comment

A sneak preview of Gunn Park before the first viewing Friday evening showed some of the hard work that had been put into Christmas in the Park, a community holiday event.