Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition
General Membership Meeting Minutes
November 1, 2023
- Welcome: Seventeen members representing fourteen agencies attended. Billie Jo reminded members that the board will meet next Tuesday; Nick Johnson will begin his tenure on the board as a representative of USD 234 to fill the vacancy left from the resignation of Doug Altic.
- Member Introductions and Announcements:
- Lindsey McNeil, COPE: The COPE contingency was unable to attend today’s meeting as they were at the Washateria for the first “Wash Wednesday” event. Billie Jo will forward informational flyers to the membership about this event.
- Michelle Stevenson, USD 234: Michelle sent word that everything is going well with the Fort Scott Early Childhood Program!
- Allen Schellack: Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, Salvation Army, etal: In October they were able to help several people obtain identifications and birth certificates in order to get jobs. In three weeks, the Red Bucket campaign will begin; Allen needs volunteers. Craig Campbell will be helping Allen obtain adequate volunteers. The Fire Department and Police Department will be manning the buckets during the “Christmas on the Bricks” celebration.
- Dave Gillen, The Beacon: The annual Adopt a Child, Elks Christmas baskets, and Beacon sign-ups will continue until November 3. The Beacon has served 129 new families, 329 total families, and 824 people so far in 2023.
- Lea Kay Karleskint, K-State Research: A “Walk with Ease” class will be starting on January 8 at Buck Run; Lea Kay also reviewed all classes available; more information can be found on the website. Her greatest need is a partner with space; she brings everything else for the classes.
- Nick Johnson, USD 234 Pre-School: The “Trunk or Treat” event was held last week with over 400 attending. The pre-school continues to do monthly screenings.
- Stephanie Herring, Family Resource Center: She works with families to ensure children are safe in their homes without DCF intervention.
- Dee Dee LeFever, Greenbush: Resource for any early learning services.
- Larry Jump, SEKCAP Community liaison: He covers twelve counties as a resource for early learning services. Currently SEKCAP is hiring for all positions; check the openings on the website.
- Brittany Trishman, SEK Multi-County Health Department: She is the breast feeding supervisor. The Health Department is now offering flu, Covid, and RSV vaccines. She recently received a grant to help with education; she welcomes partners to apply for additional grants.
- Star Culp, Parents as Teachers: Star’s program is full in the USD 234 district; however, she has two openings in the USD 235 district.
- Tammy Alcantar, Crawford County Health Department: Tammy reviewed the programs she works with in Bourbon County and expressed gratitude for being able to partner in Bourbon County.
- Sandy Haggard, RSVP: The next Red Cross blood drive is December 21 and 22 at Buck Run. Appointments need to be made online to ensure donation status.
- Rene’ Hibdon, CHC: Assesses family needs and connects them to the proper services. She deals primarily with home-based cases.
- Megan Smith, CHC: Completes in office assessments for families; her major emphasis is families dealing with pregnancies.
- Heather Shepherd CHC Community Health worker: By working in the USD 234 school system, she is able to connect families with resources. Her goal is to keep children out of DCF custody.
- Program: Travis Wilcoxsen and Kathy Romero, Angel Care Home Health.
Angel Care Home Health is located in most all southeast counties of Kansas; they provide home health care for Medicare-aged individuals. Travis explained the services they offer and the specialty programs they can provide, including psychiatric care based on a medical prescription. The ultimate goal for Angel Care Home Health is to make the patient better and keep him/her at home as long as it is safe to do so. Once accepted into the program, care is 100 percent paid by insurance. At present they have 190 patients and would like to find an additional nurse for Bourbon County.
- Open Forum: The December 6 program will be an update on CHC’s tobacco cessation program; in January, we will hear from Tess Watson about her bed project.
- Adjournment: The next General Membership meeting will be December 6.