Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition — General Membership Meeting Minutes
September 2, 2026
Welcome: Fifteen members from fourteen agencies attended the meeting in the Scottview Apartments Conference Room.
Coalition Board News: There is an open seat on the Coalition Board. Reach out to Nick if you are interested.
Member Introductions and Announcements
Kathy Brennon – SEK Area Agency on Aging – Meals are available at Buck Run for adults age 60+. A $3 donation is requested but not required. Those interested should call ahead the day before. SEKAAA is receiving funds to eliminate the waitlist for home-delivered meals and expand services into new areas. Meals will be delivered 4 days per week, offering face-to-face contact. SEKAAA will host a one-day conference for seniors and their families at the Impact Center in Chanute ($10, meal provided). The Kansas Governor’s Conference on Aging is coming up soon. SEKAAA’s mission is to keep people in their homes; limited funds are available for in-home care up to four hours per day. SEKAAA can also provide Medicare counseling. More information: www.sekaaa.com.
Shelby Moore – FAST Program, Families Together – Shelby helps families navigate the IEP process.
Renee Hibdon – CHCSEK – Renee helps everyone from birth and up, working with the homeless and others in the community to find resources. She can also assist with Medicare and Medicaid applications.
Megan Smith – Parents as Teachers – Megan works in Bourbon, Crawford, and Cherokee counties. She does not have openings right now but has a waitlist available.
Star Culp – Parents as Teachers
Michelle Stevenson – Fort Scott Early Childhood Program Coordinator – Michelle provides home visits for families with children from prenatal through age 6 and currently has a few openings.
Ashlee Reeder – Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center
Janie Aita – Angels Care Home Health – Angels Care is partnering with Medicalodge and Credo to plan a car show along Horton and toward Guest Home Estates; flyers coming soon. Angels Care has two behavioral home health nurses who can help with Alzheimer’s and dementia care, as well as PT, OT, and Speech therapy services, wound care, 16 specialty programs, and nurses on call 24/7. Their goal is to empower patients and caregivers.
Theresa Amershek – CEVC, Safehouse
Shelly Tridle – Crawford County Health Dept. – The Health Department provides prenatal classes and case management for pregnant women, offering a variety of services to ensure the health and safety of pregnant women.
Sandy Haggard – K-State Extension Nutrition – Sandy is planning a sheet pan meal class at the library soon. She shared flyers for the Empowered Caregiver program and the Medicare Election Period program in Fort Scott. K-State Extension is hosting a regional home-schooling event (Global Expo Homeschool Youth Day) in Erie on Friday, September 18.
Jalaine Davis – CORE Community Bourbon County – A new class started recently. There are two more orientation nights, so they are still accepting participants. Participants can be anyone living at the poverty level and struggling.
Janelle Tate – Early Childhood Block Grant
Program: Jenni Simhisier – Path of EASE / Ripple Effect
The Path of EASE Women’s and Children’s House is open and consistently full. The program recently acquired the old Keyhole building and is planning several programs for that space, including a youth advisory council to combat young adult addiction and a NACO program for kids of addicts — with the goal of not only helping addicts but also their children to stop the cycle. Work to be done includes building offices, painting, and general updating.
Jenni is working to purchase a second home to house men and their children, with a goal of opening by Christmas, and is currently working on a number of grants. Housing at the Women’s Home is self-supported: tenants are required to get jobs, pay rent, do chores, go to therapy, do something faith-based, and attend CORE to build skills for life after leaving. The Women’s Home has a 61% success rate. There is no cap on the length of stay; stays have ranged from 5 months to 1.5 years.
Most food is purchased by residents using food assistance, supplemented by community donations. The house has 5 bedrooms — 4 for moms and 1 with two beds for singles. The goal is recovery, not just sober living. Jenni works frequently with local police and the Sheriff’s Department and recently received a donated van to help transport tenants to appointments.
When tenants move out, Path of EASE and CORE help them furnish their new home. Contact Craig Campbell if you have furniture to donate. Jenni is also looking for programs or resources to help tenants find employment, as having a record is often an obstacle.
Open Forum
Nothing further came before the coalition.
Adjournment
The next General Membership meeting will be October 7, 2026.
Flyers Shared at the Meeting
Global Expo Homeschool Youth Day
Friday, September 18, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Neosho County Fairgrounds, Erie
An interactive morning designed for homeschooled youth. Students ages 5–12 will explore China, Brazil, Iceland, Mexico, and Australia. Youth ages 13–18 will step into the role of world leaders in a United Nations-style challenge to tackle a surprise global scenario and take part in a final World Summit.
Free to attend; all materials provided. Parents must accompany youth. Registration required by September 15 — call 620-244-3826. Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. Presented by K-State Extension, Southwind District.
The Empowered Caregiver
An education program presented by the Alzheimer’s Association®
Tuesdays, October 6 & 13, 6–8 p.m.
Fort Scott Community College, Burris Ag Hall, 2108 S. Horton Street
Topics include: building foundations of caregiving, supporting independence, communicating effectively, responding to dementia-related behaviors, and exploring care and support services. A light meal will be provided. RSVP: 620-244-3826. Visit alz.org/CRF for additional programs. Brought to you by K-State Extension, Southwind District.
Medicare Election Period — Oct. 15 – Dec. 7
Meet with a certified Senior Health Insurance Counselor for a free consultation to check your Medicare Prescription Drug Part D coverage. To schedule an appointment call 620-244-3826.
- Fort Scott: October 27, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. — Scott View Apartments, 315 Scott Ave, Fort Scott, KS; and most Tuesdays at Southwind Extension District, 210 S. National, Fort Scott
- Yates Center: October 28 & November 4, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. — Southwind Extension District Office, 211 W. Butler, Yates Center; and most Wednesdays
- Chanute: October 29 & 30, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. — SEK Impact Center, 1500 W. 7th Street, Chanute
Appointments available on other dates/locations — call 620-244-3826 to schedule. Presented by K-State Extension, Southwind District.
2026 Kansas Governor’s Conference on Aging
September 29–30, 2026
University of Kansas Conference Center, Lawrence, Kansas
Registration is open. Tracks include: Clinical Care, Healthy Aging, Chronic Disease and Prevention; Caregiving, Workforce and Health & Service Delivery Systems; Housing, Transportation and Community Infrastructure; and Policy, Advocacy and Systems Change. Continuing education credit available for multiple professions. More information: https://www.kdads.ks.gov/services-programs/aging.
Aging=Living Conference for Seniors and Their Families
October 14, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Doors open at 8:30 a.m.)
SEK Impact Center, 1500 W. 7th Street, Chanute, KS 66720
The first 100 attendees will receive a goodie bag. Topics include Moving for Better Health, Medicare Made Simple, Aging Safely at Home, EMS: What to Expect, Dementia Awareness, Stroke Prevention, and Hearing Health. Presenters include physicians and specialists from Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center, Medicaid, and the Aging Commission.
Registration: $10 (includes lunch). Mail check payable to SEKAAA – Aging=Living, PO Box J, Chanute, KS 66720; or call 620-431-2980; or register online at www.sekaaa.com. Presented by SEK Area Agency on Aging and Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center Foundation.
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