Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition
General Membership Meeting Minutes
December 6, 2023
- Welcome: Billie Jo welcomed twenty members representing thirteen agencies. She informed the members that the board had approved an expenditure for bicycles for the “Adopt-a-Child” program at Beacon.
- Member Introductions and Announcements:
- Sandra Haggard, RSVP: The next Bourbon County Red Cross blood drive will be December 21 and 22 at Buck Run Community Center. Sandy needs a few more volunteers. Billie Jo will forward Sandy’s schedule to the membership; contact Sandy if you are available to help.
- David Gillen, Beacon: In November Beacon had 325 families, including 11 new families, utilize services; they served a total of 749 people. All 79 families for the Adopt-A-Child program have been adopted!
- Lea Kay Karleskint, K-State Research: Always looking for partners to supply space for her nutrition programs.
- Elizabeth Schafer, Pioneer Kiwanis, CASA: These programs need volunteers!
- Tammy Alcantar, Crawford County Health Department: Tammy reviewed classes she is able to provide in Bourbon County; contact her if you have clients who would benefit from participating.
- Christine Abbott, SEK Works: There has been a change of appointment hours in the Fort Scott office: Monday through Thursdays, 10 a.m. until 3p.m. Walk-ins should come before or after those hours. The Youth Summit was held in November with a few more than 150 young adults participating. Chelsea Walker is the new Career Advisor; she will begin coming to the Fort Scott office soon.
- Tess Watson: Tess’s program, based in Columbus, has recently expanded to include Bourbon County. The program provides beds for children who are sleeping on the floor or on a couch. To date, Tess has been able to provide 1500 beds for children.
- Janelle Tate, Early Childhood Block Grant and Dee Dee LeFever, Greenbush Community Liaison, are in the process of planning a training event for the Early Childhood Coalition to be held in April alongside the Child Care Aware program. They will provide specific details at a later date.
- Kathy Romero, Angel Care Home Health: They provide skilled nursing to clients in their homes; sixty of their present clients (30%) are in our Bourbon County area.
- Travis Wilcoxsen, Angel Care Home Health: The focus right now is upper respiratory; they will serve patients with Covid. Goal is to them better, off service, and back where they want to be.
- Heather, Walker-Shepherd, CHC and USD 234: Heather goes into the homes to work with the families in USD 234. She is also a certified tobacco treatment specialist.
- Michelle Stevenson, Fort Scott Early Childhood Pre-School Center: She is a resource for the parent; she has begun screening for next year.
- Nick Johnson, USD 234 Pre-School: Screenings are held every month; contact the Pre-School with referrals.
- Program: CHC: Tobacco Cessation presented by Brenda, Stokes Lisa Wells, and Jennelle Knight
Tobacco usage for Bourbon County residents over eighteen years of age is much higher than the state average. CHC offers individual and group programs to help participants free themselves from tobacco use and has recently been able to pilot these cessation classes in Bourbon County. Jennelle is now able to train tobacco treatment specialists; all participants in her first class were Bourbon County residents. CHC will soon be implementing a program, including the dangers of vaping, to work with students in the schools. Their grant also allows CHC to work with employers to help them provide tobacco free work spaces. Currently, the programs have no fees if the participant’s insurance does not pay. Often participants need to repeat the class in order to become completely tobacco free. CHC patients are able to get low-cost or free medications to help the process so cost should not be a negative factor for the participants.
- Open Forum:
- Billie Jo reminded members of the inclement weather policy; she will send a message before 9:00 a.m. if a General Meeting needs to be cancelled due to weather.
- Adjournment: The next General Membership meeting will be January 3, 2024.
- The program will be presented by Tess Watson on her bed project.