Fort Scott Community College offers the Ed2Go Program.
“This program allows anyone to take classes (non-credit, but can receive a certificate) from the comfort of their home,” DeAnn Welch, Student Success Center Director Tutoring and Testing Administrator at FSCC, said. “They are eight weeks, with two assignments per week.”
According to the FSCC website:
Self-Paced Tutorials are used, with these features:
Build skills or earn continuing education credits
Start Anytime
Most tutorials completed in a few hours
Quick self-study on demand
Supported independent study
Certificate of completion awarded with passing score
#HaveTheConversation about problem gambling to raise awareness for this often-hidden disease
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services in collaboration with the National Council on Problem Gambling is dedicating the month of March to helping people “Have the Conversation” about problem gambling. Approximately two million (one percent) of U.S. adults are estimated to meet the criteria for pathological gambling, another four to six million (two to three percent) would be considered problem gamblers. Yet gambling remains a hidden addiction for many.
Problem Gambling Awareness Month is designed to help raise awareness of the prevention, treatment and recovery services available for those adversely affected by gambling. The grassroots campaign brings together a wide range of stakeholders – public health organizations, advocacy groups and gambling operators – who work collaboratively to let people know that hope and help exist.
Across Kansas, groups including four state-funded regional task forces and a statewide coalition hold events, mount media campaigns, promote Gambling Disorder Screening Day on March 13 and conduct outreach to people who can make a difference ensuring that problem gambling services are promoted and the public is educated regarding problem gambling.
As March Madness reaches a crescendo with an estimated $10 billion in bets placed on NCAA basketball championship games, calls to the National Problem Gambling Helpline spike an average of 30 percent during this month.
To get help for a gambling problem for you or a loved one, Kansas residents can call the Kansas problem gambling helpline at 1-800-522-4700 or can visit ksgamblinghelp.com for more information. The call is free and confidential. No out-of-pocket cost treatment is available for problem gamblers and concerned others with revenues collected from state-owned casinos. The program is administered by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) has begun to notify individual consumers about a recent incident in which personal or protected health information was disseminated to a specific group of KDADS business associates.
On February 23, 2018, KDADS became aware of a potential breach of personal or protected health information after an employee sent an unauthorized email containing personal or protected health information to a group of current KDADS business associates.
When notified, KDADS immediately began to reach out to the business associates and to affected consumers. Additionally, KDADS is actively investigating this matter to determine how the incident occurred, and the agency has put in place additional safeguards to ensure that an incident like this does not occur again.
To date, KDADS has verified that the personal or protected health information was only disclosed to the agency’s business associates. Contracts/business associate agreements protect this information from further dissemination, inappropriate or unauthorized use, and/or disclosure. Currently, KDADS has no evidence to indicate that the information has been misused or disclosed publicly.
The email contained an attachment which included consumer names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, gender, in-home services program participation information and Medicaid identification numbers. No banking, credit card or driver license information was included.
All involved consumers identified by KDADS will be sent an individual letter explaining the situation. Please check the KDADS website at http://www.kdads.ks.gov for any additional information, which will be posted as it becomes available. Consumers and other interested persons may contact KDADS by telephone without incurring charges at 1-800-432-3535. Please leave a message for Kahlea Porter requesting a return call.
KDADS apologizes sincerely to the consumers affected for any distress or inconvenience this may cause. KDADS is undertaking an immediate review of policies and procedures relevant to preventing a similar situation from occurring.
Options for consumers who want to take additional action to protect themselves:
Some state laws allow you to place a security freeze on your credit reports. This would prohibit a credit reporting agency from releasing any information from your credit report without your written permission.
You may order a copy of your credit report free of charge. You are entitled to receive one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit bureaus listed below.
You may place a fraud alert on your credit report. This can help prevent someone from opening additional accounts in your name or changing your existing accounts. You can call any of the three major credit bureaus listed below to place the fraud alert request.
Governor Jeff Colyer signs a proclamation designating March as Social Work Month. Those in attendance from left to right: Steven Greene II, DCF Legislative and Policy Director; Levi Jenkins, DCF Child Protection Specialist; Ann Goodall, DCF Child Protection Specialist; Governor Colyer, State of Kansas; Rachel Marsh, Saint Francis Community Services (SFCS) Executive Director of Government and Community Relations; DCF Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel; Patricia Long, DCF Director of Prevention and Protection Services.
Governor Jeff Colyer signs proclamation declaring March Social Work Month
TOPEKA – Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) social workers are often one of the first lines of defense against abuse and neglect for children and vulnerable adults. They work in collaboration with law enforcement, the courts, contractors, families and others to ensure the safety and well-being of those who cannot protect themselves. Due to the high demands of the job, Kansas, like other states across the nations, is experiencing a shortage of social workers.
To call attention to this need, today, Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel and DCF staff joined Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D., as he designated March as Social Work Month at the State Capitol Building, Topeka.
“Social workers perform an essential duty for Kansas families, and I am happy to recognize their dedication in a field that is so challenging,” said Governor Jeff Colyer. “Recruiting and retaining social workers is difficult, so I fully support the efforts of DCF to incentivize social workers to consider State service.”
DCF, along with its contracted providers, employ more than 1,000 social workers statewide. DCF has taken the following steps to attract social workers.
Increased the starting salary for social workers to $40,000, and supervisors to $44,000
Increased DCF attendance at career fairs, including out-of-state
Started posting open positions on Handshake, Indeed and DCF’s Facebook page
Worked with the Kansas Department of Commerce to recruit
Partnered with a headhunter organization to fill positions
Started accepting social workers on a part-time basis and as temporary positions. (These part-time social worker positions have increased dramatically since 2010.)
Increased the number of social work practicum students we take per region.
Hosted on-site career fairs at our DCF service centers.
“We should recognize and support our social workers, because their work is tough and essential,” said Secretary Meier-Hummel, a social worker. “I have the upmost respect for those who come to work each day with the goal of changing and saving lives.”
DCF Social Worker Ann Goodall, Topeka, discusses the challenges and rewards of her job.
“People don’t really understand the day in, day out duties because our work is so confidential. We protect families from harm, but we also protect their privacy,” Goodall said. “I’ve been a social worker in child welfare for 20 years, it is my passion. Getting to be one-one-one with children, talking with them about their lives, it makes a difference, and it is what I love doing.”
To become a social worker, individuals must graduate from an accredited university with at least a bachelor’s degree in social welfare. They must also pass a licensure exam and maintain the license with 40 hours of continuing education, every two years.
DCF is always looking for people who have a heart for serving vulnerable adults and children in Kansas. To learn more about becoming a social worker, and to view available positions, visit www.jobs.ks.gov.
Lindsay Madison, Executive Director Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce
Community members are invited to a Legislative Update Coffee hosted by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.
The event will take place on Saturday, March 3, 2018, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Catherine’s Café on the lower level of Mercy Hospital.
State legislators Senators Richard Hilderbrand and Caryn Tyson and Representatives Trevor Jacobs and Adam Lusker will give an update on the current session as well as address any issues or questions presented from the audience.
If you have a particular item you would like to have addressed and plan to attend, you may email the Chamber at [email protected] by 5 p.m. Thursday, March 1.
The general public is invited and encouraged to attend this Legislative Update on Saturday, March 3.
Coffee, juice and light breakfast refreshments will be served. The event is being sponsored by the City of Fort Scott, Landmark Bank, McDonald’s and Mercy Hospital.
For more information please contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 or email [email protected].
Schenkel Construction workers constructed the pavilion at Riverfront Park starting in fall 2017. It is nearly complete.
Riverfront Park Pavilion is almost ready for public use.
“We have to plant grass and landscape,” Jerry Witt, chairman of the Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority (FSBCRA), said.
The FSBCRA envisions the pavilion will be used for family gatherings or public concerts or meetings, according to Witt.
There will be a grand opening this spring for the pavilion.
“We’re gearing towards a ribbon cutting following a Chamber of Commerce Coffee on May 17 at 8:45 a.m.,” Witt said.
“That evening at 6 p.m. there will be hot dogs, watermelon, and desserts,” he said. “Then a free country music concert at 6:30 p.m. Jason Richison, Kinley Rice and Rick Cook and the Seminole Band will be here.”
The $38,000 pavilion was funded by a matching grant where 80 percent was provided by a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks grant, and the FSBCRA paying 20 percent through local fundraising, Witt said.
Schenkel Contracting, Fort Scott, constructed the building purchased from Lester Building Systems of Minnesota, starting in early fall.
The 30 by 50 by 12-foot wooden frame, with commercial scissor trusses, a steel roof and gable ends, has electricity and lights.
The pavilion is located east of the parking area just inside Riverfront Park in the Belltown Trail area, north of the Marmaton River.
The next project of the FSBCRA is an overlook structure, Witt said.
Members of Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority discuss updates on construction projects at Riverfront Park at the Carriage House in September. Clockwise from left: Danny Magee, Bob Love, Allen Warren, Jerry Witt and Jeff Sweetser. Not pictured are Betty Boyko, Dean Mann, Arnold Scholfield, Penny Barnes and Dave Martin and Brian Leaders, who are ex-officio members.
“We will be building an overlook at the convergence of Mill Creek and the Marmaton River,” Witt said. “It will be a five-sided structure with some seating. It’s for educational and recreational purposes.”
Each side of the overlook will be 14 feet and it will be 24 feet across.
There will be a 40 foot American Disabilities Act compliant boardwalk leading to the overlook.
“The Westar Green Team is supplying the lumber and milling, the Riverfront Authority will supply labor,” Witt said.
Construction will begin in late spring or early summer, he said, with the contractor to yet be determined.
The FSBCRA is getting preliminary costs for possible lighting options in the park, Witt said.
In addition, the board is submitting a grant application for playground equipment, he said.
“It will be rustic logs and nature-type things for the kids,” Witt said.
The FSBCRA is regrouping for a historic bridge relocation to the park.
“We are looking at further grants,” Witt said. “We rejected the low bid because it was higher than the engineer thought it should be. The engineer thought it should $750,000, the low bid was $1.2 million, so we are starting over.”
The FSBCRA meets monthly.
For more information, contact Witt at 620-215-4817.
The new apartment complex will be located on Huntington Street, to the east of the Horton Street parcel of land.
The old trailer park property that was on South Horton Street will see some revitalization in the future.
Tuesday the property at 1907 S. Horton, north of Community Christian Church, was rezoned.
“Along Horton, there will be a small shopping center service, a strip mall, for residents and (Fort Scott Community College) students,” Rhonda Dunn, Community Development Director for the City of Fort Scott said.
Rhonda Dunn, Community Development Director with the City of Fort Scott.
Along Huntington St. on the east side of the Horton parcel of land, there will be apartments or duplexes built, she said.
Patrick Wood and Jake Gross, with Two Dogs Barking Real Estate, are the owners of the property and have cleared it for development.
The business also owns Garrison Apartments at 1729 S. Horton and will be building similar apartments or duplexes at the site.
The Garrison Apartments on South Horton Street. The new complexes will be similar, according to Fort Scott Community Development Director Rhonda Dunn.
“They will be a higher end finish for young professionals,” Dunn said of the proposed apartments.
“The key is, it will not be mobile homes there,” Dunn said. “I keep strict regulations on mobile homes to make sure it’s the best quality we can get. The mobile homes in our town are ‘grandfathered in’. No one needs to worry I am going to get their mobile home.”
The house and outbuildings currently on the site will be sold and removed, she said.
The house and outbuildings to be removed. The small shopping center will be located here.
Fort Scott Community College announced its plan to join a national movement to address smoking and tobacco use on college campuses throughout the U.S.
Fort Scott Community College will ask students, faculty, and administration to support the adoption of a 100 percent smoke-free policy.
“We are truly excited to make Fort Scott Community College a safe, healthy and productive environment,” said Alysia Johnston, Fort Scott Community College President. “The health benefits of reducing secondhand smoke exposure are invaluable and could also help students prepare for the workforce where smoke-free policies are already the norm.”
Fort Scott Community College President Alysia Johnston.
Over the next 17 months, Fort Scott Community College will engage the campus community to address tobacco use. A task force will be formed to oversee the project, assess tobacco use behavior and attitudes, identify a treatment plan for current smokers and develop a policy. Two students will develop and lead educational efforts to build a movement to become a tobacco-free campus. The policy must be approved by Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees.
Fort Scott Community College’s efforts are part of a growing trend to clean the air on campuses. Currently, more than 2,100 higher education institutions in the United States have gone smoke- or tobacco-free.
FSCC was one of 18 minority-serving institutions and community colleges that will receive funds and technical support from Truth Initiative®, the nation’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past. The project will be led by Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society on campus. Over the past three years, Truth Initiative has partnered with 135 colleges, reaching more than 1.2 million students and 275,000 faculty and staff across 35 states.
“With 99 percent of smokers starting before age 26, college campuses are critical platforms for preventing young adults from starting tobacco use, aiding those current tobacco users in quitting and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke for all,” said Robin Koval, CEO, and president of Truth Initiative. “We are looking forward to supporting Fort Scott Community College’s efforts to make smoking and tobacco use a thing of the past.”
Today, 38 million Americans ages 18 and above still smoke — including 17.7 percent in Kansas— and tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable death in this country. Research also shows that there are dire health consequences for non-smokers too. Secondhand smoke exposure causes cancer and cardiovascular disease among other secondhand smoke diseases, which are responsible for more than 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults in the U.S.
Minority-serving institutions and community colleges tend to serve students who are at greater risk for tobacco use, including low-income, racial and ethnic minority and first-generation students.
“The grant from Truth Initiative has set us up for success and I’m positive we can achieve our goals,” said Johnston. “We are going to hit the ground running with our plan so that we can finally take a breath of fresh air on campus.”
New kiosks have two maps—one of the City of Fort Scott trails locations and one of the specific map of the trail at the location. Pictured is the Bell Town Trail kiosk at Riverfront Park.
Area parks have had some improvements over the winter, with the placement of wayfaring signs.
There are nine signs total: Ellis Park Trail, Bell Town Trail, Riverfront Loop Trail, Fort Scott Community College Trail, three (including a new trail) at Gunn Park, Uniontown Trail, and the future Industrial Park Trail, according to Jody Hoener, chair of the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, that is coordinating the project.
Ellis Park Trail on Twelfth Street and Bell Town Trail in Riverfront Park have completed kiosks.
The next signs to go up will be the Riverfront Loop Trail and the Fort Scott Community College Trail.
It’s been a collaborative effort.
The Wayfinding Signs and Kiosks Project is funded by an American Planning Association-Kansas Chapter and Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to Healthy Kansas Grant.
Fort Scott High School carpentry classes have constructed the kiosks.
Trail maps were designed by Simon Ballou. Darren Crays, Designing Edge Graphics, is printing and installing the maps.
The City of Fort Scott is providing the installation of the kiosks.
Wayfinding signs and kiosks are part of creating a system of non-motorized transportation in the area, according to Hoener. Ensuring consistent signage design and graphics across all signs is best practice to make trails easily identifiable, she said.
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team consists of Jerry Witt (Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority), Frank Halsey (Gunn Park Trails Volunteers), Lindsay Madison (Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce), Todd Farrell (City of Fort Scott) and Jody Hoener ((Mercy Hospital).
Full-time position opening at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes-
The Lowell Milken Center is seeking a dynamic individual with a college degree who wants to change the world. The individual must be a people person who interacts well with the public while having tremendous organizational skills. The individual will also provide tours to visitors, lead group tours, plan events and fundraisers, write grants, and have the ability to adjust to new tasks easily. The job, description, and title will develop as the strengths of the hired individual is discovered.
To begin the application process, email a resume to [email protected].
Daniel Jenkins, CPRF Wheelchair and Posture Seating Clinic Technician, adjusts the positioning of a joystick on a customized wheelchair.
The Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation (CPRF) of Kansas is a United Way of Bourbon County agency.
FortScott.Biz is providing a series featuring each agency in the coming weeks.
United Way is primarily funded through donations from local businesses when employees agree to donate an amount through payroll deductions.
Gina Shelton, president of United Way of Bourbon County said the cost of a purchased soft drink, one dollar if it was payroll deducted by many people, would help the agency meet its 2018 Campaign goal of $50,000.
The following is from an interview with Kacee Shuler, director of public relations with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas.
The contact person is Shuler, who can be reached at 316-688-1888 or [email protected]
What service do you provide for our community?
“We provide customized wheelchair and posture seating services, financial aid for assistive technology and medical equipment, and accessible living opportunities. All CPRF programs are designed to promote quality of life and independence for individuals with disabilities.”
When are you open? Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Local address?
“We do not have an office in Bourbon County. Our Wichita address is 5111 E 21st St N | Wichita, KS 67208.”
What percentage of your budget is the United Way grant?
“On average, our allocation is about 50 percent of our budget in Bourbon County.”
