Category Archives: Bourbon County

Bourbon County

Learn Why KanCare Matters Nov. 1

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Join us in Fort Scott

On November 1st, the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas will be hosting a community conversation in Fort Scott about why expanding KanCare matters.

Access to health care is vital to the health of our neighbors and family – and to our community ‘s economic future. There are many questions about how we’ll move forward as a community, and what we will do as Kansans to ensure everybody in our state can get the health care they need.

That’s why our work continues.

We want policymakers and community leaders to know we won’t give up. Will you join us on Thursday, November 1st at 6:30 pm?

When:
November 1, 2018
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Where:
Empress Event Center
7 North Main Street

Let us know you’ll be attending, and we’ll look forward to seeing you there!

To register on Facebook, click here.

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Health Insurance Help Through K-State

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Joy Miller AttachmentsSat, Oct 27, 12:16 PM (2 days ago) to Joy Attached is my news column for next week. Thank you for publishing it. Joy Joy Miller, RD, LD Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent Adult Development and Aging Family Resource Management K-State Research and Extension Southwind Extension District 210 S. National Fort Scott, KS 66701 Office: 620-223-3720 Fax: 620-223-0332 [email protected]

Need Health Insurance? I’m Here to Help.

Fall is the season for health insurance plan enrollment or re-enrollment. You may be like most people—confused and uncomfortable when it comes to understanding or making decisions about health insurance coverage. Help is available.

The Health Insurance Marketplace is a service that helps people shop for and enroll in health insurance. It provides health plan shopping and enrollment services through healthcare.gov, call centers, and in-person assistance.

Navigators, such as myself, are trained, unbiased assisters that can help you compare health insurance plans, assist you with online application process, and help provide answers to your Marketplace questions. Navigators are available year-round to answer questions or complete Special Enrollment applications for those affected by a life changing event.

When you buy health insurance through the Marketplace, you may qualify for financial assistance to help pay your monthly premiums and cost sharing. You will qualify for financial assistance if you meet the following:

  • You can’t get health insurance that covers your basic needs through your job (or a family member’s); Medicaid; Medicare; the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); or the Department of Veterans affairs (VA)
  • The amount of money your family expects to make in the year you apply for assistance falls within certain income ranges.

Open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace begins November 1 and ends December 15. You can preview 2019 plans and prices. Now is the time to explore your health coverage options. You can go to healthcare.gov to A benefit in working with a Navigator is help in determining if qualifications are met for financial assistance to lower the cost of premiums.

Each year, health insurance options change along with coverage and costs. I am here to assist you in the process and help you understand the system, rules, and options. To assist people in these programs, it is required to go through training and certification on a yearly basis to become a Navigator for the Marketplace or a Senior Health Insurance Counselor for Kansans (SHICK) to provide unbiased assistance.

  • Help you apply and enroll in a health plan with savings or apply for Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
  • Required to provide fair, impartial, and accurate information
  • Statewide assistance may also be available

Find free, in-person enrollment assistance from a Navigator serving your community

They can assist you with the online application and help compare plans to find the best one for you. During open Enrollment, Kansans need to evaluate whether to enroll in coverage, stay on their current policies, if available, or enroll in different policies. It is also important for consumers to understand the network requirements of the various plans and to check that their providers of medical services are in the plan’s network.

 

Consumer Assistance Hotline is 1-800-432-2484 or www.ksinsurance.org

Bourbon County

Beacon Annual Sign-Up for Food and Christmas Presents

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Gary Murrell is the director of The Beacon, a helping agency.

November 5-8 is the annual sign-up for a Beacon Card, the Adopt a Family program and the Elks Christmas Basket.

The sign-up event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 5-8 at Community Christian Church 1919 S. Horton, Fort Scott,  in Robinson Hall.

In addition, there will be evening hours on November 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The following must be provided during the sign-up:

  • Must have ID’s for all adults,
  • Social Security Card for all in the household,
  • Proof of Income
  • Proof of Address (utility bill or rent receipt)

The Beacon Card provides free food products two times a month at the Beacon, a helping agency located at 525 E. 6th.

The Adopt a Child program allows area children to receive Christmas presents from community families, organizations and other entities.

The Elks Christmas Basket is provided by the local Elk’s Lodge and is “all the fixings for a Christmas dinner,” said Gary Murrell, director of the Beacon.

People may sign-up for all three on Nov. 5-8.

Distribution will be in December.

The Beacon still has clothes and household goods to distribute until Oct. 31, Murrell said. Following this date, the agency will no longer be distributing these items.

Bourbon County

Why Expanding Kancare Matters

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WHAT: Health Care Community Forum
WHEN: Thursday,  November 1st, 6:30 PM
WHERE: Empress Event Center 7 N Main St Ft. Scott

The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas will hold a community forum in Fort Scott on November 1st to discuss the importance of expanding access to health care services.
KanCare Expansion provides an opportunity to extend health coverage to 150,000 low-income Kansans. In fact, by not enacting KanCare Expansion, Kansas loses $1.8 million per day in health care funding that could pay for doctor visits, medication, and other health care to improve the physical and financial health of the residents of Bourbon County and the rest of the state.

The forum is an opportunity for health care and social services providers, business owners, faith leaders, and other concerned community members to come together to discuss the importance of enhancing access to care.

For more information, contact April Holman at (785) 554-0152.
The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas is a statewide coalition of grassroots citizens, community leaders, and organizations across Kansas, including business leaders, doctors and hospitals, faith communities, and many more. The Alliance is dedicated to promoting policies that assure everyone has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Learn more at ExpandKanCare.com .

Bourbon County, Jobs

FSCC Nursing Career and Education Fair Nov. 5

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FSCC Nursing Department would like for you to please join us on Monday, November 5th from 1 pm to 4 pm for a Nurse Career and Education Fair, to be held at the Ellis Fine Arts Center, 2108 South Horton in Fort Scott.  This event is open to the public as well as nursing, pre-nursing, and allied health students.  There will be door prize drawings for students held throughout the event.

Nurse Career Fair

After graduation, do you want to further your education?  There will be over six different university representation present to answer all your academic questions including MidAmerica Nazarene University, The University of Kansas, Pittsburg State University, Ottawa University, Washburn University, and Rasmussen College.

Ready to join the medical work-force?  Numerous medical organizations will be present to visit with you about your future career in health care some of these include Medicalodge of Fort Scott, University of Kansas Medical Center, Osawatomie State Hospital, Mercy Hospital of Joplin, Girard Medical Center, Via Christi Pittsburg, Freeman Health Center, Via Christi Village, Care-4-U, Craig Home Care, Heartland Behavioral Health, Presbyterian Village, and Olathe Health.

Not quite sure where to start, but you know you are meant for the health care field?  Please take this opportunity to discuss your options with one of our Fort Scott Community College Nursing Program representatives.  They are more than willing to assist you while you take the first steps into the medical field.

Huge thank you to our donors, Common Ground Coffee, Papa Dons, Kenny Felt Photography, Ruddicks Furniture, Littman Stethoscopes, Care-4-U, Sunshine Boutique, Aerocare, J&W Sports Shop, Courtland Salon & Day Spa, Root Coffee House and more!

For any questions, please contact the Fort Scott Community College Nursing Department at 620.768.2908.

Bourbon County, Schools

Uniontown Fitness Center Open

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The Uniontown School District Don’t Quit Fitness Center is open to the community, with stipulations.

“To be able to use the fitness center, you would need to be a resident of our school district or have students that are attending,” West Bourbon Elementary School Principal Vance Eden said.

The fitness center is located in the junior high wing of the school. Pictured here, it is the area with the light, to the right. Entrance is a door on the east of the fitness center.

Eden is the contact person to get a key-card.

School district patrons must pay a  for a card.

“There is a $10 fee that applies when the account is activated and the card is programmed for use at the fitness center,” Eden said. “The only other time there would be a fee is if the card is lost or destroyed.”

The hours are from 5-7 a.m. and 5:30-9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Students in the district are using the center during school hours for physical education classes.

A family leaves the fitness center on Tuesday evening. They are leaving through the acess door, which is located on the east side of the fitness center.

Those who are granted access to the center may find their key-card temporarily disabled as the rules and regulations change.

Users will need to sign a new form in order to be able to use the facility.

If the key-card isn’t working, email Eden at [email protected].

The problem will be worked on the next business day, according to a sign on the fitness center door.

 

 

 

 

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Podcasts Available For Farmers

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According to Bob Weaber, K-State Research and Extension Professor and Cow-Calf Specialist, Dr. Weaber,  Dr. Dustin Pendell from the Department of Agricultural  Economics,  Dr. Bob Larson and  Dr. Brad White from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Beef Cattle Institute have been recording a weekly podcast called BCI Cattle Chat.

The podcast can be downloaded on your smartphone or online at https://ksubci.org/media/podcast. Recordings began in May of this year, and now include over 20 podcasts with topics such as: should we test forage and why, challenges of bull buying, advocacy in agriculture, and selecting replacement heifers.

Dr. Weaber States “we feel like we’ve kinda hit our stride, and want to share this audio resource with you. If you’re not already a listener, please give it a whirl. If you are already a listener, send us some feedback: what you like, don’t like, or think we should discuss”.

BCI Cattle Chat is always on the lookout for new material and guests.  Please send topic ideas and guest suggestions to your local extension agent, and ask him or her to forward these suggestions to the Beef Cattle Institute.

The most current sessions include a podcast featuring Southeast Area K-State research and Extension Beef Specialist Dr. Jaymelynn Farney, from Parsons, and a podcast featuring a sports dietician from the Kansas State University training table.

Bourbon County, Entertainment

Friday Night Concert: Church of Christ Acapella

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“I am pleased to have the Crawford Street Church of Christ produce this Friday’s concert,” Ralph Carlson, organizer of the free Friday Night Concerts at Heritage Park.

“Their acapella music is a real treat to hear and the songs they do are songs that are familiar to the audience,” he said. “It often ends up with the entire audience taking part in the singing.”

In the event of inclement weather, the show will be moved indoors from the regular location at First and Main Streets to The Common Grounds Coffee shop on Main.

The concert starts at 7 pm.

“Come early as seating is limited. You might want to bring lawn chairs,”  Carlson said.

Bourbon County Local News