Mercy is committed to supporting charitable organizations and activities consistent with our mission to improve the health and quality of life in the communities we serve. Just one way that Mercy does so is by donating money to sponsor a multitude of annual events or organization’s efforts to promote health and wellness.
In order to better serve the organizations which submit sponsorship/donation requests, Mercy has introduced a new online sponsorship application system.
To be considered for funding from Mercy between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, all organizations seeking charitable support are asked to complete the online application at www.mercy.net/sponsorships.
The deadline to apply is June 1, 2017. Recipients will be notified by email after July 1, 2017.
To create your organization’s online proposal, you will first need to create an account by logging on to www.mercy.net/sponsorships. Note that the application will require a W-9, and Federal Tax ID number or a Social Security number to submit.
“The application review committee looks forward to receiving proposals and learning more about your organization’s plans to use funds to further our mission among the people you serve,” said Tina Rockhold, Community Relations Manager and Philanthropy Director. “We strongly encourage your organization’s members to think ahead for the next 14 months and submit applications for programs they foresee having funding needs through June of 2018.”
Diabetes Support Group
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott will host a Diabetes Support Group on Monday, May 15, at 6 p.m. in the McAuley Conference Center.
May is National Stroke Awareness Month and this month’s topic focuses on diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Alice Helton, R.N. and Certified Diabetes Educator, will lead the discussion.
Having diabetes or prediabetes puts a person at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. You can lower your risk by keeping your blood glucose (also called blood sugar), blood pressure and blood cholesterol close to the recommended target numbers – the levels suggested by the diabetes experts for good health.
The support group is open to the public. No registration is required. Light refreshments will be served. Family members are encouraged to attend.
To learn more about this topic or other important information regarding managing diabetes, join the Mercy Diabetes Support Group. The group meets the third Monday of every other month. Mark your calendar for additional 2017 meeting dates: July 17, September 18 and November 20.
For more information, contact Patty Ryan, R.N., at 620-223- 8412.
A group of Fort Scott Middle and High School students traveled to Topeka, Kans., on Saturday, April 29, to compete in the Kansas History Day State Competition at Washburn University. The students earned a spot at the State Competition after competing in the regional competition at FSCC on March 11.
Photo Credit: Angie Kemmerer
Zoe Self, a freshman at FSHS, placed second in the Senior division Individual Performance category. This qualifies her for the National History Day Competition in College Park, Maryland, June 11-15, 2017, with her performance titled, “The Ballot is My Birthright.” Self also received two of the five special awards offered for projects presented at the state competition. She was the first place winner of the Robert J. Dole Congressional History Prize and was one of two students that received the Freedoms Frontier National Heritage Area Award.
In addition to Self, four Fort Scott Middle School Students participated in the junior exhibit category. They were Kirryn Sprague with her project titled “D-Day: A Children’s Crusade for Equal Rights,” Grace Harkins with her project featuring “Malala: Standing Strong for Girl’s Education,” and Maia Martin and Berkley Wood with their project “A Field of Dreams: Creating Opportunity and Advancement for Women,” a project on Donna Lopiano.
Self’s piece is an original skit on a Kansas unsung hero, Lilla Day Monroe. Lilla Monroe was a suffragette from Topeka, Kans., in the early 1900s. She was one of the first women in the state to become a lawyer and present in front of the Supreme Court of Kansas. She fought for women’s right to vote and created and edited two newspapers to give women a voice. She wrote over 6,000 letters to pioneer women to encourage them to share their stories about taming the west so that women’s voices would be heard in the history books. Self’s passionate portrait of Lilla will motivate those who see it to “do something, to be someone” who makes a difference.
Fort Scott Community College will host the 48th annual Elementary Music Festival from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, at the Danny & Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, 2108 South Horton, Fort Scott.
The competition will include students through grade nine. Competition areas will include vocal solos, vocal ensembles, choirs, piano solos, instrumental solos and ensembles, bands and orchestras.
The Fort Scott City Commission unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday evening that names the lot that formerly included Woods an enterprise zone, and thus eligible for Tax Increment Financing.
By the end of the year, a Price Chopper grocery store is expected to be open for business, with the possibility of retail or other commercial services also available on the lot, which has been unused since Woods closed in November.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but this is the first step,” said Kim Bell, the city’s bond attorney.
Bell said upcoming actions will include creating the TIF district, approving a general plan, and then providing 30 days for other tax entities to express their concern if they believe the TIF district would have adverse effects. Another public hearing is scheduled to be held on June 20, when more specific plans will be presented before work begins on the building.
The TIF bond, believed to be the first of its kind in Bourbon County, serves as an incentive for new development, allowing the investors to waive tax increases for a set period of time as they make improvements to the property.
This project is expected to cost about $9.5 million, with the investors hoping to receive about $1.8 million back over 20 years of TIF incentive. In a previous meeting with the Bourbon County Commission, Economic Development Director Rachel Pruitt said they project the company would receive that amount after only nine years.
Because the TIF waives tax increases, the city and county would not lose any money, but will benefit from that increase in revenue after the incentive comes to an end.
On Saturday, May 6, the Fort Scott Community College Rodeo Team will compete against professionally-ranked FSCC alumni during The Clash at Arnold Arena, 2108 South Horton, Fort Scott.
The event will include a barbecue meal, team competition, silent auction and live auction.
The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a barbecue dinner. After the meal, the competition will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Matches will include barrel racing, bareback riding, breakaway roping, bull riding, calf roping, goat tying, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling and team roping. FSCC alumni who will be competing include Stewart Gullager, Austin Graham, Carl Taylor and more.
Admission for the dinner is by donation, and ticket prices for competition are $8 for adults, $5 for students, $3 for children ages six to 12, and free for children ages five and under. Proceeds from the event will benefit scholarships for rodeo students. For more information or to purchase tickets, call FSCC Head Rodeo Coach Chad Cross at 620-223-2700, ext. 7020.
With the arrival of spring-like temperatures, the Woodland Hills Golf Course is prepared for an increase in golfers and events and features a number of changes and improvements accomplished in recent months.
About six years ago, the city of Fort Scott purchased the golf course from the owners, who were no longer able to keep it up themselves. At that time, City Manager Dave Martin was new to his position and faced an unpopular decision concerning the course.
Martin said at a Chamber of Commerce event Thursday morning that some residents encouraged the city to invest in the course while others urged them to stay out of such an endeavor. From the beginning, Martin said the city knew it could not only be the city involved, but the entire community invested.
Because of the community support, the golf course has been able to make a number of improvements as it provides further recreational options for the city. In just the past year the golf course has constructed a new clubhouse, employed a professional in Shannon O’Neil as the director, leased new golf carts, created a new website and are now beginning the process of building a new golf cart shed.
“We’re definitely going in the right direction,” O’Neil said. “We have good momentum right now and it’s just one step at a time.”
Rates are $12 for individuals Monday-Thursday, and $14 for individuals over the weekend. The course has more than a dozen employees, including some high school students who hold part-time jobs.
Throughout the year, the course provides a location for tournaments, both for out-of-town and for local high school teams. A number of fundraising tournaments are also held at the course. Upcoming events include the Elks Lodge Spring Golf Tournament Saturday to raise funding for fireworks, the Second Annual Mercy Health Foundation Tournament on June 10, one hosted by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce on July 28, and a number of other scrambles held on specific weekends over the summer.
After finding success in this season’s debate tournaments, 13 Fort Scott High School students qualified for nationals, the largest number in the team’s history.
“Personally, I am proud of their hard work,” coach Amber Toth said of the students, some of whom had qualified in the past while others were first-time qualifiers. “I realize that hard work doesn’t always yield just reward, but I am happy to say that it did in most cases.”
Those students include Darby Toth, Zach Humble, Joe Adams, Mark Adams, Alex Gorman, Isabella Provence, Rebekah Sweyko, Brooklyn Lyons, Madi Toth, Emma Faith Humble, Elizabeth Ngatia, Seth Cross and Chloe Studyvin.
“I felt relieved, accomplished, because all of my hard work finally paid off,” said sophomore and first-time qualifier Chloe Studyvin.
Each team participates in 12-14 regular season tournaments before moving on to district tournaments in the National Speech and Debate Association. The students can compete in two of the 13 different events in an effort to be one of the two students to qualify for nationals from each category.
The categories Fort Scott students qualified in include Student Congress-House, public forum debate, Lincoln Douglas debate, humorous interpretation, informative speaking, duo interpretation and program of oral interpretation.
“I am really excited to qualify as a freshman,” Madi Toth said of her achievement. “My goal is to be a four-time qualifier. I was worried about having to beat seniors to make it, but we worked hard and we did it.”
The students will travel to Birmingham, Al., in June to compete. The team has held a number of fundraisers throughout the year for the trip, but still lacks about $2,000 according to Toth. The final fundraiser will be a Community Showcase at the Ellis Fine Arts Center on May 1, at 7 p.m., with the team requesting free will donations from those attending.
The Fort Scott Community College Music Department will present the annual Spring Concert on Thursday, April 27, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, 2108 South Horton, Fort Scott, Kans.
The choir’s performance will begin at 7 p.m., followed by a solo xylophone performance by student Bryce Sandstoe. Choir selections will include “Alleluia,” by Randall Thompson and a Wizard of Oz medley. The band will perform a nonstop rock revue, which will cover rock music from 2017 to 1959.
FSCC Baseball Program to Host 5 Corners Mini Mart Youth Camp
The Fort Scott Community College Baseball Program will host the annual 5 Corners Mini Mart Youth Camp on Tuesday, May 2, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Lions Club Field in Fort Scott, Kans.
The camp is open to students ages four through 14. Campers will receive instruction from FSCC’s baseball coaching staff and players on fundamentals including base running, hitting and throwing. The cost for the camp is $15 per student; the fee includes a t-shirt. Registration will begin at 5 p.m. at the Lions Club Field.
FSCC Men’s Basketball Program to Host Summer Basketball Camp
The Fort Scott Community College Men’s Basketball Program will host its annual summer basketball camp from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday, June 5, through Thursday, June 8, at Arnold Arena, 2108 South Horton, Fort Scott.
The camp, open to students grades 3-9, will emphasize basketball fundamentals including ball handling, shooting and defense as well as strategy and conditioning. Campers will receive individual and group instruction from FSCC’s highly qualified staff.
The Fort Scott National Historic Site welcomed visitors from neighboring counties and even states for their 35th annual Civil War Encampment held over the weekend.
The site welcomed a number of volunteers from the Holmes Brigade, 4th Missouri Cavalry, Western Bluecoats Field Hospital, 3rd Kansas Artillery Battery B and other local residents who dressed in Civil War period clothing and gave a number of demonstrations including baking, soap-making, infantry, cavalry and artillery.
Historian and author Diane Eickhoff gave a program on Women Soldiers of the Civil War, discussing roles the women played during the war, such as in laundry, cooking, knitting, teaching and nursing as well as by working in factories and arsenals and as clerks, spies, scouts and soldiers.
Fort Scott Presbyterian Village continues to host their annual Art is Ageless Exhibit through Monday, April 24, allowing visitors to see the creations of community members age 65 years and over.
“There’s quite a bit of art that has been entered this year,” Executive Director Ginger Nance said, adding many of the artists are self-taught.
Members of the community are encouraged to visit the exhibit and vote for their favorite work of art, which includes a variety of paintings, drawings, sculptures, sewing projects and photography, for the people’s choice award.
There are nine categories that will be judged, also divided between amateur and professional, based on if the artist has sold their work. Local competition winners will then be judged against winners of the 16 other Presbyterian Manors, with the winners being featured in a calendar.
“It’s not… about all that competition,” Nance said. “It’s about having fun and continuing to be creative and try new things.”
The Presbyterian Village is also selling tickets for the annual Good Samaritan fundraiser to be held May 17, including a chicken dinner and auction. Two trips to Santa Fe will also be raffled off, with each ticket costing $5 and three for $10. Funding raised is used to support Presbyterian Village residents who run out of finances needed to support themselves.
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott Receives an “A” for Patient Safety
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott has earned The Leapfrog Group’s prestigious “A” rating for its commitment to reducing errors, infections and accidents that can harm patients.
Dr. John Fox, Mercy Clinic Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Photo Credit: Mercy Hospital
According to the announcement from The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization committed to driving quality, safety and transparency in the U.S. health care system, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott earned top marks nationally with the “A” rating for Patient Safety in spring 2017. Hospital Safety Grades assigns A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide.
“This honor reflects our dedication and commitment to providing quality care to our patients in the safest way possible,” said Brenda Stokes, RN and Mercy Executive Director Quality Assurance/ Risk/ HIM. “Our ‘A’ rating affirms the emphasis we put on ensuring our community has access to the best healthcare possible. Our physicians, clinical staff and support staff strive to deliver safe, quality, evidence-based care to every patient, every time.”
Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group explained, “Hospitals that earn top marks nationally in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, have achieved the highest safety standards in the country. That takes commitment from every member of the hospital staff, who all deserve thanks and congratulations when their hospitals achieve an ‘A’ Safety Grade.”
Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
To see Mercy Hospital Fort Scott’s full grade, and to access consumer-friendly patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
Drug Take-Back Program
On April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., local law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications to the parking lot of Mercy Convenient Care at 1624 S. National for free, anonymous, “no questions asked” disposal.
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is made possible through the partnership of Bourbon County Sherriff’s Department, the Fort Scott Police Department and Mercy Hospital Pharmacy.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
March of Dimes Recognizes Mercy Hospital Fort Scott
Most moms-to-be are aware that the steps to having a healthy baby begin long before birth, but many may not understand the negative health impact of delivering a child prior to 39 weeks without medical reason.
“The last weeks of pregnancy are important,” said Paul E. Jarris, MD, MBA, March of Dimes Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “Babies aren’t just putting on weight. They are undergoing important development of the brain, lungs and other vital organs.”
Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants, the March of Dimes says. Although the overall threat is small, the risk of death more than doubles for infants born at 37 weeks of pregnancy when compared to babies born at 40 weeks, for all races and ethnicities. Babies who survive an early birth often face lifelong health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities.
As part of the March of Dimes campaign to reduce the number of early elective deliveries (EED), the agency is partnering with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) and the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC) to recognize Kansas birthing hospitals that pledge to eliminate early elective deliveries.
“We commend Mercy Hospital Fort Scott for reducing the number of elective inductions and cesarean deliveries performed before 39 weeks of pregnancy to less than five percent of all deliveries,” Jarris added.
“I’m extremely proud of the work to reduce the number of early elective deliveries at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott,” said Reta Baker, Mercy Hospital president. “This took great teamwork from our Mercy physicians, nurses and obstetric unit. It is a tremendous accomplishment that will give many more babies a healthy start in life.”
Dr. Larry Seals, Mercy OB/GYN, said, “Teamwork is the key. Collectively, we recognized the problem of unnecessary early deliveries and put in place policies to avoid scheduling c-sections or inductions before 39 weeks of pregnancy, except when medically necessary.”
In the past five years, Mercy Hospital has reduced the number of EEDs from 34 percent in 2011 to zero percent in 2016.
“The recognition by the March of Dimes helps us spread the message that ‘Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait,’” Seals added. “The March of Dimes campaign urges women to wait for labor to begin on its own if their pregnancy is healthy, rather than scheduling delivery before 39 weeks.”
Do you have an interest in gardening, but just don’t have the space? Would you like to plant beautiful pots full of flowers, but aren’t sure what plants work together? Learn how at the “Grow It – Prepare It” series, Container Gardening, on Thursday, April 27, at 6 p.m. at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.
This program will cover the advantages and disadvantages of container gardening, which varieties of plants are designed for containers, and how to best arrange plants. Demonstrations will be given on how to arrange both flowers and vegetables into containers for maximum results. For more information on this program and to register, please contact the Southwind Extension District at 620-223- 3720.
Using Machinery
Submitted by: Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District, Director
Machinery represents an ever-present danger on the farm. While machines save valuable time and are essential to productivity, use of farm machinery is hazardous, making them the source of most injuries and deaths on American farms and ranches.
While manufacturers design and build safety features into their machines, hazards cannot be completely eliminated without interfering with function. Timely maintenance, responsible use, and comprehensive safety awareness training are ways farmers can protect themselves and others from injury or death when working with and around agricultural machinery.
The primary responsibility for machinery safety rests with the operator. Operators must be aware of potential hazards with the specific piece of machinery they are operating. Safe operators respect machines for the work they perform and the dangers they present. Use these eight simple steps to be a safe machinery operator.
1. Be aware. Recognize where and what the hazards are.
2. Be prepared. Replace worn parts promptly and do daily pre-operational checks. Include preseason checks. Take advantage of the off-season to do additional maintenance work. This gives you time to order any shields and other parts you may need. Anticipate problems.
3. Read the operator’s manual. The simple tips and precautions in this publication are no substitute for the operator’s manual for each piece of machinery. If the manual is missing, contact your dealer or check online to get another one.
4. Shield all moving parts. Make the machine as safe as possible.
5. Respect PTO and hydraulics. Remember that any machine that is powered by a power takeoff driveline (PTO) or has hydraulic systems is inherently dangerous.
6. Shut it off. Before servicing any machine, disengage the PTO, turn off the engine, remove the key, and wait for all parts to stop moving.
7. Watch yourself. Try to avoid particularly hazardous jobs if you’re physically ill or mentally distracted. Fatigue and stress cause many accidents.
8. Use a machine only for its intended purpose.
With more consistently warmer temperatures, farmers will be in the field and on the roads. Pay special attention to slow moving vehicles, as the machinery operator has limited visibility.
For more information about farm or machinery safety, please contact the Southwind Extension District, at southwind.ksu.edu.
