Fourth Annual Kansas Prevention Conference Scheduled for Next Week: “Strong for the Next Generation”

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) has partnered with the Kansas Prevention Collaborative (KPC) to host the fourth annual Kansas Prevention Conference October 21-22, 2021, with a pre-conference session October 20. This year’s conference, “Strong for the Next Generation,” is a virtual event and welcomes two nationally recognized keynote speakers. Last year, the conference drew more than 175 virtual attendees who joined for educational opportunities designed to help them in their prevention work throughout the state.

The KPC Conference will provide attendees with educational opportunities to increase awareness of emerging trends in prevention, build skills and knowledge to prevent suicide, alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse and advocate for best practices. Participants in the conference will also learn ways to connect and network with their community and advocate for best practices in prevention.

“Each year this conference attracts people across that state who understand that the work we do around prevention is a fundamental part of the larger public health conversation we must have in our state,” KDADS Secretary Laura Howard said. “Bringing everyone together is one of the ways we can share our knowledge with coalitions and communities across the state in an effort to empower them to move forward with some of the strategies presented in the diverse breakout sessions offered.”

The conference will kick off October 21 with opening remarks by Secretary Howard followed by a keynote address by speaker Dr. Wanda Boone, founder of Together for Resilient Youth (TRY). Dr. Boone’s presentation will reveal how traumatic events and experiences impact prevention as she also takes a dive into the importance of identifying trauma as a social determinant of health and how to apply a resilience-based, equity informed, and community driven lens to prevention.

National Director of Children’s Programs at Betty Ford Center, Jerry Moe, MA, will also give a keynote presentation, “Through a Child’s Eyes,” on the second day of the conference. He will discuss how children are impacted in a family with alcoholism and drug addiction and uncover specific prevention strategies that can make a real difference in their lives.

KDADS’ Behavioral Health Services (BHS) Commission and the KPC are excited to provide this learning opportunity to communities across Kansas. To learn more about the conference, view the schedule and read more about the keynote speakers, visit kansaspreventioncollaborative.org/conference.

KPC is a group of eight partner organizations funded by KDADS working to integrate and innovate behavioral health prevention efforts. This conference is part of KPC’s strategy to ensure that Kansans get the tools they need to prevent underage drinking, substance misuse, problem gambling and suicide. Partner organizations are KDADS, Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ, Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute, DCCCA, Learning Tree Institute at Greenbush, and Life Span Institute University of Kansas.

These eight partner organizations along with these nine conference sponsors make this year’s event possible: Aire Recovery Center, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, United Behavioral Health, Mirror, Opioid Response Network, Valeo, C.E. Mendez Foundation, Inc., Verde Environmental Technologies, Inc., Valley Hope Addiction and Recovery.

About the Kansas Prevention Collaborative: The Kansas Prevention Collaborative was created in 2015 in an effort to integrate and innovate behavioral health prevention efforts. A partnership of several different state, educational, and provider agencies, the KPC’s goal is to expand prevention efforts to be more inclusive of mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and problem gambling education and awareness, as well as to increase the availability of resources to adequately fund local-level prevention and promotion strategic plans. For interviews, media inquiries, or more information, please contact the Kansas Prevention Collaborative at [email protected].

TOPEKA – This morning the Kansas Corporation Commission denied a Petition for Reconsideration (PFR) filed by the Natural Gas Transportation Customer Coalition (NGTCC). In its PFR, NGTCC asked the Commission to reconsider its September 9 decision rejecting NGTCC’s motion to subpoena S&P Global Platts Gas Daily for documents relating to the daily gas index during February’s winter weather event.

In today’s Order denying NGTCC’s PFR, the Commission found NGTCC’s request for a subpoena was designed to protect a specific subset of commercial customers (also referred to as Transportation customers) from financial penalties associated with their use of gas supplied by Kansas Gas Service (KGS) when their third party suppliers could not deliver. The requested subpoena was not designed to investigate price manipulation, price gouging, or profiteering in the wholesale markets to protect all Kansas ratepayers from the elevated gas costs of Winter Storm Uri.

“It is the Commission’s job to weigh the evidence, balance interests, and find the right solution for Kansas,” said KCC Chair Andrew French. “Today’s decision does not limit the already expansive scope of our investigations; it simply makes clear no customer groups will be given special treatment at the expense of other customers.”

The order also explains the serious consequences of reducing or eliminating penalties for unauthorized gas usage. Because a portion of the penalties represent the cost of providing gas to transportation customers, eliminating legitimate or appropriate penalties could cause remaining customers to subsidize NGTCC’s members.

“Thus, NGTCC recognizes that by advocating for reduction or elimination of penalties, it is potentially subjecting residential customers to a large portion of the $390 million of additional gas costs that might otherwise be paid by the gas marketers.  So, to be clear, NGTCC is seeking the subpoena for the benefit of its members and their gas marketers, rather than to root out profiteering or to protect residential customers – who NGTCC very clearly does not represent.”

Despite its concerns of potential discrimination against residential customers, the Commission emphasizes no decision has been made on the reasonableness or appropriate amount of any potential penalties, so NGTCC’s argument that it faces excessive penalties is premature. NGTCC and other intervenors will have an opportunity to argue their position as this proceeding progresses.

The Commission’s order concluded by emphasizing the importance of not affording preferential treatment to certain subsets of customers while investigations remain ongoing.

“If FERC finds certain markets or indices should be retroactively adjusted, then all Kansans and Kansas businesses – whether sales or transportation customers – can be treated equitably in accordance with those findings.  Granting NGTCC’s request for special treatment as compared to other Kansans at this phase would be inequitable and wrong.”

Today’s order can be viewed at
http://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx?Id=ae27c56a-4294-453f-b098-52d4f08e7bea

A recording of the Commission Business Meeting is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9eApI4p2WE

WICHITA WORK RELEASE FACILITY WALK AWAY ELVIN MORRIS APPREHENDED

FRIDAY, OCT. 8, 2021

TOPEKA, Kansas – Elvin Eugene Morris #93668 has been apprehended after walking away from the Wichita Work Release Facility (WWRF) Oct. 2, 2021.

Morris was taken into custody early afternoon, Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 by officials from the Kansas Department of Corrections Enforcement Apprehensions & Investigations (EAI) Unit and booked into Sedgwick County Jail.

Morris was placed on escape status Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, after he failing to report back to correctional facility.

At this time no other details are being released as the investigation is ongoing.

The Wichita Work Release Facility, a satellite unit of the Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male, minimum-custody state facility with a population of 250.