Category Archives: Government

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of March 10

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March 10, 2020 Tuesday 9:00 am

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.

Also present for a portion of the meeting were Apex representatives Jeff Spangler, Chris Knapp, Luke Hagedorn, Alan Claus Anderson & Julianna Planelli, Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune, KODE, KOAM, Jody Hoener & Jerad Heckman. Also present were the following (that signed in), Arlene Weber, Barbara Peine, Mary Pemberton, Rhonda Dunn, Kim Simons, Anne Dare, Deb Lust, Dale Arnold, Noah Fischer, Gary Rhodes, Clint & Rachel Walker, Sparky Schroeder, Hazel Swartz, Nancy Van Etten, Heather Herring, Jo Ann Thomas, D. Kmiec, unreadable name, Bob & Judy Marshall, Joe Ludlum, Gavin Fry, Sara Conkling, Stacy Racy, Bill Keith, Jeannie Comstock, Janet Beene, Kathleen Gilliland, Bill Lalman, Tara Allen, Mike Wunderly, Brent Smith, Josh Jones, Brian Powell, Else Moss, Kevin Huber, Abbi Huber, Don Westhoff, June Bloomfield, Jane Burns, Wilma Hibdon, James Malveaux, Karen Kellenberger, Leon & Sherral Fry, Tim Emerson, Barbara Schmidt, Pam Fowler, Marilyn Flagg, Linda Walker, Marla Koester, Deb Martin and Deb Morter. There were others present who did not sign in.

Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.

Lynne gave a payroll overtime report to be paid on 3/13/2020; the Sheriff’s department had 127 hours of overtime, the Treasurer’s department had 4.5 hours of overtime, the Attorney’s department had 68.25 hours of overtime, the General department had 3.5 hours of overtime, the Jail had 128 hours of overtime and the Road & Bridge department had 41 hours of overtime.

Jeff Fischer gave a presentation, he said when he worked at Kiewit (a company that did large industrial construction projects), he implemented a 5 year training program regarding contract administration. He said the learning objectives today were to identify road use agreements, identify relative contract terms and develop a contract administration plan. He presented an email form someone regarding the Neosho County wind farm construction and the roads there with what the writer of the email felt were safety issues there, Jeff asked the audience to identify issues pointed out in the email, which they did. Jeff presented the Neosho road use agreement, which Jeff said was similar to the contract Bourbon County had been asked to sign; he said the learning objective from reviewing the contract was to identify with reasonable anticipated road use agreements – construction traffic on non haul routes, maintenance of traffic – missing signs, preconstruction for engineering report- low water crossing who is liable? Jeff asked the group to read the contract and find information in the contract that could help resolve issues when they arise, which the audience did. Jeff said there will be issues that arise. Deb Lust said from the beginning the County will have identifiable items high in the process and the developer will have some, she said the two will have to come to an agreement in some areas. She said a pre-inventory of the planned haul route roads would need to be done and issues would need to be identified. The agreement identifies who will share the responsibilities, she said there are mitigation means to get the best possible haul routes, she said both parties should share in workable solutions. Jeff said he spent time looking at different agreements for wind farm projects in different counties. Rhonda Dunn questioned the contract for Bourbon County; Jeff said that contract is in draft form. Anne Dare discussed the communication process, (or lack of) and timeliness regarding the wind farm project. Rhonda Dunn said Bourbon County needed a better process than Neosho County since it appeared the process wasn’t working in Neosho County; Jeff said having a good process and contract is important. Rhonda Dunn questioned what objective he was trying to accomplish with presenting the Neosho County contracts; Jeff said he wanted them to identify issues that could arise and how the contract addresses those issues. Jeff said it was important to pay attention to the details. Rhonda Dunn questioned when the Bourbon County contracts would be public record; Justin Meeks said the contracts would be public once they are signed. Deb Martin said the contracts should be made public before they are signed so the public knows what is in the contract since this will effect generations of people. Lynne said the Commissioners will review the contracts in executive session, but they will vote publicly whether or not to accept the contracts. Bourbon County was presented a draft contract in December 2019. Bobbi Kemna questioned if the County was under any timeframe to sign the contracts; Jeff said he didn’t think today was the magic day, Lynne asked Jeff not to speak for the entire Commission; Lynne said they will review the contracts, but they didn’t know what the results would be. It was stated that it could be requested to be put on the ballot for a public vote, but the Commissioners could deny that request; Justin Meeks said Bourbon County is a non-zoned county. Rhonda Dunn said the Commissioners could put it on the ballot; Justin once again said that Bourbon County is a non-zoned county and said this is a contract between the wind farm company and a private landowner. Justin said that someone could run for office if they wanted to try and implement zoning. Justin Meeks presented a copy of the map of the possible roads to be used for the wind farm. Justin Meeks said if the County decides not to sign the contracts the project could go forward anyways since the wind farm company could have easements from the highway and wouldn’t need county roads. It was mentioned that the estimated PILOT agreement for Bourbon County over a 10 year period is $3.6 million or $360,000/year for 10 years. Rhonda Dunn said the Neosho PILOT payment was $950,000; Jeff said you have to compare apples to apples. It was asked if the County could restrict access to the roads; Justin said they don’t have to have access to County roads and said the County can’t keep you from using the roads will your farm equipment. It was stated that eminent domain could not be used since the wind farm isn’t owned by a power company. Mary Pemberton asked if the County had adequate time to negotiate; Justin said he believed so. Rhonda asked if the County had accepted money from APEX; Justin said no. Bobbi Kemna asked if the wind farm company sold would the new owner be responsible for the PILOT payment; Justin said the contract obligation would go to the new owner. Justin said the Commissioners would oversea the PILOT money.

Nick made a motion to move the meeting to the 1st floor Courthouse lobby, Lynne seconded and all approved.

Nick made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship for contract review, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Alan Anderson). No action was taken.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship for contract review, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Alan Anderson). No action was taken.

Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session include the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Alan Anderson). No action was taken.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship for contract review, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks. After the session, Jeff made a motion to meet Friday, March 13th, 2020 at 9:00 am to discuss the wind farm contracts, Nick seconded and all approved. Some of the meeting will be in executive session and some will be in open session.

The meeting was suspended until 1:30.

Hazel Swartz met with the Commissioners regarding the new policies and guidelines adopted regarding public comment at the Commission meetings; she said she realized there were more important issues to be discussed then this and said she would reschedule this on the agenda for a later date. She said people were upset on the new restrictions and questioned if people could express their opinions or concerns in only 5 minutes. She felt this was the worst possible time to implement new guidelines, but said the Commissioners didn’t have to let people have the 5 minutes to speak, she said it was their meeting and they didn’t have to open it up for public comment. She said she would pray earnestly about the division being brought forth and pray that personal, rude and slanderous remarks will not be made. She said the decision placed before the Commissioners is dividing our community. Lynne gave Justin permission to present information to Hazel regarding the meeting format.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, however this motion was retracted.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.

Arlene Weber met with the Commissioners; she said she lives right in the middle of the proposed wind farm. She said 3 years ago she voiced her disapproval over her high property taxes, she said she was told this was due to her prime real-estate, she said her prime real-estate will now be surrounded by 24 wind turbines. She said Jeff Fischer stated that the road width would need to be increased to 50’ to accommodate the wind farm equipment; she felt doing this in her area could be questionable since there were water ways near the roads. She said there were studies done discussing health consequences with wind farms. She said she was fearful regarding air ambulance being able to come in the area with the wind farms; she said at times they have to call for ambulance service to their property. She discussed the ¼ mile setback requirement for the turbines. She discussed the health effects on animals and discussed the past history (wagon trails and trading post) in the area near the turbines. She asked the Commissioners to take into consideration her concerns.

Anne Dare read a letter to the Commissioners; in her letter she questioned if the wind farm project is such a great opportunity for Bourbon County then why all the secrecy? She questioned how tall the turbines would be, how tall will they be with the blades attached, what are the setbacks, how many turbines would there be, how far away does a turbine have to be to avoid shadow flicker and noise and where will the turbines be placed? She said the citizens of Neosho County had these answers before the negotiations with the Commission started and asked why our citizens weren’t afforded the same consideration? She said she was told she could go to numerous websites for the answers to her questions; she has, but said some of the answers are vague and dated. She said she has talked to KDHE, KDWPT, US Fish and Wildlife and the Attorney General’s office, but said none of them knew anything about this wind company coming to our county since the State doesn’t have any regulations for wind energy companies. She said there were three people planning on building homes near the proposed wind farm location, but said those plans are now on hold; she said those people planning to build homes don’t get the 10 year tax abatement. She discussed the Commissioners plan to reduce property taxes and asked if they had considered putting the PILOT money towards lowering the mill levy. She questioned the value of a turbine and the value in 10 years and what they would equate to in tax dollars. She questioned the following regarding decommissioning; what does the decommissioning agreement communicate, how much will it cost to remove the turbines and restore the land, has a bond been put in place to cover these costs at a rate to reflect inflation, where will the turbines go to be recycled or restored and what will it cost the County? She asked that the Commissioners vote against these agreements and allow the people of Bourbon County to vote to decide on the wind turbines.

Mary Pemberton met with the Commissioners regarding the wind farms; prior to the meeting she presented documentation, but did not read her documents. She said she felt it was a shame that this issue has divided our County. She asked Alan Anderson (attorney for APEX) how many wind contracts he had negotiated, he said he wasn’t sure, she asked how long they typically take to negotiate, he said most are fairly quick depending on the situation, but had never had one take 16-24 months to negotiate. She said the Commissioners are trying to do the wind farm negotiations on their own in a condensed timeline; she said they have the ability to hire outside help and said they weren’t doing their due diligence in the process. She said APEX is putting pressure on them to sign quickly. She said Crawford County hasn’t been presented contracts yet. She urged the Commissioners to hire an outside professional engineer as well as an experienced wind energy contract attorney to negotiate the agreements for Bourbon County.

Nancy Van Etten met with the Commissioners regarding the Fort Scott Lake sewer district; she reminded the Commissioners of her past efforts and the need for the sewer district to have a board to have oversight and to be the governing body of the Lake Sewer District. She said her new sewer bill had a 57% increase for waste water sewer increase, she said the city residents’ increase was 3%. She said a notice of the planned increase in the newspaper made residents aware of the planned increase. She asked the Attorney General how to resolve the issue of “who is the Lake Sewer District”: is it the County or the City; they didn’t have the authority to interpret the inter-local agreement entered into by the City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County and said both parties needed to consult with their own legal counsel for such assistance. She provided various documents to the Commissioners, one of which was information from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment; she said it states that “the governing body means the Board of County Commissioners of the county in which the sewer district is located”. And “the board shall be the governing body of any sewer district it creates and shall have the power to “take any action for a safe, proper and economical operation of any sewer district.” In concluding she said the County Commissioners are the Sewer District #1 Board; she requested the sewer district have annual meetings to review the inter-local agreement, assure proper and economical operation of the district and appoint members to the board who live in the district and someone to represent the City.

Jeff made a motion to authorize Lynne to sign a letter of commitment for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to Healthy Kansas Phase 2 Grant Application, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the letter.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship to discuss contract negotiations, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship to discuss contract negotiations regarding the medical mall, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.

At 3:08, Lynne made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
March 16, 2020, Approved Date

Business, Government, Kansas

Commercial Hemp Program Plan

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With USDA Approval, Kansas Moves One Step Closer

to Commercial Hemp Program

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. —   The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that it has approved the plan submitted in January by the Kansas Department of Agriculture to regulate a Commercial Industrial Hemp Program in Kansas. This approval is a critical formal step in the process to establishing the new commercial hemp program; however, the program will not be active in Kansas until completion of the process for adoption of rules and regulations.

 

“This is great news for Kansas, as it moves us one step closer to establishing a commercial program for industrial hemp,” said Jeff Ochampaugh, who serves as chair of the Industrial Hemp Advisory Board. “It’s important for Kansans to understand, though, that our program won’t be active until the regulations are adopted.”

 

The formal adoption process for the Commercial Industrial Hemp Program regulations is underway, as they are being reviewed by several state entities including the Division of Budget, the Department of Administration, the Attorney General, and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations. Once the regulations have been reviewed by those bodies, they will be subject to a public hearing which must be announced in the Kansas Register 60 days prior to the hearing.

 

Given the timeline of the formal adoption process, it is anticipated the Commercial Industrial Hemp Program will be finalized no earlier than early fall 2020. At this time, the industrial hemp industry in Kansas continues to function under the Industrial Hemp Research Program regulations.

 

For more information about the industrial hemp program in Kansas, go to agriculture.ks.gov/industrialhemp.

 
Government, Kansas

Search For Unclaimed Property

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While Kansans are Staying Home, State Treasurer Jake LaTurner Encourages them to Claim their Cash

Topeka— Across the state Kansas are staying home to help slow the spread of the COVID-19.  Kansas State Treasurer Jake LaTurner is reminding Kansans that it is a perfect time to find out if any of the over $350-million in the State Treasury’s “Lost and found” belongs to them.

“If you have never taken the opportunity to search for unclaimed property for yourself or a family member, there is no better time than now. We would really love the chance to return the millions in unclaimed cash that does not belong to the state and put it back into the hands of Kansans where it can do the most good. Kansans need this money more than ever,” said Treasurer LaTurner.

The Kansas State Treasurer’s Office is open for business, with employees working securely from home processing claims. Most claims can be processed quickly and easily online and paid via direct deposit.

Online searches are always free and can be done at kansascash.ks.gov. As a reminder, anyone asking you to pay to search for your unclaimed property is not associated in any way with the State Treasurer’s office.

Bourbon County, Government, Health Care

County Health Update April 16

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SEK Multi-County Health Departments

Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, and Woodson Counties

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

April 16, 2020

Allen County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 0
Total Positives Since Testing 0
Deaths 0

Anderson County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 0
Total Positives Since Testing 0
Deaths 0

Bourbon County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 6
Total Positives Since Testing 7
Deaths 1

Woodson County

Current Positive Cases 2
Current Recovered Cases 2
Total Positives Since Testing 4
Deaths 0

Recovered cases are based on dates of onset of symptoms, not on day testing results are received.

Government, Kansas

Governor Extends Renewal Deadlines For Adult Care Homes and Suspends Non-Essential Fire Inspections

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Today Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order #20-23 as part of her administration’s ongoing, comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The order brings Kansas adult-care homes in line with other occupational licensing exemptions the Governor has issued in recent days. All state agencies working or collaborating with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services shall extend renewal deadlines for any occupational or professional license, certificate or registrations as needed.

 

“This order is critical to ensure adult care-home workers can continue to do their jobs during this pandemic,” Kelly said.

 

Additionally, the order temporarily suspends non-essential fire inspections for new or renewal of KDADS-licensed facilities during the State of Disaster Emergency. The suspension will remain valid until 90 days after the State of Disaster Emergency is terminated, and all fees are suspended until that time.

 

KDADS Secretary Laura Howard thanked the Governor for signing the order.

 

“This order will give nursing facilities the latitude to create alternate care sites or designated units to ensure safe care for all residents and support adherence to infection control measures,” Howard said. “Our agency is committed to continuing our work with community partners and local health officials to stem the tide of this pandemic in the state’s nursing facilities.”

 

Executive Order #20-23 can be found here.

Government, Kansas

DCF to Distribute Emergency Food Assistance Benefit

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Kansans to receive maximum benefit

 

Governor Laura Kelly and Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard today announced the agency will begin issuing an emergency food assistance benefit to current program households. The emergency allotment increases a household’s monthly benefit to the maximum allowed for the size of the family. The maximum monthly benefit for a family of four is $646.

 

“The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act allows states to provide this emergency assistance,” Howard said. “We know these additional funds will allow families to purchase more essential groceries for their family while also reducing their visits to grocery stores during this time of social distancing.”

 

“At a time when we are seeing long lines at food distribution sites these additional funds are necessary to keep Kansans fed,” Kelly said. “I also want to thank all of the eligibility workers who are making sure this money gets to families quickly.”

 

No application is necessary to receive the emergency funds. Families should start to see their March emergency benefit on their EBT card beginning April 15. The distribution will follow the standard alphabetical schedule. DCF will distribute April emergency benefits in mid to late May.

 

Households that already receive the maximum monthly allotment are not eligible for emergency assistance. The allotment is for March and April only.

 

Those interested in applying for food assistance can visit the DCF website at www.dcf.ks.gov.

For more information on COVID-19 visit: www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus.

Government, Health Care, Kansas

VA: Temporary Job Opportunities

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VA Collaborates with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on

Temporary Job Opportunities to Fight COVID-19

 

 

The Trump Administration has called for a whole-of-government approach toward fighting the Coronavirus.  For the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), this means an extensive outreach and social media campaign to Federal retirees with a deep sense of public service duty to return to Government and join the fight.  The whole-of-government approach also includes partnership with OPM.  OPM is helping VA communicate temporary COVID-19 job opportunities to the public on USAJobs at:  https://www.usajobs.gov/.  OPM has also established a portal in response to COVID-19 where VA can post reimbursable and non-reimbursable details and temporary opportunities to the Federal workforce.

 

The COVID-19 Surge Response Program is designed for Federal employees to have an opportunity to support the overall response to COVID-19.  The COVID-19 Surge Response Program uses Open Opportunities as a central location for Federal agencies to post details and/or temporary assignments.  VA is especially looking for nurses and other health care providers, including physicians, pharmacists, social workers, technicians, housekeeping aides, and food service workers.

 

VA needs current Federal employees with applicable skills to join us in the national effort to combat COVID-19.  To apply, Federal employees must have supervisory approval, in writing, and need not be in a similar or related position to qualify for the detail and/or temporary rotational assignment.  The supervisory approval may be in the form of an email message from the supervisor.

 

Employees may follow these steps to learn more about the program and how to apply:

 

1.      Visit the COVID-19 Surge Response Program on Open Opportunities.

 

2.    Read about the details and/or temporary assignments.

 

3.    Apply to a detail and/or temporary assignment:

 

    1. You will need to create a user profile account on OpenOpportunities.gov in order to apply to a detail and/or temporary assignment.

 

·         To apply, Federal employees must have supervisor approval in writing to include email.

 

4.    Federal Agencies review applications and select individual(s) for the detail and/or temporary rotational assignment.

 

5.    Prior to starting the detail and/or temporary rotational assignment, a Memorandum of Understanding will be completed between the host agency and the home agency (or component, where individual rotates within their home agency).

 

Thank you for supporting the Federal response to COVID-19.

 

by

Veteran Administration Secretary  Robert L. Wilkie

Government, Kansas

Extension of Emergency Orders For Utility Disconnects

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KCC extends emergency order suspending utility disconnects until May 15

 

Citing the continued threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kansas Corporation Commission used its emergency powers to extend a previous order suspending utility disconnects for nonpayment until May 15.   The action, taken during a Commission business meeting this morning, will offer continued relief to those experiencing hardship from the COVID-19 virus. The previous order, issued March 16, was set to expire tomorrow.

 

The directive covers all electrical, natural gas, water and telecommunications utilities under the KCC’s jurisdiction, several of which have already voluntarily suspended disconnects. The Commission also encourages those utilities not under its jurisdiction to enact similar practices.

 

“The difficulties associated with COVID-19 are far from over. As Kansans continue to face both health and financial challenges, it is critical that they have continued access to utility services in their homes to ensure public safety,” said Commission Chair Susan Duffy.

 

The Commission may elect to extend the suspension order in a subsequent order if conditions warrant.

 

Today’s order can be viewed at:
https://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx/20200414110728.pdf?Id=14bf4cde-a3d1-4c29-8971-327bab674e74

 

 

Bourbon County, Government, Health Care

Bourbon County Commission Plan For Moving Forward

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Bourbon County Press Release
For Immediate Release
4/14/2020

On March 14, 2020, the Bourbon County Commission declared a state of disaster as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Shortly after on March 26, 2020, the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department Officer issued an order to stay at home.

Since that time, there has been measurable progress at the county level, building a framework and preparing for when the Governor of Kansas tells Kansans we can reopen.

Bourbon County Commissioners realized the severity of the situation and acted swiftly in declaring an emergency existed.

This resulted in opening doors to federal resources. Bourbon County Emergency Management has worked diligently to keep our frontline healthcare workers safe with the necessary personal protective equipment, PPE. Available relief has been communicated through Facebook, email, radio, webinars, and hosting teleconference meetings with state level government officials such as with David Toland our Secretary of Commerce.

In three weeks, we have spoken to almost one hundred different businesses and organizations on a regular basis. At this time, we have reports of almost $4.6 million in relief to businesses awarded or applied for in our community.

On April 14, Bourbon County Economic Development, Jody Hoener, presented the commission a framework and roadmap with a goal to facilitate an effective path forward.

All three commissioners voiced their full support of the plan in moving forward.

“It’s an educational type of thing” stated Lynne Oharah, Bourbon County Commission Chair and COVID-19 Manager, “Educating the community on the plan. We need to move forward with this. Jody’s done a great job getting the framework in place and now we need to get all the players on board and get it out to the targeted groups.”

Our community has responded to the crisis informed, safely, and appropriately. Our framework, the roadmap to facilitate an effective path forward to reopening, has likewise been informed by experts in their field, researched heavily to ensure safety, and appropriate needs have been identified.

We do not have tima eline, but we know what the triggers are to move to the next phase. Planning for each phase now should begin so the infrastructure is in place when it is time to transition.

Phases are identified in the most well-renowned plan called National Coronavirus Response: A Road Map to Recovery by the American Enterprise Institute.

The phase we are in right now is called “Slow the Spread.” Experts are saying to move on we must see a slowed rate of infection and our healthcare infrastructure must be scaled up to safely manage the outbreak and care for the sick.

This includes using technology available to us, at its full potential, to keep our healthcare workforce, ambulance crews, and law enforcement officers safe.

The next phase is a State by State Reopening and will be determined by Governor Laura Kelly.

However, we anticipate there will continue to be some physical distancing measures and limitations mandated on gathering to prevent another accelerated outbreak.

Phase three is when physical distancing restrictions can be lifted. We can reach this point when we are using technology to screen our vulnerable populations and essential workers and collect data regionally, statewide, and perhaps even nationwide.

Of course, testing, once available, will be a key component. It is so important that it is worth repeating: Planning for each phase now should begin so the infrastructure is in place when it is time to transition.

The County team diligently on the needed infrastructure for when we are allowed to transition out of the current phase of slowing the spread to the next phase and beyond.

For the last three weeks, we have been very intentional and strategic with our efforts with a goal to facilitate an effective path forward.

We have identified our needs in a one page:

These include:

1.Rapid data collection of essential workers
2.Increase communication between public/private healthcare sectors
3.Improve patient communication
4.Promote a consistent message

We have articulated the required inputs to reach our goals in our Quad Chart.

These required inputs include:

1.Access to technology that can be used to tele-triage and screen our healthcare providers, the essential workforce, and the vulnerable populations. This allows for a more targeted approach to containing the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
2. Build many partnerships with experts and essential businesses such as: MRGlobal, Heart to heart International, the healthcare sector, KDHE, public health, emergency management, nursing homes and assisted livings, law enforcement agencies, and major employers.
3. Funding through public/private relationships.
4. Equipment to keep frontline workers safe with needed PPE, a database with software to support the self-reporting tele- screening, collection, entry and analysis of data taken during triage, testing, and recovery, and finally ensure our healthcare providers have increased testing capabilities.

There are two critical components that will be required for our community to move forward:

1. Screening and Data Collection
2. Testing and Test Kits. The Federal Government has yet to bring forth a plan. The most prominent plan widely used is the American Enterprise Institute’s Road Map to Reopening. This report calls for the need to screen and collect data on target populations.

Like many chambers of commerce, cities, counties, and state governments, Bourbon County has created a roadmap and the framework to facilitate an effective path forward.

“We have to have a starting point, and this is our starting point” Lynne Oharah. “This is a long-term process. Our team does an extraordinary amount of data mining and researching expert advice.”

Experts are telling us that to reopen society will require regular testing and a reliable, fast nationwide reporting network.

One of the ways identified to contain the virus is to screen patients. Because the virus is so contagious even those who may have the virus need to be quarantined.

This roadmap has been our guide the last three weeks and we have made progress in our effort to facilitate an effective path forward by obtaining one of the key components.

We have been working with Dr. Roger Harris, past Vice President of MRIGlobal, on an ongoing basis and through this relationship we have been able to gain access to a screening and data collection software, at no cost to the county, through Heart to Heart International and MRIGlobal.

Both organizations are well regarded in their field and have relationships with the Department of Defense. They have experience in responding to pandemics like Ebola with the same type of technology. Dr. Norman himself, our Secretary of KDHE, remarked positively on the two company’s credibility and reputation.

One of the features of the platform is it provides a self-assessment and guides people where to go should they show symptoms of Coronavirus.

An algorithm is used to manage key patients over time.

We have had measurable conversations with Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Bourbon County Emergency Management. Randy Cason, President of Ascension Via Christi and Becky Johnson, Public Health Department Nurse have been engaged. Community Health Centers of Southeast Kansas, our primary health provider, has been a critical component in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will also be an essential partner moving forward.

Our next steps will be to continue to reach out and engage our essential healthcare providers.

The new technology should be built and available to our community in the next week.