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Category Archives: Health Care
NRMC to Offer Free Cholesterol Screening
Nevada Regional Medical Center (NRMC) announces it will host a free cholesterol screening sponsored by NRMC Foundation on Friday, February 21 from 6:30 to 9:30 A.M. Registration is open to the public, but appointments are limited.
The Foundation sponsors this annual screening each February in recognition of American Hearth Month. “This simple blood draw can give participants a quick view of their total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels” notes Foundation Director, Jennifer Eaton. “These results can then be shared with their primary care provider to determine the next steps to take in their heath journey.”
According to the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women. However, there are steps you can take to keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of heart disease:
- Get enough quality sleep
- Eat a balanced diet
- Stop smoking
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Get active
- Manage/monitor your blood sugar & blood pressure
- Manage stress
- Control cholesterol levels
Daily acts of self-care can also benefit you heart health. Make that doctor’s appointment you may have been putting off, do at least one positive action for heart health each day, find an exercise buddy or join a class/group to help stay motivated and encourage your family to participate as well to help you meet your health goals.
To register for the free cholesterol screening, call (417) 448-3801.
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About Nevada Regional Medical Center
NRMC is a 71-bed acute, intensive and skilled care hospital providing comprehensive health care services. Staff represent more than a dozen medical specialties including ear, nose & throat, family practice, general surgery, gynecology, internal medicine, orthopedics, pain management, pediatrics, psychiatry and wound care services. Additionally, consultation clinics are held regularly by specialists in cardiology, dermatology, neurology, podiatry, pulmonology and urology.
NRMC is centrally located between Kansas City and Joplin along the I-49 corridor.
Job Fair Set for Freeman Fort Scott Hospital: 60-Plus Position Openings for New Hospital
FORT SCOTT, Kan. – In preparation for the much-anticipated opening of Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc., a job fair will be held in early February.
Scheduled from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, the fair will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the future hospital’s location, 401 Woodland Hills Blvd.
It’s an opportunity for Freeman to recruit and for individuals to explore what job opportunities are available. There are currently 60-plus openings for the new Freeman hospital. These positions include:
- RN – Acute Care
- RN – Emergency Department
- Social Worker
- Respiratory Therapist
- Nurse Tech – Acute Care
- Nurse Tech – Emergency Department
- Network Engineer
- Desktop Support Specialist
- Administrative Assistant
- Courier
- Supply Chain Technician
- Admissions Representative Specialist
- Monitor Tech
- Medical Technologist
- Medical Laboratory Technician
- Laboratory Medical Assistant
- X-Ray/C-T Technologist
- Vascular Sonographer
- Pharmacist in Charge
- Pharmacy Tech
Hiring managers will be available during the job fair and will have additional information about various openings.
Freeman Health System, the region’s largest provider of healthcare services, is in the process of seeking licensure to open and operate a 10-bed hospital and 24-hour emergency department with licensed physicians and trained nursing staff. Support for the emergency department includes laboratory, radiology, computerized tomography and an inpatient pharmacy. Opportunities to have outpatient lab, radiology and CT services will also be available to the community from the hospital.
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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2024, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers and their experiences. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System one of the Best Hospitals for 2022. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 90 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services, women’s services, and many others for all of the Four State Area. Freeman is also involved in numerous community-based activities and sponsored events and celebrations. Additionally, in the Joplin/Pittsburg areas, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
Boil Water Advisory Issued for Bourbon Co. RWD #4, Bourbon County
Residents in a portion of Bourbon County have been issued a boil water advisory by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
The boil order is for people in northwest Bourbon County, from west of 95th Road to the Allen County line and north of Highway 54 to the Linn County line, according to Jack Ripper, the Water Operator for Rural Water District #4.
“The tower pressure got too low at Soldier Street and 60th,” Ripper said.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) issued a boil water advisory for the Bourbon County Rural District #4 public water supply system located in Bourbon County on January 20, according to a press release.
Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:
• Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
• Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
• If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
• Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
• Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
The advisory took effect on January 20 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a loss of pressure due to an equipment malfunction at the water treatment plant. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.
Regardless of whether the public water supplier or Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
For consumer questions, please contact the water system at 620-224-8095, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/468/Disruption-in-Water-Service
Restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety & lodging program at [email protected] or call 785-564-6767.
New Chiropractor In Fort Scott: Dr. Ethan Couch
Dr. Ethan Couch, 23, is a new associate doctor with Dr. Kaylee Clifton. He began duties on January 14.
Couch graduated from Nevada High School in 2019, received his associate’s degree from Crowder College, Nevada, and then went to Cleaveland University in Kansas City, earning a bachelor’s degree in human biology. He then enrolled in the school’s Doctor of Chiropractic program in 2020 and graduated in December 2024.
“I did a year of training with the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in K.C. with the clerkship program,” he said. “I got to meet with doctors- neurosurgeons, pharmacists, occupational therapists and orthosurgeons- and ask questions to have a better understanding of multi-disciplinary treatment options.”
“I knew I wanted to be in the medical field, but wanted to provide conservative treatment for musculoskeletal conditions,” he said.
“Conservative treatment is non-invasive therapeutic exercise or adjustments, anything that doesn’t stretch into injections, surgery or medications.”
So far, the best part of the job is “Getting to know the patients and providing quality care that helps with day-to-day life.”
Couch and his wife live in Nevada, MO are expecting their first child, a son, on April 1.
Dr. Kaylee Clifton is returning in February, following maternity leave.
On February 1, Couch’s hours will be from Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday from one Saturday a month from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Clifton Chiropractic office is located at 203 E. Third, Fort Scott and can be reached at 620.644.5000.
Understanding Hospice
The nation recently honored the life of former President Jimmy Carter. In February 2023, his choice to begin hospice care spotlighted this model of compassionate, high-quality support. He continued to receive this care for nearly two years.
Hospice focuses on comfort, not curing. It is a customized model of care that helps people with life limiting illnesses live with dignity. Hospice focuses on maintaining quality of life for the person, rather than aggressively treating the disease or illness.
Common myths of hospice care include the following:
MYTH: Hospice is only for the last weeks or days of one’s life.
Hospice can begin when a physician determines a person has approximately six months or less to live if the disease were to run its normal course. Pain management and comfort care give a person an improved quality of life and more comfortable days.
MYTH: Hospice means you have given up.
Receiving hospice care does not mean that you have given up hope. The focus of care is to provide a person with a better quality of life, be more comfortable, and feel more like themselves. Sometimes, people will go on and off hospice if their health improves, if they no longer qualify for services, or if they choose to pursue treatments.
MYTH: Hospice care hastens death.
People sometimes associate medication used for pain control, such as morphine, with a person’s death. Remember, the person on hospice is already entering the last stages of their life. In many instances, controlling pain and discomfort allows the person to live longer.
MYTH: Hospice care is just for the dying patient.
Hospice also provides caregiving assistance and grief counseling for family members and caregivers. Most providers offer these bereavement services up to 13 months after the patient’s death.
Hospice provides individuals the freedom to choose how they want to spend their remaining days. Engaging in family conversations about end-of-life decisions helps us recognize the value of hospice care, reflect on our own wishes, and communicate what matters most to us.
Information for today’s article came from K-State Research and Extension’s Fact Sheet: Understanding Hospice. For more information contact Tara Solomon-Smith, [email protected], or call 620-244-3826.
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Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
Freeman Waiting For State Authorization For Hospital and Emergency Department in Fort Scott
Quickly Taking Shape
Freeman Fort Scott Hospital Plans Under Review by State Officials
FORT SCOTT, Kan. – There’s been plenty of positive movement and momentum surrounding Freeman Fort Scott Hospital since it was first proposed to 100-plus cheering residents last June.
Freeman Health System, the region’s largest provider of healthcare services, is in the process of seeking licensure to open and operate an acute care hospital. Upon obtaining licensure, the proposed 10-bed general medical unit and 24-hour emergency department will operate within the city’s former hospital site located at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. Freeman will lease the space from Kansas Renewal Institute, which recently purchased the former hospital building.
According to Freeman Neosho Hospital Chief Operation Officer Renee Denton, the all-important planning for required renovations and the design phase has been completed. The requested renderings have been submitted to state officials, and once approved, renovations will begin. Denton offered one example of minor renovations that would be required – the need for some of the bathrooms to undergo minor renovation to assure they meet current Americans with Disabilities Act compliance standards.
“We submitted those plans to the state and are waiting for their authorization,” Denton said. “Once plans are approved, we will immediately send the plans out for bid to have the required renovations completed.”
There’s plenty of “quiet” work currently underway at the former hospital building, she continued: Evaluating infrastructure capabilities that will be needed to support the overall computer system, operability and building the electronic medical record; evaluating and sorting through discarded equipment to determine what is operable; and identifying all new laboratory, radiology and pharmacy equipment needed to support the new hospital and emergency department.
“Representatives at Kansas Department of Health and Environment have been very helpful to work closely with us,” Denton said. “They have been very willing to help in whatever way they can. They, too, are supportive of the effort we’re trying to bring to fruition in Fort Scott.”
A community of roughly 7,600 residents and the county seat of Bourbon County, Fort Scott has been without a hospital since 2018. The hospital’s emergency department stayed open until it, too, closed in December 2023, forcing residents to seek medical treatment 30 minutes away in Pittsburg or across the state line in Nevada, Missouri.
The emergency department will consist of six bays, with 365-day, 24/7 coverage, by licensed physicians and trained nursing staff who will be well prepared to provide emergency care. Support for the emergency department includes laboratory, radiology, computerized tomography and an inpatient pharmacy. Opportunities to have outpatient lab, radiology and CT services will also be available to the community from the hospital.
The specific opening date for Freeman Fort Scott Hospital in 2025 will crystallize as state officials review Freeman’s submitted plans and required renovations are completed. Freeman Fort Scott Hospital will be prepared to undergo the state facility survey followed by the hospital licensure survey.
“We are optimistic that we can be open in the Spring of 2025, and what we continue to work toward right now,” Denton said. “There is no community that should be without emergency services, and we are committed to work as quickly as possible to bring these life-saving services to the Fort Scott community.
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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2024, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers and their experiences. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System one of the Best Hospitals for 2022. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 90 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services, women’s services, and many others for all of the Four State Area. Freeman is also involved in numerous community-based activities and sponsored events and celebrations. A
Kansas Renewal Institute Now Owns the Former Mercy Hospital.
Kansas Renewal Institute now owns the former Mercy Hospital.
Shanda Stewart, spokesperson for KRI, said that as of December 19, 2024, KRI purchased the building from Legacy Health and is its new owner.
“We look forward to Freeman Health System coming to Bourbon County and working closely with them,” she said. “We are currently serving 54 children all from the state of Kansas and have 110 employees.”
About KRI
Kansas Renewal Institute is dedicated to helping young people renew their lives and regain power over their mental health issues, according to their website. We understand that struggling does not equate to weakness or moral failing, and we are determined to provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals to heal and grow. Our behavioral health treatment center in Fort Scott, Kansas, offers comprehensive and personalized services for mental health treatment. To learn more about Kansas Renewal Institute, call us at 888.306.4718 today. We believe everyone deserves care and respect, and we are here to guide our clients on their path toward healing.
Ruritan Organizes Remembrance of Local Veterans
The Uniontown Ruritan organized a wreath-laying event at the town’s cemetery on December 13.
The ceremony honored 85 veterans of U.S. Wars, dating back to the Civil War, by placing a wreath on their graves and calling their names out for remembrance.
Matt Crystal, with the local VFW, spoke to the attendees.
Students from Uniontown High School assisted Ruritan in the ceremony.
County Commissioners vote to sign agreement for Emergency Room
Bourbon County Commission Meeting Dec. 5, 2024
(Due to technical difficulties with the meeting recording, the first 6 minutes of this meeting had no sound. Whatever was said at the beginning of that meeting is not in this article.)
Six citizens in attendance asked several questions about the future of the hospital building and the agreement that the county is making with Freeman to get an emergency room back in Fort Scott.
The commissioner read the agreement for emergency facility aloud in the meeting.
The agreement includes a deadline of opening a fully operational emergency room by June 1, 2025. If Freeman fails to meet the requirements of the agreement without “good cause,” all funds will be returned to the appropriate parties. The deadline for completion may be extended up to six month “for good cause,” but no further.
The commissioner state that the agreement keeps Bourbon County’s taxpayer dollars in Bourbon County.
He also mentioned that there is a separate agreement regarding sales tax that “comes later.”
Citizen asked why date changed from April 1 to June 1. No specific reason was given.
Another citizen asked how much money the county has invested in this. The commissioner responded: $2.5 million plus the building and land.
Other county commissioner acknowledged the discussion that has surrounded the county’s actions regarding the hospital, “was it the right decision, or a bad decision?” As a commissioner, his perspective was that we have “so many dollars in the hopper” and the county wasn’t collecting any rent and was paying all the expenses out of said hopper. He projected it would take about 30 months to use up the money in the hopper at the current rate. This would have led to the choice to either tearing the building down or “go after a lot of taxpayer dollars to keep it open.”
“Now that $2 million came from the federal government and Mercy Hospital.” he said. None of it was county tax dollars and there is documented accounting for all of it.
“It was a gamble,” admits commissioner, referring to the relationship with KRI Freeman, “but it worked. We got very fortunate.”
“Legacy is the reason KRI is here,” said another commissioner. “Let’s not forget everybody involved.”
When a citizen asked if the county could not have just sold the building, the commissioner responded, “we tried to give the building away, and no one would take it.” He listed several organizations and groups that the building was offered to before Legacy took over, including KU Medical, St. Luke’s, Freeman, and Mercy, as well as various developers.
“Legacy will fulfill what they said they would, and we’ll have an emergency room,” was his summarizing of the current situation.
In response to rumors that Legacy is holding up the sale of the old hospital building, the commissioner explained his conversation with the lawyer for Legacy in which the lawyer stated that Legacy has been in talks with KRI’s CFO for 2 months and that, “it seems to me everybody is doing everything they can to get that building transferred.”
Motion to accept agreement was unanimously accepted pending discussed changes.
Commissioners also reaffirmed a vote that had not been properly recorded in the Oct. 31 meeting to the effect of signing a resolution rescinding the moratorium on solar projects in Bourbon County and termination of prior agreements with Creek Solar (?) with an effective date of Oct. 31, 2024
Blood Drive at Uniontown High School Today until 3 p.m.
Mapleton Medical Clinic: Providing Care For The Rural Community
Tiffany Yowell, 42, and her parents opened Mapleton Medical Clinic in December 2023.
Yowell has a Master’s degree from the University of Saint Mary and is an Advanced Family Nurse Practitioner.
She works beside her parents, Fred and Cindy Larson, who are registered nurses, with over 25 years of nursing experience.
“I have been in healthcare for 22 years and have watched a significant decline in the quality of care,” Yowell said. “I have worked in multiple clinic settings and have a strong background in emergency medicine and family medicine. The clinic is a family operation. Cindy and Fred Larson are registered nurses with a solid clinical background and a wealth of knowledge.”
“The clinic is a private practice,” she said. “I do not have a collaborative. I have been waiting for Kansas to pass the law that allows nurse practitioners to practice independently of a physician, and now I have finally got my wish.”
Since 2005 she has been dreaming of working as an independent provider.
” I wanted to be independent because we can provide better healthcare,” she said. “If I worked within a healthcare system, I would have a lot of background noise distracting providers from high-quality and personalized healthcare, such as patient volume, time constraints, and meeting quotas. As a patient, you can rarely speak directly to your provider, every process seems to take too long, and let’s be honest, most of us avoid the process altogether because it can be uncomfortable, time-consuming, and less than satisfactory.”
“Our philosophy is patient-centered care, striving to provide care tailored to each patient’s unique needs and preferences,” she said. “I believe in helping individuals, educating them about their health conditions, and empowering them to collaborate with me to develop the best treatment plan. We believe in treating the WHOLE person, not just their symptoms. I do not believe in cookie-cutter medicine. I believe in listening to patients and allowing them the time they deserve to tell their stories. People are often misdiagnosed and overmedicated just because healthcare providers do not give the patient enough time to work through their concerns.”
For her community, she provides tailored medical care and telehealth services, lab services and on November 12 they are starting monthly education classes.
“On Nov 12 we have a Medicare representative coming in to talk with residents about Medicare services, and a question and answer session,” she said.
There is a fee for service to uninsured patients, with
concierge care also available- a monthly membership fee for uninsured patients or patients requiring frequent contact with the provider.
“Radiology services are not available at the clinic,” she said. “Orders can be sent to a local hospital or diagnostic center.”
Hours of operation vary.
“The goal is to be open every other week on Thursdays and Fridays, but it is best to check our Facebook page or the website for days the clinic is open. I want to be full-time in the next 5-10 years.”
Contact info.
The Mapleton Medical Clinic is located at 171 Sixth Street, Mapleton, Kansas 66754.
Office and Fax: (620)743-3049 (Limited hours of operations) If you have a medical emergency please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
