Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Overcoming Challenges

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Carla Nemecek is Southwind District Director and agent.

 

Submitted by Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District Director

 

This is not the article I would have predicted to write a few months ago, and certainly not my usual educational column. However, like many others, COVID-19 has me feeling off-balance as I navigate my work and family responsibilities while following orders and staying at home.

Let me start with the most popular question we receive – Will there by a County Fair in July? Currently, K-State Research & Extension will not organize or participate in any face-to-face events or activities through July 4, 2020 due to the pandemic.

Unfortunately, that means we will not host our annual 4-H Day Camp, area judging contests or attend Rock Springs 4-H Camp in June.

However, after hearing the Governor’s plan last week we are feeling more optimistic we will be able to have traditional County Fairs as scheduled!

We are hoping for the best, but also planning for the worst as we research online platforms that will allow us to host educational showcase events for our 4-H youth to share their projects and receive feedback from judges.

Whether we are allowed to have our county fairs in person or remotely, the Southwind Extension District Agents are already working with our County Fair Boards to be sure the county fair will go on because we know how important they are to our kids and communities.

In January, I really began to notice how Extension needed to shift our programming efforts from entirely face-to-face to exploring remote and virtual alternatives to reach more diverse audiences.

That was never more obvious than when COVID-19 forced us into a remote environment.

For the past 7 weeks, your Extension Agents, 4-H Program Assistant and Office Professionals have relocated their work spaces to homes, pastures, porches and crop fields, and have proven we can educate in a virtual environment – something we didn’t even know we could do!

All eight Extension Agents and the 4-H Program Assistant have put themselves out there for the world to watch us offer advice and explain why research-based information is important to your lives and livelihood.

Personally speaking, my first live was as uncomfortable as my very first 4-H project talk, but then I saw the positive feedback and expanded audience that I was able to connect with and understood the value of an authentic video.

Meal planning, family & financial management tips, and fun family activities from home have all been shared through Facebook live, YouTube and on our Instagram page.

We submitted a public request to complete an online state-wide Extension needs assessment survey and you all responded with 20% of the state wide results coming from Allen, Neosho, Bourbon and Woodson Counties – thank you! It is obvious you value K-State Research & Extension and we will not disappoint you with our efforts.

You might be surprised to know that many of our traditional Extension services are still accessible to you.

Horticulture consultations, soil testing, and pond management assistance continue to be priorities for us, and we are only a phone call away on our usual office numbers that are now being forwarded to Office Professionals.

4-H youth have been able to continue monthly meetings through Zoom coordination and some have found creative ways to help with project meetings remotely.

This pandemic has been hard on all of us, and everyone has had a different reaction to the day by day changes and announcements that come from state government, local officials or employers.

As we navigate the coming weeks of reopening, the Southwind Extension District will make every effort to be the trusted, go-to resource for research-based information you have come to expect in Southeast Kansas. For more information, you can reach us at www.southwind.ksu.edu.

 

Business, Government, Kansas

Kansas Consumers’ Shopping Survey

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Survey to Evaluate Kansas Consumers’ Shopping Practices
and Awareness of From the Land of Kansas Program

 

MANHATTAN, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s state trademark program From the Land of Kansas has released a public survey asking consumers about their shopping practices and preferences. Recent events have reminded all of us about the importance of local foods. This survey is seeking feedback from Kansas consumers on what they are looking for and how we can help them find local foods. The survey, which takes less than five minutes to complete, will inform the program’s efforts to better promote and celebrate agricultural experiences and products grown, raised or produced in the state of Kansas.

 

Participants who complete the survey will be entered in a gift basket drawing. The gift baskets contain a variety of Kansas grown or made products, valuing over $100. Three winners will be selected and notified in early June via the contact information they provide at the end of the survey.

 

Any Kansas resident is eligible and encouraged to take the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/KS-consumers.

 

From the Land of Kansas is designed to promote and celebrate agricultural experiences and products grown, raised or produced in Kansas. The program offers an array of incentives to Kansas companies — big and small — who grow, raise or produce products in the state. For questions about the survey, please contact Janelle Dobbins, marketing manager of the From the Land of Kansas program, at 785-564-6759 or [email protected].

 

COVID-19, Government, Kansas

DCF Service Centers Remain Closed to Public

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Agency opens new channels for customer communication

 

Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard announced today that DCF service centers will remain closed to the public until further notice. The offices have been closed since March 23.

 

“My first priority is the health and safety of both our clients and employees,” Howard said. “I am committed to implementing a reopening plan that ensures social distancing and other safety requirements set forward by Governor Kelly. We’ll reopen when we can ensure these requirements can be met.”

 

To help ensure clients have access to services, the agency has implemented a series of new public facing communication channels.

 

On April 29, the agency opened a virtual call center to answer client questions about agency assistance programs including cash, food and child care assistance. Kansans can call 1-888-369-4777 from anywhere in the state to speak with a DCF representative or connect with their local service center.

 

DCF also added a chat function to its public website. Visitors can use the chat to get basic information about programs and application processes. DCF encourages Kansans to visit www.dcf.ks.gov for information about programs and to apply for services. Paper applications also are available outside each DCF service center across the state. Completed applications can be left in drop boxes outside each service center.

 

Additionally, visitors to the DCF website can review guidance from the agency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit http://www.dcf.ks.gov/COVID19/Pages/default.aspx for all DCF program information.

 

If someone suspects abuse or neglect, they should call the KPRC at 1-800-922-5330. They also can report allegations online at http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/PPS/Pages/KIPS/KIPSWebIntake.aspx.

 

DCF encourages Kansans to monitor the agency’s Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest information about office access and services.

 

For more information on COVID-19 visit: www.covid.ks.gov.

 

 

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

The New to Medicare Online Educational Series

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Joy Miller.

Are you turning 65 in the coming months? Or want to understand Medicare benefits? Free, educational programs to learn about Medicare options are being offered. Senior Health Insurance Counselors for Kansas (SHICK) counselors, Joy Miller and Tara Solomon-Smith with K-State Research and Extension and Melanie Smith with Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging will present, via Zoom, two part series about Medicare eligibility, enrollment periods, how parts A,B,C and D work, Medigap and advantage plans. First session, will be Tuesday, May 12th @ 5:30 and second session, Thursday, May 14th @ 5:30. You may register at the following link: https://bit.ly/New2Medicare . Last day to register is Monday, May 11th.

Obituary

Obituary of DeeAnna Poole

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DeeAnna Marie Poole, age 60, resident of Fulton, KS, died Friday, May 1, 2020, at her home.

She was born on July 8, 1959, on Camp Pendleton Marine Corp base in Oceanside, CA, the daughter of John Thomas Durbin, Sr., and Mary Eva Wickham Durbin.

She was a loving mom, wife, aunt, and sister. She cared for her family and always saw the good in people. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service from 1989 to 1994 when MS caused her to be paralyzed.

DeeAnna always had a warm smile on her face. She was the best mother any child could ask for. She will forever be greatly missed by many.

Survivors include her husband Jim of the home; two sons Brandon Poole, Prescott, KS and Jimmy Poole, Jr. Phoenix, AZ; sisters Faith Durbin, OK and Kathy Biggart, Fort Scott; grandchildren Tayden Poole, Kelsee Poole, Anna Olive, Hailey Olive, and Taylor Poole; nieces and nephews Jorden Durbin, Matt Brown, Jessy Brown, Daniel Durbin, Michael Durbin, Tommy Durbin, Jeffery Durbin,

She is preceded in death by her parents; a brother, John Thomas Durbin, Jr.; a sister, Candy Brown; and two nieces, Justina Durbin, and Katrina Brown.

Private graveside services will be Monday, May 4th, in St. Michael’s Cemetery, Fulton, KS. Services are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott, KS. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Opinion

Bourbon County Commissioner Jeff Fischer On Recent Proposal

23 Comments

Letter To The Editor

Submitted by Jeff Fischer, Bourbon County Commissioner

 

There has been some concern over this proposal and how it may compromise our community members’ rights.

Let me first say, first and foremost, that is absolutely not the intent.

We are living in unprecedented times. New ideas and technology should be brought to the table and discussed unless we are satisfied with the status quo. We share an obligation to protect our citizens to the best of our ability.

I pray that this pandemic is on the way out. However, should this virus have a second wave, having the tools to isolate the infected and liberating the healthy will be a big step in avoiding the anticipated consequences.

I know many, if not all, of our large employers, are taking temperatures and monitoring symptoms of their employees prior to every shift. Some of our larger businesses are actively looking for a tool to use to help monitor the symptoms as a strategy to keep their employees safe and their operations ongoing.

Nationwide, everyone is looking for increased access to testing. This proposal was presented as an option to help meet community needs, looking for ways to keep our workforce and elderly safe, and prepare for future risk.

I also know that every county health department is tracking and tracing confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Although the proposal used a word like “surveillance,” this does not mean a mass population tracking system. The objective of this proposal has never been the surveillance and tracking of individuals, but the disease. We have learned that early detection, confirmation and appropriate actions are key factors in limiting the spread of the virus that causes this disease.

We need to move past keeping healthy people at home and move toward quarantining those who show a confirmed positive of COVID-19. This specific proposal targeted increasing our regional testing capacity and building a data infrastructure for the rapid sharing of the results.

MRIGlobal, formerly known as Midwest Research Institute based in Kansas City has presented a proposal dated April 20th to Bourbon County. This proposal had three main components, two of these components pertained to diagnostic testing for COVID-19 and the third component pertained to a symptom monitoring application. Although this proposal is specific to Bourbon County, it is being used as a template to be in other remote areas to support expanding diagnostic testing capacity with rapid reporting of the results.

  1. There are two types of tests that can be purchased at a fixed price. These include the molecular (RT-PCR) and serology (RDT and ELISA) test. Test specimens delivered to their lab at 425 Volker Blvd in Kansas City by noon would have results by 5:00 pm the same day, 5 days a week. Bourbon County’s healthcare community would have access for 100 tests each day with same-day results.
  2. Should there become a need for additional capacity or a quicker turnaround time, MRIGlobal would train up to four technicians based in Ft. Scott on the Cepheid Xpert Xpress platform that processes a prepared specimen in 45 minutes. Having regional rapid diagnostic testing capacity through our healthcare partners provides safety to healthcare professionals and helps mitigate the risk of clusters like those reported in factories, nursing homes and correctional facilities.
  3. MRIGlobal’s partner, HToH, will provide an app based mobile phone software solution that can efficiently and remotely identify and manage populations impacted by COVID-19. The system offers the ability to trace contacts and support communications between clinicians and patients, providing an indicator of the spread and control of COVID-19. The system also recommends public health actions to individuals in accordance with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and physician guidance, including return to work/duty decision tools based on symptomatic diagnosis, and RT-PCR and/or serology based diagnostic testing.

Each of the three components is menu priced.

For example, we could select the service described in item one and only pay for the number of tests that are performed. This would give our community 500 diagnostic tests each week with same day results. CHC SEK would likely collect the specimens and deliver them by noon in Kansas City. CHC SEK would bill for these tests as they currently do now. We may learn that we have no need for items two and three, but they are priced to give our community scalable capacity.

Opinion

Carpentry Work by Pastor James Collins

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“Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.” Isaiah 44:24

My life feels like an HGTV show. Our church has been going through a building expansion and remodeling. We recently added a new Family Life Building which is not complete. Construction is currently underway on the interior. The church kitchen and a couple of Sunday School classrooms are torn apart in various stages of remodel. New built-in bookcases are being added to my office. Everywhere I turn, I am tripping over tools and lumber.

At home, it is no different. When our family moved to Southeast Kansas, we purchased a Victorian house which is over 130-years-old. My wife, Amanda, watched a couple of episodes of “Fixer Upper” and somehow the thought got into her pretty head that I have all the skills to renovate our house. Last week, Amanda came into where I was working and said, “Since you have been working on this house, I have really grown closer to the Lord.” I said, “Is that because the beauty of my work makes you think of heaven?” She said, “No, not heaven. Your work makes me think of the other place.”

The problem is our house is crooked – out of level. You can see it in the floors, the ceilings, the roofline, the door jambs, even the window frames. Since I am trying to keep as much of the original materials as possible, it is difficult to use reclaimed wood which is twisted and broken.

I have always admired how a master carpenter can take pieces of salvaged wood and out of them build something beautiful. If you’re human and living on this planet, pieces of your life are twisted and broken. Chances are you have seen parts of your life break apart – dreams, relationships, promises, and hearts. We’ve all experienced broken pieces. Our lives need the hands of a carpenter.

I don’t believe that it was merely coincidence that the Lord Jesus Christ was a carpenter. After all, since the beginning of time, He has been a builder. His hands built the planet on which we stand. His hands built the sky on which we gaze. His hands even built us in the womb. And those same hands that built the universe can take all the twisted and broken pieces of your life and build until your life turns out to be something beautiful.

Your part is to let Him have all the pieces. Bring to Jesus all your brokenness – your sorrows, losses, frustrations, hurts, and wounds. Give Him your broken dreams, relationships, promises, and broken hearts – all of it. Put them all into the Carpenter’s hands. You don’t have to struggle with your life. You can put your life into Jesus’ hands because His hands are the hands of a carpenter. He is the Master Carpenter of life. So, let Him be the Carpenter of your life.

The point is: Today, give the Lord any part of your life or heart that is or has been broken. Then let the Master Carpenter redeem the broken pieces and build your life into something beautiful.

Let Jesus be your Carpenter, and you will be sure it’s built right.

James Collins is the senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church where “Drive-In” Church will be held tomorrow at 11 am. For more information, go www.fortscottfsbc.com.

Bourbon County Local News