Mercy Hospital

King and Hinton Recognized with Five Star Excellence Award

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Stephanie Hinton, medical assistant III, and Greg King, orthopedic nurse practitioner, received five-star honors for patient care.

Mercy is pleased to announce Greg King, orthopedic nurse practitioner, plus the Mercy Clinic Orthopedic team of King and medical assistant III Stephanie Hinton, have earned the Professional Research Consultants, Inc. (PRC) Five-Star Excellence Award for Provider Services and Overall Care.

The five-star award ranks King and the orthopedic practice in the top 10 percent nationally for “excellent” responses in patient satisfaction surveys.

“I am truly honored and humbled that the people in my hometown place their trust in my care,” King said. “Stephanie and I try our best every day to serve patients in our health care region with compassionate, thoughtful and competent orthopedic care.”

“Receiving this recognition is very nice,” King added. “At the same time, I think these awards say just as much about the quality and character of our patrons who take the time to say a few nice words about their caregivers in a survey. We are fortunate to be able to play a part in the health care for this wonderful community and the surrounding area.”

As nurse practitioner, King offers orthopedic evaluations, joint injections, sports medicine treatment, fracture casting and care, as well as emergency department coverage.

Recipes

From Linderhof’s Kitchen . . . Martha Meinsen Scott

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This is the time of the year that often you need to take something to a party — “finger food” — as it is often called.     Although I have a lot of old favorites, I’m always looking for new recipes. I tasted this first at Kitchen Connections Holiday Open House in Nevada.    It’s one of those simple recipes that you just put together. Often you have all the ingredients on hand, however, I think it needs time to develop so I think it needs to be made a day ahead.

 

ORANGE MARMALADE CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

 

8 ounces softened cream cheese
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped (unless you buy the big package, then use 6), white and green parts
1 ½ c. mayonnaise
½ c. orange marmalade
¼  cup toasted slivered almonds, chopped
Sliced almonds, for garnish

 

Mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, onions and mayonnaise. Add chopped almonds.     Put into a wide shallow dish. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

 

Chill and serve with crackers (we prefer Ritz).
Martha Meinsen Scott is a Fort Scott foodie who creates from her home, called Linderhof.
Government, Kansas

Kansas Faces Demographic Changes

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KDHE Publishes 2017 Annual Summary of Vital Statistics

The report may suggest Kansas is facing demographic changes.

 

TOPEKA –  The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has posted the Kansas Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, 2017 online at http://www.kdheks.gov/phi/as/2017/Annual_Summary_2017.pdf. The annual report may suggest Kansas is facing demographic changes.

 

“The Annual Summary of Vital Statistics summarizes key demographic and health information gathered from vital event records registered in 2017,” said Lou Saadi, State Registrar and Director Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics. “Since the data collected represents the entire population of the State, it serves as an excellent source for policy makers, program managers and the public to assess and study the health of Kansans.”

 

The report documents:

  • slowing population growth and an aging population
  • continuing declines in the number and rate of births
  • total fertility rates below the replacement rate
  • decreases in the rate of natural increase,
  • decreases in marriage rates
  • decreases in teen pregnancy

 

Other trends being noted for 2017 included:

  • homicides in the state increased by 21 percent
  • suicides increased by 6.3 percent
  • unintentional injuries increased by 7.2 percent

 

Kansas’s total population as of July 1, 2017 was estimated at 2,913,123, an increase of 5,834 (0.2%) from the estimate of Kansas’s total population as of July 1, 2016 (2,907,289) released in 2017. The median age of Kansans in 2017 was 36.6 years, a 4.0 percent increase from the median age of 35.2 in 1998. The median ages for men and women were 35.4 and 37.9, respectively.

 

There were 36,464 live births to Kansas resident mothers in 2017. The most recent year with fewer live births was 1976, when there were 35,278 live births. The birth rate in 2017 was 12.5 births per 1,000 population, the lowest rate since Kansas began statewide recording of vital events in 1912.

 

The 2017 birth rate of 12.5 births per 1,000 population is the lowest birth rate on record. The rate is part of a birth rate decrease that began in 2008.

 

One element of the decline in childbearing in recent years is due to factors generally considered desirable: teen pregnancy rates have declined from 32.4 pregnancies per 1,000 young women in the 10-19 age-group in 1998 to 12.7 per 1,000 in 2017.

 

In 2017, the state’s rate of natural increase was 3.3 persons per 1,000 population, a decrease of 19.5 percent from 4.1 per 1,000 population in 2016, and the lowest rate of natural increase in the past twenty years. The rate of natural increase is the birth rate minus the death rate.  A negative value for rate of natural increase would mean the insufficient births are occurring to replace the number of people dying in the state. Over the past 20 years (1998-2017), the rate of natural increase has fluctuated between a maximum of 6.3 persons per 1,000 population (2007) and a minimum of 3.3 persons per 1,000 population (2017).

 

The Kansas total fertility rate (TFR) in 2017 was 2,053 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age. The Kansas TFR has been below the replacement rate of 2,100 for each of the last five years. Total fertility rate is the number of children who would be born per 1,000 women if women were to pass through the childbearing years bearing children according to the current distribution of age-specific fertility rates.

 

Deaths in Kansas, 26,725, represented a 2.3% increase from the 26,129 deaths in 2016. Increases in 2017 over 2016 were noted for selected causes:

  • Suicide, 512 in 2016 to 544 in 2017, up 6.3 percent;
  • Homicide, 148 in 2016 to 179 in 2017, up 21.0 percent;
  • Unintentional Injury, 1,468 in 2016 to 1,573 in 2017, up 7.2 percent.

 

Heart disease with 5,636 deaths was the leading cause of death in 2017, followed by cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, unintentional injuries, and stroke.

 

In 2017, 17,274 marriages occurred in Kansas, a decrease of 3.8 percent from the 2016 total of 17,948 marriages. The Kansas marriage rate in 2017 was 5.9 marriages per 1,000 population. This rate was 4.8 percent lower than the 6.2 marriages per 1,000 population recorded in 2016, and was the lowest rate recorded for the state of Kansas in the last twenty years (1998–2017). For the entire period, Kansas marriage rates have been lower than U.S. marriage rates.

 

The annual summary does not attempt to determine causes for these trends, as it is a summary of events recorded by the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics. Factors impacting the state’s demography can not be discerned from vital event records.

 

Kansas Information for Communities in a query tool the public can use to look at specific birth and death outcomes and prepare statistics.  The web location is http://kic.kdheks.gov/

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Mercy Hospital

Ambulance Service For Bourbon County

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The Bourbon County Courthouse.

A task force began in October 2018 following the announcing of the closure of Mercy Hospital Fort Scott.

That task force has been meeting weekly since, to work on issues regarding the need for emergency medical services following the closure of Mercy.

“There is a statute that counties are to provide EMS services,” Dave Bruner, a member of the task force said.

“What is in concrete at this point is that the county and the city have signed a contract to provide a service for a year,” Bruner said.

Since both the City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County Commission had already set their budget for 2019 prior to the announcement of Mercy closing, it put them in an uncertain financial position to provide those emergency medical services.

Fort Scott City Hall

“We said ‘let’s put this together and after a year, look at the contract’,” Bruner said.

“When Mercy announced the closure, they have to give 180 days notice,” Bruner said. “So April 1 is when we will be fully Bourbon County EMS.”

“In the meantime from Jan. 1 to April 1, there will be a change of labels on the ambulances,” he said. “Mercy is obligated until April 1. They will still be employees of Mercy.”

There are currently six full-time employees and 16 part-time employees of Mercy EMS.

“We are going to do our best to retain all of them,” Bruner said. “The city will run the day to day  operations of the service-the staffing of ambulances and dispatch.”

The county will pay a subsidy to the city and handle the billing.

“There is a goal to establish a third-party entity to do the billing for the county,” Bruner said.

“The first responders (in emergency situations) in the small towns will continue to be local volunteer fire departments and EMT’s,” he said.

This provides help until the ambulance can arrive on sight of the emergency.

“The goal is to keep the same familiar faces,” Bruner said. “The only thing that will change will be the names on the ambulance and the uniforms.”

“My goal is to give the EMS a place to call their own facility,” he said

Currently, the task force is in negotiations.

“We don’t have a list of what Mercy is donating yet,” Justin Meeks, Bourbon County Legal Counselor said.

“We hope donations will be finalized by Dec. 18,” Meeks said.

Under discussion in negotiations  are vehicles, equipment and facilities.

The task force is comprised of Nick Ruhl, Meeks, Jody Hoener from the county; Dave Martin, Bruner, Robert Uhler, Paul Ballou, Rhonda Dunn and Deb Needleman from the city; and Christi Keating from Mercy.

 

Area News, Schools

Harper Directs Finale Concert Dec. 11

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Pittsburg Youth Chorale
FINALE CONCERT

Tuesday, December 11th
6PM
Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium & Convention Center

 

Pittsburg Youth Chorale is under the direction of MJ Harper, composed of 4th-6th grade musicians from Southeast Kansas. The purpose of this vocal ensemble is to further grow vocal abilities, musical knowledge, and choral repertoire. Participants perform at community events. If you would like us to perform for your event, please contact:

MJ Harper at [email protected] or 620-719-6633.

Opinion

Cindy at Palapa by Patty LaRoche

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There was an interesting exchange at the Palapa, our poolside gathering spot, the week before Thanksgiving. Six women started the conversation by trying to decide when “Black Friday” was held here in Mazatlán. No one would miss out on the big-bargain, tug-of-war.

“It begins today.”

“No, it starts next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.”

“That’s when it starts in the United States, not in Mexico.”

Back-and-forth the discussion went, until Cindy, my smart-but-dingy friend, spoke up. “I thought that happened at Easter, not Thanksgiving.”

I couldn’t help myself. (Actually, I could, but I didn’t.) “Well, since one deals with the Pilgrims and one deals with Jesus, there’s really quite a difference.” Everyone started laughing, even Cindy, until she thought about our conversation for a few seconds.

“I probably missed that part in our youth group. I think the nuns didn’t like us because we went to public school and just showed up once a week for religion classes. They would rap our knuckles with a ruler when we didn’t pay attention. I got smacked a lot.”

Several chuckles later, Cindy became serious. “I just always get sad on Black Friday.” Surely she wasn’t talking about shopping, so if this sadness was about the day Jesus died, I was touched.

“Yea,” she continued, “because that’s when my friends were injured in a terrible car wreck. It was just a couple of days before Easter. I’ll never forget it.”

What in the world? “Actually,” I said, “the Friday before Easter isn’t called Black Friday. It’s called Good Friday, and it’s the day Jesus died.”

Cindy looked at me like I had just fallen off a turkey truck. “Well, what’s so good about that?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Good grief, Cindy,” I laughed. “I’m surprised you have any knuckles left.”

I love unplanned conversations about Jesus, for that’s where he seems to make the greatest impact. Just mentioning his name reminds people that he is real and a part of my life…which is why I don’t understand Christians who are paralyzed at the thought of including him in their everyday conversations. How many opportunities they miss! (Trust me, I’ve missed more than I can count.)

2 Timothy 4:2 reminds us to be prepared to talk about God, no matter whether the time is favorable or not. After Peter healed a man, he took advantage of the awe-struck crowd by sharing the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. That was not his intent. He had set out that morning to pray in the temple, but then this unexpected opportunity presented itself. Peter could have walked through the throng of people, shaking hands, perhaps signing an autograph or two, but he didn’t. Recognizing a chance to remind people what Jesus had done for them, he began sharing the highlights of what he knew about his Savior.

Granted, Peter’s talk ended with many people turning their lives over to Jesus, and mine ended up in laughter, but I think every mention of Jesus or God counts. After all, you’ve gotta start somewhere, right?

Entertainment

Santa at Walmart Dec. 7-9

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Come visit Santa Claus at the Fort Scott Wal-Mart at the below days and times. 

December 7. Friday. 4 – 8 pm.

December 8. Saturday. 10 am – 2 pm.

December 9. Sunday. 1 – 5 pm.

There is no charge to take a photo with Santa.  However, donations are accepted on behalf of American Legion Post 25’s children and youth programs. 

 

Kansas

State Poetry and Art Contest

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Kansas Department of Commerce Announces the National Career Development Poetry & Art Contest

 

The Kansas Department of Commerce is partnering with the National Career Development Association (NCDA) to participate in the 53rd NCDA Annual Poetry and Art Contest.

The contest theme is “Using Careers to Break Barriers, Empower Lives & Achieve Equity.”

The National Career Development Association promotes career development through its annual celebration of National Career Development Month. Every November, career development professionals are encouraged to celebrate with career related activities including the annual Poetry and Art Contest.

Entries will be judged on how they celebrate and inspire career development with a positive tone while emphasizing the national theme.

ELIGIBILITY

Every adult and student enrolled in school is eligible, as well as adult practitioners who are not in school. Contest divisions areas include:

o    Primary – grades K-2

o    Intermediate – grades 3-5

o    Middle – grades 6-8

o    Senior – grades 9-12

o    Adult Student – ages 18 and older, enrolled in school

o    Open Adult – ages 18 and older (student teachers, parents, professionals, etc.)

REQUIREMENTS FOR POEMS

Poetic Form: Acceptable poetic forms, e.g. cinquain, free verse, diamante, haiku, limerick, metered, rhyming, blank verse

Size: Submit each poem on a single sheet of paper 8.5″ x 11″ in 12-point font.

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR ART

Lettering: Simple bold lettering is preferred. Captions are to be used to convey the theme, attract attention, and to achieve goals of clarity, vigor and originality. All lettering will be considered part of the design.

 

Media:

Category 1 (C1): Standard use of ink, pencil, poster paints, magic marker, acrylics, and oils.

Category 2 (C2): Use of photos, clipart, graphic art software, collage, cut and pasted paper, and mixed media.

Size: All art must be created in 8.5″ x 11″ format, including matte, to be eligible.

 

All state award winners will be notified and sent to NCDA by Feb. 20, 2019

The winning entries for each division will be recognized on the NCDA website in May 2019 and displayed at the Annual Global Career Development Conference in June. National winners will also receive a special certificate and a congratulatory gift from the NCDA

 

Please submit any entries to [email protected] by January 14, 2019

Submissions may also be sent by mail to:

Kansas Department of Commerce, Poetry and Art Contest

1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100, Topeka, Kansas 66612

 

Obituary

Obituary of Deborah Underwood

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Deborah Louise Underwood, age 65, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, December 4, 2018, at her home.

She was born September 5, 1953, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Ezequiel Santana and Esther Rebecca Mark Santana.

She married Steven Underwood on October 2, 1971, in Lebanon.  Deborah had worked the majority of her life in food service.  She had managed restaurants throughout the United States and had most recently been employed by G & W Foods in Ft. Scott.  She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Survivors include her two daughters, Stephanie Kaylor and her husband, Matthew, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania and Jennifer Kitch and her husband, Robert, of Branson, Missouri; six grandchildren, Zachery and Samuel Kaylor and Rebecca, Jessica, Austin and Chase Kitch and five great-grandchildren, Elija, Ryan, Isiah, Aniston and Evelyn.  Also surviving is her brother, David Santana, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Her husband, Steven, preceded her in death on December 28, 2013.  She was also preceded in death by her parents.

Rev. Chuck Russell will conduct funeral services at 10:00 A.M. Monday, December 10th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery.

Memorials are suggested to the Deborah Underwood Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Bourbon County Local News