Month: March 2017
Jeter announces plan to retire as HaysMed president and CEO
John Jeter, MD, has announced plans to retire from his role as President and CEO of HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System, effective Jan. 1, 2018. Dr. Jeter joined HaysMed in 1996.
In the last 21 years, Dr. Jeter has facilitated growth in services and locations, and has contributed to the health of the community through his leadership at the hospital and in Hays.
“My focus is to have HaysMed be the best tertiary care center in rural America,” explains Dr. Jeter. “We want to create a state-of-the- art medical center because it is the right thing to do for our community and the region.”
An innovative and proactive leader, Dr. Jeter has helped HaysMed distinguish itself in a number of areas:
• Fostering health and wellness of Hays residents by creating The Center for Health Improvement, a medical fitness center on the HaysMed campus, along with walking trails, classes and other health enhancement opportunities
• Partnering with The University of Kansas Hospital on The Kansas Heart and Stroke Collaborative, a $12.5M Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center award to improve heart and stroke care in Western Kansas
• Establishing the DeBakey Heart Institute to bring cardiovascular surgery and services to western Kansas
• Creating the partnership with Pawnee Valley Community Hospital and the St. Rose Health Center joint venture.
But some might say his biggest achievement was his vision for the future—a future where more Kansans had access to a higher level of care.
“One of my personal objectives was to contribute to the creation of a ‘system of care’ for Kansas,” says Jeter, “but I always knew it was going to require a partner.” He’s pleased HaysMed was able to find a partner in The University of Kansas Health System, which had a similar objective. (HaysMed became a part of The University of Kansas Health System effective January 1, with the goal of improving access to patient care and extending the commitment of high quality care shared by both hospitals throughout the state of Kansas.)
“John has always been committed to the people of Kansas, just like we are,” says Bob Page, president and CEO of The University of Kansas Health System. “We are grateful for his commitment and for his collaboration over the last four years as we built this partnership.”
Dr. Jeter’s retirement doesn’t come as a surprise to everyone. “We knew John wanted to move into the next phase of his life,” says HaysMed Board Chair Alan Moore. “It was important to him to complete the partnership agreement with The University of Kansas Health System, so he could retire knowing the residents of Hays and western Kansas would have access to a broader range of care-from common to complex. I speak for the entire Board when I say that we have admired, appreciated and supported Dr. Jeter’s vision and his leadership.”
The HaysMed Board of Directors will conduct a search for Dr. Jeter’s replacement. They anticipate a successor to be named late this year.
“I am confident the Board will find the right candidate to move the organization forward, and the organization will continue to be committed to outstanding patient care,” says Jeter. “I want to offer my thanks to the physicians, Associates, board and the community of Hays for their continued support of HaysMed throughout my tenure. Hays is a fantastic community to both live and work in.”
UPDATE: Ammonia leak forces evacuations, closes school in Salina
SALINE COUNTY-The ammonia leak in Salina has stabilized and it no longer poses a threat to citizens that live in the area and business operations in that area, according to a late afternoon media release from Saline County Emergency Management. Most residents were allowed to return to their homes.
No injuries were reported.
Cause of the leak is still under investigation.
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SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Investigators are looking for the cause of an anhydrous ammonia leak at the Schwan’s plant in Salina.
The leak was discovered at 2:20 a.m. Wednesday and contained about three hours later. Employees were evacuated from the facility. Two workers received medical treatment as a “precaution.”
Saline County officials say a voluntary evacuation was issued for people living west of the facility.
Schilling Elementary in Salina is closed because of the leak, but no other schools are affected.
Schwan spokesman Chuck Blomberg says ammonia is used in production at the plant as a refrigerant for frozen food. The plant primarily makes pizzas.
He says Schwan does not know yet the impact of the leak on plant operations.
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SALINE COUNTY -Emergency crews in Salina are dealing with a sizable ammonia leak at the Tony’s Pizza Factory.
Just after 2:30 a.m., crews were sent to the plant at Schilling and Centennial Road after report of the leak, according to Troy Long with the Salina Fire Department
Ammonia covered an area on the roof that measured 25′ x 25′ and was 6-inches thick in a frozen state. The ammonia is expected to convert to a gas form when the sun comes up later in the morning.
The Code Red emergency phone system was used to alert neighborhoods in the area of the leak and they were given the option of staying inside their homes or voluntary evacuation.
Some area residents did choose to leave.
Long stressed this is not an imminent danger situation, but plans for a shelter and transportation of people from the area was being prepared if needed.
The Salina Fire Department asked employees of Eldorado Bus and the Fed Ex drop off store not to report to work Wednesday.
The fire department is requesting USD 305 to keep Schilling Elementary School closed Wednesday.
Long said shutting down the leak is a slow process.
The Salina Fire Department has called one shift back for additional staff.
There have been no injuries.
Man in custody after high-speed chase, fleeing on foot west of Hays
Hays Post
A Maine man was arrested after a high-speed chase Wednesday that began on Interstate 70, came through Hays and ended in an accident back on the interstate.
According to Trooper Tod Hileman of the Kansas Highway Patrol, the chase began just east of Hays when a trooper spotted a vehicle suspected of being stolen because the tags didn’t match.
The pursuit was called off when the driver — Anthony Vandeventer, 20, Portland, Maine — exited on Commerce Parkway and proceeded through Hays on 27th Street.
The chase resumed when the driver returned to the interstate at Exit 157.
Hileman said the driver crossed the median and drove against traffic two or three times during the chase, before “losing it” in the median and crashing a couple miles west of Hays.
The driver then fled on foot, pursued by a trooper. After a lengthy half-mile foot chase, Vandeventer was apprehended.
He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, and fleeing and eluding.
A female passenger in the vehicle was not arrested.
The incident led to a short-lived lockdown at Ellis High School, said Principal Corey Burton. Burton said the lockdown was initiated by a call from Ellis Police Chief Taft Yates and lasted only about 10 minutes until the all-clear was given.
It was the second chase that ended in a crash Wednesday. Earlier in the day, KHP troopers apprehended a murder suspect in Ellsworth County after a manhunt that began in Pratt. Click HERE for more on that story.
Police: Kan. man, woman jailed for series of reported vandalism
SHAWNEE COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating two suspects in connection with vandalism at metro shelters and have made an arrest.
The Topeka Metro Transit Authority reported glass panels in numerous metro shelters were damaged in February, according to a media release from police. The damage is estimated at over $2700.
Two suspects were identified and interviewed. Police arrested Walker Shepherd, 20, and Haley Bradford, 18, both of Topeka.
They face charges for the vandalism.
Midwest Energy invests $10M in customer homes through How$mart program
Midwest Energy’s How$mart program recently reached a milestone of investing $10 million in energy efficiency improvements in its customers’ homes and businesses.
The How$mart program, which provides up to 100 percent of the funding for energy efficiency improvements, has completed more than 1,710 projects since the program began in July 2007. The average How$mart participant saves about $53 per month on energy bills.
“This program has been a win-win for everyone – for Midwest Energy, our customer-owners who participate in the program, local contractors who perform the work, and the environment,” said Brian Dreiling, Midwest Energy’s Manager of Energy Services in Hays.
Dreiling noted that How$mart now saves its participants 3.96 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year (enough to power 329 homes for a year), and 456,000 therms of natural gas (enough to heat 600 homes).
Since How$mart began, Dreiling’s team of five energy auditors based in Hays, Great Bend and Colby oversee completion of around 17 projects per month. “It keeps us busy,” Dreiling noted. “We’ve completed How$mart projects in nearly all of the 40 counties Midwest Energy serves.”
Each How$mart project begins with a whole-home energy audit by a certified auditor, who makes recommendations on insulation and air sealing, and improvements in heating and air conditioning systems. Once the homeowner identifies which projects they’d like to complete, they select contractors from an approved list to make the upgrades. Midwest Energy pays for all or most of the costs, with customers making up any difference. Customers pay back the funds through a small surcharge, offset by the energy savings.
“We’re able to provide this program thanks to a series of grants and loans through the USDA,” stated Pat Parke, Midwest Energy’s Vice President for Customer Service. “How$mart allows us to offer our customer-owners real savings, reducing energy consumption while bringing work to dozens of contractors in central and western Kansas.”
More than 200 local and regional contractors participate in the program, putting them in touch with customers seeking work done to How$mart standards.
“Our business started in March of 2013 with two employees; since then we have doubled our staff to four, and we’re still growing,” said David Randa, owner of Reliable Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning in Hays that has completed 41 How$mart projects. “The program has helped us grow by finding customers that may not know anything about us. If we have a customer struggling with the financial side of a new HVAC system due to theirs not working, or if it’s running on its last leg, this program is a great financial resource for them.”
Midwest Energy, headquartered in Hays, is an electric and natural gas cooperative, serving 92,000 customers in Central and Western Kansas.
KPERS Bill To Simplify Things Waiting on Senate Committee
By Matt Ostrowski
KU Statehouse Wire Service
TOPEKA – The Kansas Senate introduced a bill last month that would affect Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) retirees who return to work after retirement.
In short, House Bill 2268 would update some of the exemptions to the existing policy. Currently, for most newly retired individuals under KPERS, the most they can earn in one calendar year is $25,000.
“The purpose of this bill is to simplify things,” said Anne Sawyer, committee assistant to the House Committee on Financial Institutions and Pensions.
What is simplified is the exemptions to who could possibly earn more than $25,000.
Currently, when a retiree hits the $25,000 maximum, they can decide either to stop working for the rest of the year, or to stop receiving KPERS benefits. They also have to be retired from their current position for a minimum of 60 days before taking a new KPERS position.
According to Legislative Research Analyst Reed Holwegner, who specializes in retirement, this bill excludes the following people from facing penalties: those who take emergency vacancies, special education teachers, and those in hard-to-fill positions.
The bill also excludes those who retire at age 62 or older and are re-employed by a participating school district as well as private contractors and third-party employers.
KPERS exists to provide those who work in public service with benefits upon retirement. Those benefits are prefunded, and according to their online projections, the average, long-term return on investments is 7.75 percent. Currently, there are 151,962 active KPERS members. The majority of them, 84,000, are employed by public schools.
The bill has already gone through the Kansas House of Representatives, passing on a vote of 116-9. The Senate has since referred the bill to the Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance.
Matt Ostrowski is a University of Kansas senior journalism major from Roselle, Illinois.
🎥 Community Connection: Ann Gustad-Leiker – Healing Kids’ Heart Retreat
Children ages 7-12 who have experienced the loss of a loved one, friend or special companion are invited to apply for the “Healing Kids’ Hearts” retreat to be held on March 10, 2017. Mike Cooper visits with The Center for Life Experiences Executive Director, Ann Gustad-Leiker about the event and who it can help.
🎥 Chip sealing work underway to prep for 2017 Street Maintenance Program
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Employees of the Hays Public Works Department are out doing some chip sealing work in preparation for the 2017 Street Maintenance Program which will go into high gear as the temperatures warm.
Other departments are busy as well, including an update to the city’s GIS (Geographic Information System) website by the IT (Information Technology) Department.
Three new Hays Police Department officers have been hired and will all be attending training this month at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Hutchinson.
Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood presented a recent update to city commissioners:
Warren E. Larick
Agra resident Warren E. Larick passed away Friday, February 24, 2017 at the Phillips County Hospital, Phillipsburg, at the age of 66.
He was born July 21, 1950 at the family home in Phillips County, Kansas the son of Willie & Ruth (Gower) Larick.
He is survived by his wife, Jeneviel & twin boys, Patrick & David, all of the home; two sisters, Edna Bolen & husband, Bryan of Sharon Springs, KS and Mary Breit & husband, Gordon of Utica, KS; mother-in-law, Norma Vidal of Agra; father-in-law, Romulo Vidal of Philippines; brother-in-law, Jerome Vidal and sister-in-law, Jovidyn Vidal, both of the Philippines; and numerous nephews & nieces.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, March 3, 2017 at the Heartland Worship Center, Agra, with Pastor Jonathan Gibson and Patrick Allen officiating. Burial will follow in the West Cedar Cemetery, Phillips County.
Mr. Larick will lie in state from noon – 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel with the family receiving friends Thursday evening from 7 – 8 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Agra Fire Department, Heartland Worship Center Youth Fine Arts Dept, or His Children’s Education Fund.
Jessie Sandoval
Jessie Sandoval, 66, of Kanorado, Kansas, passed away Saturday, February 25, 2017 at the Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver, following a brief but courageous battle with cancer.
Jessie is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Angie. They were married in Roswell, New Mexico on August 2, 1985.
Jessie is lovingly remembered by his children: Joe, Charlie, Jessica, Jessie Jr., Victoria, Pamela, Sylvia, Trina, Steven and Jesse, his siblings: Bruna, Victoria, Sylvia, Mary, Bertha, George, Jose, Clarissa and Felix, and mother Amelia, 25 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren, and amazingly Jessie knew them each by name. Jessie is also dearly remembered by his many cousins, nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his father, Jose Sandoval and son, Ben Ford.
Jessie was born in San Antonio, Texas in December 7, 1950. He spent the majority of his youth living in Texas before permanently moving to Kansas. He was a successful truck driver for several years, and finally a self-employed contractor. He worked long days and nights, often up before the sun and home long after sunset.
Jessie enjoyed family fishing trips, hunting, and gambling in Colorado. He loved his Denver Broncos, “telenovelas,” his coffee and some good “chisme,” not necessarily in that order. Jessie saw it all, did it all, and loved to tell you about it. You could be sure that half of every story was true; you just never knew which half. We ask that you stop by and share the stories he can no longer tell.
Visitation will be held on Thursday March 2, 2017 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM MT at the Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland with a vigil service beginning at 7:00 PM.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday March 3, 2017 at 10:30 AM MT at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 307 W. 13th Street in Goodland, KS with Father Norbert Dlabal officiating. Interment will follow at Kanorado Cemetery, in Kanorado, KS.
Memorials are designated to the OLPH Catholic Church and may be left at the service or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.
Online condolences may be left at www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com.
Funeral service arrangements were entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, Goodland.
Scam warning from post offices in Kansas
BARTON COUNTY -Post office staff in Great Bend are warning residents of an internet scam that is making its way through the area and the rest of the country.
Emails are being sent that state they are from the United States Postal Service (USPS), telling customers their shipment could not be completed because no one was at their address.
The scam has a link in the email to click to view the notice and says if a new delivery is not arranged within 24 hours, the shipment will be cancelled and the package returned to the sender, according to Brent Mooney, Postmaster in Great Bend
The USPS has recently added email notifications which might be the reason for the start of these scams.
Mooney warns citizens not to click on any links or attachments.
Out of all the phone calls Mooney and the Great Bend office has received, none of the potential scam victims were expecting a package.
Mooney says another red flag to look for is the tracking numbers. The USPS typically has large tracking numbers for packages that use 20-plus numbers. The email scam has been using much smaller tracking numbers.
One observed email scam had a subject of “Shipment status change notification for parcel #34461600” and showed it was sent from “[email protected].”
Two men found in SW Kan. indicted for unlawful re-entry
OFFICE OF U.S. ATTORNEY
WICHITA–Adan Lucas Vail, 28, a citizen of Guatemala, is charged by the U.S. Attorney General District of Kansas with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Dec. 20, 2016, in Seward County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Gilberto Diaz-Castro, 55, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Feb. 9, 2017, in Finney County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.