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Month: February 2018

Psych Bed Shortage Could Be Driving Kan. Foster Care Problems

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BY MADELINE FOX

Susan Fout, a state behavioral health commissioner, presents data about psychiatric residential treatment facilities to the Child Welfare System Task Force. Fout’s testimony frustrated task force members, who wanted more analysis.
MADELINE FOX / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE

Troubles in the Kansas foster care system might stem in large part from a shortage of places that can help children in psychiatric crisis, say some lawmakers and child advocate groups.

Since 2013, the number of psychiatric residential treatment facilities in Kansas has dropped from 11 to eight, with 222 fewer available beds.

That left many kids who can’t get the care they need sleeping in the offices of foster care contractors when beds aren’t available. The issue came under scrutiny Friday at a meeting of the Child Welfare System Task Force.

Even the boys and girls placed successfully in psychiatric facilities sometimes stay too briefly in residential care, say social workers, lawmakers and contractors.

Child welfare advocates have raised alarm bells that kids’ stays are shorter than they used to be, meaning children return home before they’re ready and are at greater risk of returning to a psychiatric ward in the future.

Since the state’s KanCare program started in 2013, Kansas’ three Medicaid health plan providers have determined whether and for how long children in state custody need psychiatric residential treatment.

Lawmakers and child welfare advocates learned Friday that the length of stay varies widely from provider to provider.  Members of the task force said that state officials seemed to lack a good explanation for the variances.

Foster kids whose treatment was managed by one provider, Sunflower, stayed an average of 60.9 days in 2016, compared to 85.9 with United and 103.1 through Amerigroup.

Officials from the two state agencies that regulate psychiatric care and oversee Medicaid couldn’t explain the varying ranges to the task force.

Members of the panel said they were frustrated. If the differing patterns between the companies have existed since KanCare was born six years ago, they wondered, why isn’t there an explanation?

Sen. Barbara Bollier questions state officials about psychiatric residential treatment facilities. Bollier pressed the officials to examine data to ensure the state’s Medicaid providers were meeting kids’ psychiatric needs.
CREDIT MADELINE FOX / KANSAS NEWS SERVIC

“I don’t understand why it’s six years in and you’re caught like a deer in the headlights,” said Sen. Barbara Bollier.

Susan Fout, the behavioral health commissioner for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, suggested measuring the effectiveness of residential treatment stays not by the number of days, but by how many people had to be readmitted. That idea was also championed in a report released last month by a governor’s mental health task force.

Neither KDADS nor the Kansas Department of Health & Environment had data on readmission rates. That also angered Bollier. She said the task force’s frustration at so many unanswered questions might jump-start the agencies’ efforts to get more numbers, and to better explain what those numbers mean.

“These are kids’ lives,” she said. “We have to do better.”

Madeline Fox is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can reach her on Twitter @maddycfox

18-year-old Kansas woman dies after drive by shooting

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Police on the scene of Tuesday’s fatal shooting- photo courtesy KWCH

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal Tuesday morning shooting.

Just before 2:30a.m. police were dispatched to a shooting call in the 1600 Block of South Estelle in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. When officers arrived they located an 18-year-old woman with a single gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Davidson.

The teen’s 40-year-old mother and her 18-year-old boyfriend were also in the vehicle.  Investigators determined the three had just arrived home and parked the car in the street when an unknown suspect drove by and fired multiple shots that hit the teen.  The mother and boyfriend were not injured.

Police don’t have a description of the suspects or their vehicle.

This is the fourth homicide in Wichita this year. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

Veteran Service Representative Schedule for Feb.

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Veteran Service Representative Schedule for February 2018

WEATHER PERMITTING, I WILL BE AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

1st Tuesdays 2/6/18 Stockton Courthouse 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

2nd Tuesdays 2/13/17 Ness City Library (Even Months) 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM

3rd Tuesdays 2/20/17 Osborne Veterans Building 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Russell City Hall 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

4th Tuesdays 2/27/17 NO PHILLIPSBURG OR SMITH CENTER ITINERANT THIS MONTH. SEE YOU IN MARCH.

The Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs assists veterans and authorized family members, free of charge, in matters pertaining to their VA claims and benefits.

All itinerants are on a first come first served basis. No appointment needed.

Douglas Storie

Douglas Storie, VSR
Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs
Veteran Service Representative
205 E. 7th Suite 107
Hays, KS 67601

Phone: 785-259-0364
FAX: 785-650-0392
E-mail: [email protected]

Free kidney checkup at Celebration Community Church Wellness Fair

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The National Kidney Foundation is offering a free kidney checkup through its KEEP Healthy program Sat.,  February 10, 2018 at Hays Middle
School from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

All KEEP Healthy participants will answer a brief health-risk survey and have their height, weight and blood pressure measured. At-risk individuals will have their kidney health checked through a simple, onsite, ACR urine test. The ACR test can identify protein in the urine, which is often the first sign of kidney disease. Free educational materials will be provided and a medical professional will review results and answer questions from participants.

One in seven Americans has kidney disease and most don’t know it. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney failure, or are over the age of 60, you are at risk and should have your kidneys checked.

To register for KEEP Healthy, contact the National Kidney Foundation at 913.262.1551 ext. 473 or www.kidney.org/KEEPregisterKS.

Urine strips and accessories for KEEP Healthy are provided by Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Inc. and Quantimetrix Corporation. This event is in partnership with Celebrate Health Ministry Wellness Fair.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease for hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals, millions of patients and their families and tens of millions of Americans at risk. For more information on kidney health, visit kidney.org.

Weed control update for field crops

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Farmers come and join us for a “Weed Control Update Meeting” featuring K-State Research and Extension Weed Control specialists Dallas Peterson and Curtis Thompson.

Covering topics of required Dicamba applicator training for growing Dicamba resistant soybeans, weed control updates for field crops, troublesome weeds…Palmer Amaranth, Kochia, Marestail, and more! As always, there will be time for your questions and answers. In addition, Certified Crop Adviser continuing education units have been applied for.

The “Weed Control Update” is on Thursday, February 15 at the American Ag Credit Building, 5634 10th Street, Great Bend, Kansas. Registration begins at 2:30 p.m. with the program kicking off at 3 p.m. and concluding at 6 p.m. with a light supper.

RSVP requested for meal count by Monday, February 12; call Cottonwood Extension Office in Great Bend at 620-793-1910, or email Brenda [email protected]

Spring crops forum offered

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Spring will soon be here and farmers will be preparing for planting corn and grain sorghum. To hear the latest updates on production practices for corn and sorghum, come join us for a “Spring Crops Update” featuring K-State Research and Extension agronomy specialists Ignacio Ciampitti and Lucas Haag.

Covering topics concerning best production practices for corn and sorghum, seeding rates, row spacing, hybrid selection, production problems observed and Q & A.

The “Spring Crops Update” is on Wednesday, February 14 at the Cottonwood Extension Office meeting room, 601 Main Street in Hays, Kansas. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. with the program starting at 11 a.m. and concluding at 2:30 p.m.

A free noon meal provided courtesy of sponsors. RSVP requested for meal count by Monday, February 12, call 785-628-9430, or email Theresa [email protected]

Cancer Council of Ellis Co. to celebrate Survivors Day

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Cancer Council of Ellis County invites you to the Cancer Survivors Day Celebration at the FHSU women’s and men’s basketball games Sat., February 17. Games begin at 2 p.m. and at 4 p.m.

Come celebrate your survivorship while cheering on the Tigers. There will be a 50/50 drawing, with the winner announced during the men’s game.

Stop by the Cancer Council office, 701 Riley, for free tickets to the games – while supply lasts.

The Cancer Council of Ellis County is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1986. The Cancer Council serves people through financial assistance, medical equipment loans, nutritional supplements, and education about cancer prevention and early detection.

For more information call 785-625-6653 or stop by the office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

LETTER: Seniors have not fared well under KanCare

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The Kansas Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Disabilities (k4ad), representing all eleven of the Area Agencies on Aging across the state of Kansas, recently provided data to the Kansas legislature indicating seniors are not faring well under the current KanCare system.

The data indicate the number of seniors receiving Home and Community Based Services under KanCare since 2010 has decreased by over 1,000. The expenditures for community-based services is down by over $14,000,000 from 2010. The number of nursing facility KanCare residents is also down.

And, yet, the Kansas aging population continues to rapidly increase. The Kansas Statistical Abstract for 2016 indicates the population projection for people age 65 and over will increase by 82.4% from 2014 to 2044.

Dan Goodman, Johnson County Area Agency on Aging Director and President of the k4ad, recently noted that “in Johnson County alone, the senior population will increase by more than 40,000 from 2014-2024.”

The Area Agencies on Aging are concerned that today’s seniors, particularly those seniors over the age of 85, are unable to gain access to KanCare services when needed, whether the senior chooses to remain at home or move to a nursing facility.

With the implementation of KanCare, there have been two major changes. The first is elimination of “high-touch” case management for seniors at the local level. The second is removal of “high-touch” assistance for seniors applying for KanCare at the local level.

Michelle Morgan, Northwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging Director, Hays, said “the elimination of assistance at the local level has created barriers and unnecessary confusion for seniors and their caregivers. Assistance needs to return to the local aging experts.”

The Kansas Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Disabilities (k4ad), represents all eleven Area Agencies on Aging in Kansas.

County commission approves bid for 601 Main remodel

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By JON ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Renovations to the Ellis County offices at 601 Main Street will begin soon after the Public Building Commission (PBC) awarded a bid for remodel to Paul-Wertenberger Construction of Hays.

The commission approved the base bid and two alternates for a total $287,500. The bid from Paul-Wertenberger Construction was the lowest bid submitted.

Currently the Ellis County Health Department and Kansas State Research and Extension are housed in the building at 601 Main St. but with the health department set to move to 2507 Canterbury Drive, the Extension District will be the sole occupant of the building.

In 2013 the PBC issued bonds to remodel the Administrative Center at 718 Main and 601 Main was also covered under the bonds. Storm drainage is the main issue that needs addressed with the remodel at 601.

According to County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes, the PBC has $267,000 for the remodel and Ellis County has an additional $30,000 budgeted in 2018 to pay for improvements.

Alternate one is removing and installing new carpet in the Extension side of the building. Alternate number two includes removing and installing new floor tile in the meeting room.

Commission member Barb Wasinger moved in favor of approving the bid with two alterntes and said the work needs to be done.

“That building has been neglected for a very long time,” said Wasinger.

Under the agreement Paul-Wertenberger Construction will have 90 days to complete the project. Smith-Hanes said he anticipated have a contract for the commission to sign at next week’s meeting.

As the Ellis County Commission, they approved a five-year jail maintenance contract with CLM Security of Erie, Colorado, for $57,617.50

In other business, commissioners:

  • Appointed Jane Wagner to Victoria Township Clerk
  • Approved the sale of surplus county property on Purple Wave Auction
  • Approved the 2017 Noxious Weed Report and accepted the 2018 plan
  • Selected KPERS/Empower Retirement as the county’s sole provider of payroll deduction deferred compensation
  • Gave the go-ahead to create a nine-member Wage and Benefit Committee for Ellis County employees

Hunting biz owner admits illegally importing deer to Kansas

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image courtesy Horseshoe Hill Outfitters

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man who owns a trophy-hunting company has pleaded guilty to illegally importing deer into Kansas.

The U.S. attorney’s office says 48-year-old Robert McConnell, pleaded guilty Monday to four counts. The Slippery Rock man owns Horseshoe Hill Outfitters, which advertises “big game hunting adventures” in Kansas, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Ontario.

Prosecutors say he violated an act that regulates the trade of wildlife, fish and plants. In two counts, McConnell admitted to importing deer that weren’t from an accredited herd, weren’t officially identified and didn’t have a certificate of veterinary inspection. In two others, he admitted to importing domesticated deer.

Sentencing is set for May 21. Both sides are recommending a fine of at least $10,000 and five years of probation during which he couldn’t do business in Kansas.

Leo Eugene Trompeter

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Leo Eugene Trompeter died Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. He was born Thursday, Sept. 24, 1936.
Cremation was chosen. No services are scheduled at this time. 
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