September 21, 1922 ~ June 3, 2019
An obituary and services are pending with Koons-Russell Funeral Home.
Month: June 2019
Report names Kansas nursing homes with ‘persistent record of poor care’
By DAN MARGOLIES
Kansas News Service
Nine nursing homes in Kansas and 14 in Missouri are among nearly 400 nationwide with a “persistent record of poor care” whose names had been withheld from the public, according to a U.S. Senate report released Monday.
BIGSTOCK
The facilities are not included on a shorter list of homes that get increased federal scrutiny because of health, safety or sanitary problems.
The names of the previously undisclosed facilities were released by Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey, a Democrat, and Pat Toomey, a Republican, as part of their investigation of federal oversight of nursing homes.
The nearly 400 homes qualify for the federal Special Focus Facility (SFF) program but aren’t selected to participate because of limited resources at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), according to the Senate report.
“Despite being indistinguishable from participants in terms of their qualifications for enhanced oversight, candidates are not publicly disclosed,” the report states. “As a result, individuals and families making decisions about nursing home care for themselves or for a loved one are unlikely to be aware of these candidates.”
Here are the Kansas and Missouri homes that are candidates for the SFF program, according to the Senate report, along with the number of their certified beds. (The bed numbers come from Nursing Home Compare, an online reference maintained by CMS that rates nursing homes based on health inspection reports, quality of care measures and overall staffing.)
Kansas
- Enterprise Estates Nursing Center, Enterprise, 41 beds
- Great Bend Health & Rehab Center, Great Bend, 65 beds
- Woodlawn Care and Rehab, DBA Orchard G, Wichita, 93 beds
- Indian Creek Healthcare Center, Overland Park, 120 beds
- Fort Scott Manor, Fort Scott, 45 beds (This facility closed last year.)
- Pinnacle Ridge Nursing & Rehab Center, Olathe, 94 beds
- Westy Community Care Home, Westmoreland, 43 beds
- Via Christi Village Pittsburg Inc., Pittsburg, 96 beds
- Mount Hope Nursing Center, Mount Hope, 45 beds
Missouri
- Kansas City Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, Kansas City, 180 beds
- Crestview Home, Bethany, 92 beds
- Normandy Nursing Center, St. Louis, 116 beds
- Garden Valley Healthcare Center, Kansas City, 156 beds
- Life Care Center of Bridgeton, Bridgeton, 91 beds
- Hillside Manor Healthcare and Rehab Center, St. Louis, 208 beds
- Parklane Care and Rehabilitation Center, Wentzville, 240 beds
- Crystal Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center, Florissant, 158 beds
- Maple Wood Healthcare Center, Kansas City, 150 beds
- Edgewood Manor Center for Rehab and Healthcare, Raytown, 66 beds
- Christian Care Home, Ferguson, 150 beds (This facility is no longer participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.)
- Lewis & Clark Gardens, St. Charles, 142 beds
- Redwood of Raymore, Raymore, 142 beds
- Rancho Manor Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Florissant, 120 beds
Two Kansas nursing homes and three Missouri nursing homes are in the SFF program:
Kansas
- Serenity Care and Rehab, Overland Park, 145 beds
- Garden Valley Retirement Village, Garden City, 78 beds
Missouri
- Hidden Lake Care Center, Raytown, 112 beds
- St Johns Place, St. Louis, 94 beds
- Green Park Senior Living Community, St Louis, 188 beds
As the Senate report notes, the SFF program “targets those facilities that ‘substantially fail’ to meet the required care standards and resident protections afforded by the Medicare and Medicaid programs.” The program aims to stimulate improvements in their quality of care.
Linda MowBray, vice president of the Kansas Health Care Association, a trade association representing 260-plus Kansas nursing homes, said that SFF program participants are chosen from the poorest performing facilities in the bottom 20% of state inspection surveys.
“The state survey agency identifies two to three facilities from the lowest 20% that have demonstrated a special need for more oversight due to history of deficiencies, staffing levels and/or quality outcomes,” she said.
“They may very well need to be a special focus home,” MowBray said. “But it may be that they are in that bottom quintile because of one particular incident, not necessarily a longstanding history that’s care-related. But some facilities do have a record of having more widespread problems.”
She added: “It’s public information and people need to know it, but I really believe that in Kansas we’re getting our act back together.”
Only 88 nursing homes out of more than 15,700 nationwide are currently participating in the SFF program, according to the Senate report
The program dates to 1987, when Congress enacted the Nursing Home Reform Act requiring nursing homes to maintain “the highest possible mental and physical functional status of residents.” The act also established oversight procedures, including regular surveys and inspections.
Unlike SFF participants, which are required to notify the public of their participation in the program, SFF candidates are not. Adding further confusion to the picture, 27% of the SFF candidate facilities had two stars out of a maximum of five on Nursing Home Compare.
In Kansas, some of the ratings may be dated. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), the agency that conducts nursing home surveys, had fallen behind the federal schedule that calls for nursing homes to be inspected at least once a year.
“It’s taken KDADS quite some time to get caught back up with surveys,” MowBray said. “So we’ve had facilities that have gone as long as 24 months between surveys, and we don’t like that, the homes don’t like that.
“Some of the rankings have been hanging around their neck for a long time and they’ve made quite a few improvements since that bad point. But that bad survey’s still hanging out there.”
Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.
Joyce L. Rupp
Phillipsburg resident Joyce L. Rupp passed away Saturday, June 1, 2019 at the Andbe Home in Norton, KS at the age of 77.
She was born in Natoma, KS on May 12, 1942, the daughter of Floyd & Eva (Kirkendall) Beisner. Her husband, Leo, preceded her in death.
Survivors include her son, Leo, of California; two sisters, Linda Getty of Rusk, TX and Donna Wodecki of Holyoke, MA; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, with Pastor Blake Stanwood officiating. Burial will follow in the Fairview Cemetery, Phillipsburg.
Visitation will be Wednesday, June 5, from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be given to the Humane Society of Hays. Online condolences to: www.olliffboeve.com.
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, is in charge of arrangements.
RTK launches 8th annual photo contest
TOPEKA – The Ranchland Trust of Kansas (RTK) invites professional and amateur photographers to submit photographs for its eighth annual photo contest to showcase the natural beauty of ranching and grazing lands across the state. The competition offers Kansans the chance to explore and capture the many activities, seasons and faces of Kansas’ ranching tradition.
Participants should submit photos expressing the mission of RTK: “To preserve Kansas’ ranching heritage and open spaces for future generations through the conservation of working landscapes.” This may include landscape, livestock and people, with preference to grasslands, grazing land, ranchers, cattle and much more.
Participants may enter up to five photos. The entry deadline for the contest is September 6, 2019. Entries will be judged by a panel of professionals in the field of photography and by RTK representatives.
All prizes for the contest are sponsored by Wolfe’s Camera of Topeka. Wolfe’s will award 10 photo cards to all 10 category winners. Categories include: Grand Prize, Landscape, Livestock, People, Youth (ages 5-17), Kansas Livestock Association Member, Fan Favorite via Facebook voting and Honorable Mentions. The grand prize winner will receive their choice of an 11”x 14” stretched photo canvas or a 12” x 18” metal print of their winning photo.
For full contest rules and to enter, visit www.ranchlandtrustofkansas.org (News, Events, Photo Contest). For questions, please contact Samantha Weishaar at (785) 273-5115 or [email protected].
RTK, Topeka, is an agricultural land trust affiliate of the Kansas Livestock Association, with a mission to preserve Kansas’ ranching heritage and open spaces for future generations through the conservation of working landscapes.
Ellis CYO fried chicken dinner June 16
Ellis St. Mary CYO will be having our monthly pan fried chicken dinner on Sunday, June 16, 2019.
Pan fried chicken dinner includes:
Mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable, coleslaw, dinner roll and dessert.
Served 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. or until sold out at the Ellis Knights of Columbus Hall, 1013 Washington Street, Ellis.
Ticket costs are:
Ages 5 through 9 $5.00
Ages 10 and over $10.00
Kansas Sampler Foundation at Trego Co. Museum Sunday with Kansas Guidebook 2
By DENA WEIGEL BELL
WaKeeney Travel Blog
As part of its yearlong Golden Anniversary celebration, the Trego County Historical Society and Trego Travel & Tourism will be welcoming two tourism experts from the Kansas Sampler Foundation to share stories of the people, places, and activities found in their book, the Kansas Guidebook 2 on Sun., June 9th at 2 p.m. at the museum.
Marci Penner and WenDee Rowe have spent four years visiting every one of the 626 incorporated cities in Kansas. In their guidebook they detail stories, tips, and images from the road that are meant to stir your curiosity and get you excited for a summer of fun in the sunflower state.
“We will take the audience on a picture journey through the state, sharing road trip ideas and telling stories about our adventures,” said Penner. “From restaurant suggestions to art, architecture, history, geography and more, we’ll give you a sampling of what to see in Kansas.“
The guidebook offers a wide array of interesting stops to explore, including historic sites, specialty shops, little known points-of-interest, cemetery finds, bike trails and backroad scenic drives statewide. “There really is something for everyone,” Rowe tells us, “whether you are looking for outdoor sites or ways to get to know a town.”
After the program, the co-authors will sign and sell the Kansas Guidebook 2. The 480-page, coil-bound book can be used to plan your next Kansas road trip. The 4,500 entries provide descriptions, directions, hours, and contact information and there are more than 1,600 color pictures. You’ll even find information about our Trego County treasures.
Penner and Rowe are founders of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, where the mission is to preserve and sustain rural culture. The guidebook is a helpful tool they offer people who are interested in the history of our state and want information and tips to plan their own journey across the state. “Though the book reads like a travel guide, it’s intended to help people get to know the state and learn about Kansas towns of every size,” Penner said.
The museum is also currently featuring a unique souvenir china collection dating the early 20th century and donated by Harold and Marcia Newcomer. The collection includes an array of pieces that will join the collection of souvenir china this is already part of the museum’s exhibition.
Boil Water Advisory rescinded for Russell Co. RWD 3
KDHE
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has rescinded a boil water advisory for Russell County Rural Water District No. 3 located in Russell, Barton and Rush counties.
The advisory was issued for Russell RWD No.3 customers located West Galatia because of a loss of pressure in the distribution system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.
Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure or shutdown. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
Laboratory testing samples collected from Russell County RWD No. 3 indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.
For consumer questions, please contact the water system or you may call KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage:https://www.kdheks.gov/pws/emergencyresponse/water_disruption.htm
HaysMed CHI to be open 24 hours Monday-Thursday
The Center for Health Improvement (CHI) at Hays Medical Center will expand their hours beginning July 1.
The Center will be open 24 hours Monday through Thursday, starting at 5 a.m. on Mondays.
Areas of The Center that will be available during the new hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. include the first floor main locker rooms, gymnasium, mat stretch area, second floor exercise equipment, free weight area and the indoor track.
For more information about the expanded hours go to www.haysmed.com/thecenter/ or call 785-623-5900.
Officials investigating altercation at Kan. sexual predator treatment program
LARNED – Officials from Larned State Hospital (LSH) have opened a criminal investigation into a resident-on-resident altercation.
According to a media release from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, the altercation, which took place Sunday on the resident unit of LSH’s Sexual Predator Treatment Program, resulted in injuries to one of the program’s residents. The extent of those injuries, as well as how the altercation started, is part of the ongoing investigation.
“I take this matter very seriously and am committed to providing a safe environment for every resident,” said Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) Secretary Laura Howard. “I have every confidence our dedicated officials at Larned will conduct a thorough examination of this event and move forward with recommendations to prevent this in the future.”
Results of the criminal investigation will be shared with the Pawnee County attorney.
KDADS is responsible for the administration of Larned State Hospital and Osawatomie State Hospital for Kansans suffering from mental illness and for the Kansas Neurological Institute and Parsons State Hospital and Training Center for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Ellis Co. Commission gives go-ahead on fireworks in the county
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Residents living in rural Ellis County will be allowed to light fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday after the Ellis County Commission on Monday relaxed the ban on the discharge of fireworks in unincorporated areas of the county.
Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management Darin Myers told the county commission several area counties are planning to allow fireworks in the county.
He added, however, that he always has his concerns.
“One accident, one fire, one property lost, one death, whatever it may be weighs hard on trying to say, ‘Yes let’s allow fireworks,’ ” Myers said. “But at the same time, I hate to put these restrictions on the public.
“But it’s very wet this year and it’s green out there, so it kind of eases your concern a little bit.”
As in the past, the times and dates that the discharge of fireworks is allowed in rural Ellis County are the same as the city of Hays — 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 2 to 4.
In other business, High Plains Mental Health Executive Director Walt Hill presented the commission with the organizations 2018 annual report and approved a use agreement between the city of Hays and the Ellis County Fire and Sheriff’s departments and the county EMS department for use of the new fire training facility.
The commission also approved a 2 percent salary increase for all employees and a step adjustment for employees with five or more years of service in their position. The changes are effective July 14.
Commissioners also approved changes to the county’s personnel policy that changes the number of hours required for a person to be considered full-time from 40 hours to 36 hours.
Sheriff: Deer on the move, Barton Co. reports 5 accidents overnight
BARTON COUNTY —Deputies in Barton County worked five car-deer accidents overnight Tuesday, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.
This is an unusually high number for a single night. Normally deer are not as active this time of year. It is possible the recent flooding may have destroyed habitat and the animals are on the move, according to Bellendir.
Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling in the late evening and during the night-time hours. None of the accidents resulted in injury.
Bob L. Eakin
Kirwin resident Bob L. Eakin passed away Monday, June 3, 2019 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE at the age of 60.
Bob was born March 13, 1959 in Beloit, KS, the son of Robert Lee and Betty (Staley) Eakin. He married June Roth on Dec. 8, 1998.
Survivors include his wife, June, of Kirwin, KS; sons, Ryan Eakin of Colorado Springs, CO and Curtis Bretton of Kirwin; daughters, Connie Sivertsen of Manhattan, KS, Lisa Hall and Teresa Starkey, both of Kirwin; his brother, George Eakin; two sisters, Roberta Jackson and Sandra VanWey; 8 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Saturday, June 8, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, with Pastor Chris Davis officiating. Burial will follow in the Kirwin Cemetery.
Visitation will be Thursday & Friday, June 6 & 7, from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be given to the Kirwin Community Playground. Online condolences to: www.olliffboeve.com.
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, is in charge of arrangements.
Loretta M. McCall
Loretta M. McCall, 52, of Russell, Kansas, died on Tuesday June 04, 2019, at her home in Russell.
Services are pending with Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas.