Dr. Parul Singh has joined the medical staff of HaysMed as a full time physician.

Singh, a hospitalist, will join Drs. Patrick Atkinson, Kayla Gray, Erin Hemphill and Pramond Janga, and ARPNs Lindsey Broin, Susie Pfannenstiel, Anissa Sonntag and Brenda Weese, all part of the hospitalist team at HaysMed.

Hospitalists and their team specialize in the care of patients and their families while they are in the hospital — everything from coordinating care, organizing communication with clinical team members and answering questions or concerns.

Singh completed medical school at Hebei Medical University in China. She did her residency in internal medicine at Charleston Area Medical Center, Charleston.

For more information on hospitalist care, visit haysmed.com/hospitalists.

High Plains Mental Health Center is pleased to announce receipt of a $25,000 grant from the Robert E. and Patricia A. Schmidt Family Foundation, based in Hays. The funding will be used to launch a year-long public education and outreach project geared toward rural Kansas and the agribusiness community.

It has long been recognized that farming and related industries are among the most stressful occupations nationwide and this concern has increased in recent years. This is largely due to many factors beyond the farmer’s control, such as commodity prices, weather and climate challenges, changing federal trade policies and high start-up costs, to name a few.

“We are deeply appreciative of this generous award, which will allow us to be more effective at reaching all of our communities with an important message of hope,” High Plains Executive Director Walt Hill said.  “It’s important for folks to know there is help, and there is hope. There are local resources available, and no one has to suffer alone. We hope these efforts will help reduce stigma surrounding mental illness and let people know it’s OK to seek help if you need it. Brain pain is not a sign of personal weakness or failure; mental illness is real illness.”

The agribusiness outreach initiative will include a public awareness symposium, which will be announced in the near future. This event is intended to raise public awareness about challenges facing rural America and the link to cumulative stress and mental health concerns. Other projects included in the grant will include enhanced public outreach activities and media presence, and funding to support several Mental Health First Aid courses in rural areas. The grant also includes funding to assist in training a new regional Mental Health First Aid instructor.

Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour, evidence-based training that teaches community members how to identify possible warning signs of a developing mental health problem or a crisis situation. The class offers a five-step action plan that helps de-escalate crisis situations in a safe and effective way, Hill said.

“Very often, it will not be a health care provider who first realizes an individual’s mental health might be declining. It is likely to be family members, friends or acquaintances, who often want to intervene but are hesitant because they might not know how to help or what to say,” Hill said. “Mental Health First Aid was developed to give our communities the tools they need to face these common challenges.”

As suicide rates continue to climb in rural, frontier areas of the Midwest, now is a critical time to further efforts to educate rural communities about the risks and warning signs of possible mental health challenges, Hill said.

Locally owned and operated since 1964, High Plains employs about 140 staff members throughout its 20-county service area in northwest Kansas. With a main office building in Hays, High Plains also has full-time branch offices in Colby, Goodland, Norton, Osborne and Phillipsburg, in addition to community outreach offices in 14 counties. Other specialized services include Schwaller Crisis Center, a 24-hour crisis hotline and community-based support services for adults and youth. To learn more about High Plains Mental Health Center, visit www.hpmhc.com or find the agency on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

LOGAN – If you enjoy arts and crafts, come spend a fun Saturday in Logan, a farming community nestled in northwest Kansas, on Highway 9.

Logan is home to the Dane G. Hansen Museum which sponsors one of the best arts and crafts fairs in Kansas. Saturday, August 17, 2019, over fifty artists and crafters from Kansas and surrounding states will turn the Hansen Plaza into a shopper’s paradise. Family and friends rally together on Main Street in Logan for this annual event.

There is no admission charge.

Crafters check in before dawn in preparation for the fair’s 9:00 a.m. opening. Food vendors soon begin filling the air with tantalizing smells as they begin preparing delicious offerings such as hamburgers, bratwurst, chicken & noodles, pies, pulled pork sandwiches, sno-cones, kettle corn, and more. If you start the day hungry, you won’t be for long.

The day gets underway with a 5K Run/2 Mile Fun Walk. Registration and t-shirt pickup begin at 7:00 a.m. at the corner of Douglas and Main. The 5K run starts at 8:00 a.m. with the 2 mile walk to follow at 8:15 a.m. All registration fees are donated to Phillips County Hospice Services.

For your listening pleasure, live music on two stages can be enjoyed throughout the day. The south stage will show case the talents of “Lora McDonald” at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. and “Formerly Three” will entertain from the north stage at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Iowa chain saw artist, Blair Smith, will be on the grounds to astonish you with his chain saw artistry. Blair is scheduled to carve at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. Be sure to stop and watch his amazing talent. Two of his incredible sculptures will be given away in drawings at 10:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.

Artisans presenting their skills around the Plaza Square throughout the day include: fast draw shooting by the Deer Creek Regulators; “Fleece to Fabric” by Area Weavers & Spinners and The Shepherd’s Mill; black smith techniques with Brian Bethke; oil painting by National Oil Painters of America Signature Member, David Vollbracht; Joy of Painting instructors T.R. Matthews and Sandra Seamone; and wheel throwing techniques on the potter’s wheel with Chris Goedert.

After strolling around the Plaza, please step inside the museum and meander around the gallery. Our exhibit, “A Life In The Wild,” contains forty of world renown wildlife and nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen’s most prized photographs. While you are in the gallery, don’t forget to check out B Duh Junk’s amazing pressed tin art for sale in our Artist of the Month area.

Amble over to the Community Room where you can check out antique appraising, quilting demonstrations, and membership sales. From 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., antique appraiser Bob Jones will be available to give a free verbal approximation of value on two of your antiques. At 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. watch Janie Lowry’s Festive Table Topper demonstration.

Please stop by the membership table to purchase or renew your Dane G. Hansen Museum membership. Purchasing a membership during the Arts & Crafts Fair automatically enters you in the Hansen Bucks drawings. Five hundred dollars ($500) worth of Hansen Bucks will be given away in drawings held at 10:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Remember to stick around because you must be present to win and spend these bucks!

At 9:00 a.m. Inflate-o-Fun will be ready to entertain the children with a jumper/slide combo and the new meltdown game. At 10:00 a.m. the Logan Medical Clinic will offer free face painting in the Kids Tent.

The highlight of the day will be the selection of 12 new winners (and two alternates) of the coveted “Artist of the Month” award. The crafters are judged for uniqueness, quality of craft, and display. Winners announced at 2:45 p.m. with prizes and photos to follow the fair’s 3:00 p.m. closing.

Join us for the 46th Annual Hansen Arts & Crafts Fair, Saturday, August 17, 2019, on the beautiful Hansen Plaza in downtown Logan, Kansas. Come hungry, bring your wallet, and wear your walking shoes. You’ll leave with a smile.

– SUBMITTED –

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Tuesday evening’s storm in Hays knocked out the main Midwest Energy electrical line trunk that powers Fort Hays State University.

Generators immediately kicked in, according to Ed Howell, FHSU police chief, and the entire campus currently has electricity.

The powerful wind gusts tore down a large portion of the north wall of the campus power plant Akers Energy Center.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Dodge City, a wind gust of 78 mph was measured at the Hays Regional Airport at 7:56 p.m. “You never know what that wind will do coming through this little tunnel area (between buildings),” said Howell.

At 8:20 p.m. the damaging winds were still at 52 mph sustained and gusting to 72 mph at 8:20 pm, the NWS reported in an update.

Campus crews were using heavy equipment late Tuesday night to clear the glass and cement wall block debris from the damaged area and sidewalk. A large limb was torn from a tree along the building driveway to the east.

Other tree damage was noticeable on the east side of Tomanek Hall which is adjacent to the power plant.

Classes start Monday for the fall semester.

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