2018 progress health

Emporia

OUR HEALTH Section B New CrossWinds Wellness Foundation PAGE 2 A Look Back at 2008 PAGE 3 Newman Expansion PAGE 4 Mental Health PAGE 6

OUR ENJOYMENT FEBRUARY 5

OUR SCHOOLS FEBRUARY 12

OUR COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 19

2018 Mon day , Janua ry 29

TEG

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

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Monday, January 22, 2018

NEW CROSSWINDS WELLNESS FOUNDATION SETS SIGHTS ON GROWTH

By Adam Blake

adam@emporia.com

After it was unveiled at a breakfast event last November, CrossWinds Counseling & Wellness staff members have been busy utilizing funds from the CrossWinds Wellness Foundation to help “remove barriers, restore lives and respond to community needs.”

With donations to the organization expected to grow in 2018, so are the aspirations of its members.

“The foundation is really a year-long program where we have what are called ‘Connecting with CrossWinds’ meetings every two weeks,” CrossWinds CEO Rob Runquist said. “They’re an hour long and help build up a groundswell of people that may want to get involved in community mental health.”

So far, the new meetings have proved not only beneficial to the CrossWinds organization, but also to those in attendance.

“We’re interested in people who want to volunteer, but it’s also important to get people aware about mental health issues by educating them on our services, showing them video testimonials, and giving them virtual tours of our facility,” CrossWinds Marketing and Outreach Director Clarice Podrebarac said. “Through the meetings, we have gained board members, a few interns, attendant care workers and people who just want to start accessing our services.”

Last year’s Celebrate CrossWinds event was the first major fundraiser of its type in the organization’s history. A total of eight donor groups, including four from CrossWinds staff and board members, made pledges of $1,000, $5,000, or $10,000 per year for five years to become the Wellness Foundation’s first official members. With the success of the event, CrossWinds is planning to make it an annual tradition. Staff are also looking into building plaques honoring the initial eight donors and the creation of a foundation newsletter.

“The main point behind these biweekly outreaches is trying to get one or two people from each Connecting with CrossWinds meeting to become one of our continued ambassadors throughout the year,” Podrebarac said. “At the end of the year, they will each act as table captains and try to invite at least nine people to our Celebrate CrossWinds fundraiser, which is going to be our annual ‘ask’ event.”

A total of 15 table captains were in attendance last year, and CrossWinds Staff is setting a goal of at least 25 for 2018’s event.

While the organization expects most of its donations to come during their Celebrate CrossWinds fundraisers in late November

ADAM BLAKE/GAZETTE

or December, there are still ways to give and get involved throughout the year.

“We’re not in the business of pressuring people into giving,” CrossWinds Marketing and Development Specialist Dorothy Stevenson said. “We want to find people throughout the year who truly want to get involved. The people who show the most interest and dedication are the ones who usually end up being invited to the event at the end of the year. When people do give us money or materials, we want them to feel excited and proud and know that they’re making a good investment with our organization. We never want anyone to feel forced into opening their checkbook.”

A wish list given out at every Connecting with CrossWinds meeting details needs, including L-Cat passes, gift cards, job and school preparedness items, sensory room items such as weighted blankets and stuffed animals, children’s crafting supplies and hygiene care kits. Money can also be given to assist battered women with their legal fees.

General Wellness Foundation donations to be used in patient care, supplies and general operations can be made online at crosswindsks.org/donate.

“In the past, the funding for our community mental health centers and other things came from the state,” Runquist said. “We treat a lot of people who may not have insurance, so we don’t get reimbursed for about 25 percent of the services we provide. The state and counties we serve each give us a little bit of grant money, but it varies from year to year. We may not get those payments on time or even at all. We realized we were increasingly at the mercy of people outside our organization, so the creation of our Wellness Foundation has mainly been to make us more proactive and self-sustaining.”

CrossWinds has set a tentative donation goal of $2.5 million over the next five years.

The figure accounts for possible changes to Medicaid and state funding, and will ensure the organization is able to continue providing quality services with minimum wait times as well as proper training for its staff.

“The money is great, don’t get me wrong, I really want to meet our foundation goals and see it continue to grow, but I also want to stress the outreach and education portion of it,” Podrebarac said. “It is so important just for people to understand that we are

here for everyone, whether they are going through a tough time in their life or are suffering from an actual condition. Everyone probably knows someone who may need to see us at some point in their lives because we all go through things. CrossWinds can act as a great support system in a person’s day-to-day life.”

Those interested in getting involved through attending Connecting with CrossWinds meetings, becoming ambassadors, making donations of money or time or becoming members of the CrossWinds Wellness Foundation should contact the organization’s daytime number at 343-2211. The next outreach meetings will be held Feb. 13 and 22 and March 13 and 22 at CrossWinds, 1000 Lincoln St. Those wishing to attend should call or contact either Stevenson or Podrebarac at dstevenson@crosswindsks. org and clpodrebarac@crosswindsks.org for more information on times and to reserve a seat.

“It’s OK if you or the people you invite don’t have money to give,” Stevenson said.

“If you or your group can come and hear more about what we do at CrossWinds, that’s just as valuable.”

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

Monday, January 22, 2018

A

L O O K

B A C K

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A T

2 0 0 8

Volunteers help nursing homes, residents

By Bobbi Mlynar

The Emporia Gazette

✦✦Sometimes, to see where we’re going, it helps to take a look back. In this year’s edition of Progress, we are going back a decade. This story is being reprinted from Progress 2008.

In nursing homes across the city and outlying areas, residents’ lives are being enriched by volunteers who come in to tend to the little things — bringing refreshments, helping those who can’t quite feed themselves, playing organized games, escorting people from their rooms to activities and back, and, most important, simply listening to what the residents have to say. An adjunct benefit is that the volunteers free up time for the care-center staff to focus on the needs of the residents.

When Harry died, she Doris B arnett , who “They’re good for me and I continued her habit of comsometimes is called “the think I’m good for them.” ing out to help wherever cappuccino lady,” is one of needed, often both mornthose who makes time to ings and afternoons. It keeps help.

DORIS BARNETT, “The Cappuccino Lady” her from being a couch po“They’re good for me tato, she said. and I think I’m good for Now she helps the resithem,” Barnett said of her relationship with residents at Holiday Re- dents play dominos, bingo and other activities; before she lost her voice, she said, she sort Care Center.

Barnett, who is 79, began her daily vis- led singing. She prays with them when they its to the center when her late husband, want to pray and often gathers small groups the Rev. Harry Barnett, moved in for what to go to the sunroom and visit. Many are drawn to talking about the past and their would become a three-year stay.

Barnett went to the center each morning common experiences, and listening is a role to dress him and get him ready to go out for Barnett, as a preacher’s wife, has broad expemeals and social activities; for a long time, rience with. It is not the easiest thing to do.

“That’s the hardest part; I just listen,” she she also fed him.

“That’s what got me started,” she said. said. “I try to stimulate conversation so we “When I was there, somebody’d need a drink have things to talk about. People look back.

It’s amazing.” and I’d get up and get them something.”

Other times, residents need only to be taken to their rooms or need help from a nurse, and Barnett makes sure they get it.

“It gives me my exercise, that’s for sure, two hours of either running or walking,” she said.

She takes trips with small groups to Walmart to show and helps them shop, too, at the center’s Country Store run by Carol Landis. Residents sometimes receive “scrip” as prizes or rewards that can be used at the store, which is filled with interesting items Barnett and others bring in from garage sales.

The assignments for volunteers are many and varied, and the rewards are great for both the givers and the receivers.

“The Lord is good to me,” Barnett said recently from her home. “It’s really weird. I can be here and be so tired and my feet hurt, and I can go over there and work like crazy.”

Welcome to the Neighborhood

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

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NEWMAN REGIONAL HEALTH EXPANSION ON TRACK

Monday, January 22, 2018

HOLIDAY RESORT’S MISSION: HELPING ELDERS WITH ATTENTIVE, RESPECTFUL AND TIMELY SERVICE. MARY ANN REDEKER/GAZETTE

Steel is swinging into place at the Newman Regional Health emergency room expansion site.

By Melissa Lowery Special to The Gazette

After months of nearly invisible progress, the $14 million Newman Regional Health emergency room expansion project is now advancing visibly.

“We’re moving into the phase where people can start to get a sense of what the new ER is going to look like,” said Harold Blits, vice president of facilities, who is managing the project.

Preparing the site for construction took several months, Blits said. Tons of filler ma-

terial was required to bring the site up to street level, a mechanical equipment room was built underground and utilities were laid. With that phase of construction completed, the concrete foundation was poured in early January, paving the way for the frame of the building to rise.

“This is what we call the ‘swinging steel’ phase,” Blits said. “The crane is here, swinging steel beams into place. We have structural steel workers and iron workers on site, constructing the frame of the new building.”

Please see Expansion, Page 7

“I AM ABLE TO DO MANY THINGS FOR MYSELF BUT NURSING IS THERE IF I NEED THEM. THE STAFF ARE FRIENDLY AND PROFESSIONAL. TO ME THIS IS A FAMILY ATMOSPHERE.” -FLOYD N.

“ITS A NICE PLACE TO BE. THE HELP IS FRIENDLY, AND WE HAVE PLENTY OF ACTIVITIES TO KEEP US BUSY.” - LYNN J.

2700 W. 30th Avenue • Emporia, KS 66801 www.holidayresorts.net • 620-343-9285

Monday, January 22, 2018

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

MARY ANN REDEKER/GAZETTE

The expansion at Newman Regional Health will include a new helipad.

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THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

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Monday, January 22, 2018

AREA PROVIDERS SEE INCREASE IN MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS through the partnership with CrossWinds is the PASS program. This program is available for elementary-aged students with severe behavioral issues to attend school using the same curriculum as the district.

“They’re using the Second Step curriculum, so they’re learning the same vocabulary,” Harder said. “That’s reassuring to students because they’re not doing something completely different. That’s for students who may or may not have services, and one of the benefits of that program is for those students to have that experience with services and maybe they can have that conversation.”

Emporia Public Schools also focuses on relationship-building from the Capturing Kids Hearts program for Pre-K through middle school ages. Emporia High School is using a similar program that focuses on where students are headed after high school. Both EHS and the middle school work with CrossWinds as well to offer services to students who need them.

By Ryann Brooks

brooks@emporia.com

Since 2015, area providers have seen an increase in both adults and children in need of mental health services.

With one in five adults and children in the United States experiencing some form of mental illness according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, it’s no surprise the increase continues to be felt locally.

The American Psychiatric Association defines mental illness as “health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behavior (or a combination of these).” Mental illnesses can cause distress and problems with a person’s social, work or family relationships. The good news is, mental illness is treatable and the APA says most people dealing with mental health issues are able to function in their daily lives.

“I think most people think mental health is for people who need to go to the hospitals,” CrossWinds Counseling & Wellness Marketing & Outreach Director Clarice Podrebarac said. “There’s a stigma there, and the movies don’t really do it any justice.

Mental illness is just harder for people to be comfortable — or they think that you need to have a PhD in psychology to understand it — but it’s really just about relationships.

When we work with any of our clients, that’s what we’re talking about.”

CrossWinds continues to grow CrossWinds is a mental health agency that provides services through therapy, case management, a medication clinic and more to approximately 3,500 people in Lyon, Chase, Coffey, Greenwood, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee Counties. CrossWinds saw a growth of 24 percent — or 1,682 new clients — in 2017.

Podrebarac said only 10 percent of those who receive CrossWinds services are considered to have severe mental illness and take part in community-based services such as case management or attendant care.

“Ninety percent of people we serve have gone through parenting issues or marital issues,” she said. “Maybe they’ve lost a loved one or, ‘I’m feeling some mild depression, things are not going well financially.’ You know, things that can affect my functioning.

It may not be a full-blown mental illness, but it might just be mild or moderate circumstances going on that just is affecting my functioning.”

Podrebarac said in an effort to erase negative perceptions of those dealing with mental illness and reach a higher number

A mental health community of people in the surrounding community, CrossWinds underwent a major expansion and rebranding in April 2016. The rebranding and expansion allowed the organization to develop new programs across its sevencounty service area.

One of the new programs CrossWinds recently introduced is “Connecting with CrossWinds,” which is a volunteer-based program that brings trained ambassadors to CrossWinds locations and educates them about the services available.

“It’s a virtual tour of our agency,” Podrebarac said. “I think we’re doing a good job of educating and outreaching about our services by removing barriers, restoring lives and responding to our community’s needs. This really opens up lines of communication.

Connecting with CrossWinds really bridges some of that and it’s a good way for people to come in and work with us.”

Another area where CrossWinds is reaching out to the community is through its mental health first aid program. The course teaches participants how to identify the signs of a mental health crisis as well as substance abuse. Mental health first responders are trained to keep people calm and safe before emergency services arrive.

“It’s like a regular first aid course that you would take,” Podrebarac said. “You’re going to learn about the signs and symptoms and your role as a mental health first aider, and how to help someone who might be struggling with a mental illness and how you can recognize those signs and symptoms.”

Mental health first aid responders don’t

diagnose or treat mental illness. Podrebarac said the 8-hour training is $50 per person, which includes the cost of course materials and lunch. CrossWinds is offering courses in all seven counties.

Helping children CrossWinds also works closely with Emporia Public Schools to address the needs of children dealing with mental illness and behavioral issues through case management, attendant care and the PASS program along with its new therapeutic preschool program.

“Each school in Emporia has a case manager and a therapist assigned to them,” Podrebarac said.

Executive Director of Special Services for Emporia Public Schools Allison Harder said social emotional success is a large part of the school district’s plan for overall student success and the Kansans Can initiative.

Harder credits the district’s partnership with CrossWinds for helping make improvements in this area.

“That’s been a really successful partnership looking at how we can get school-based mental health services into our schools,” Harder said. “Each school has a therapist or case manager who works in the school, so parents get to choose to have that service provided at the school in a confidential setting. As much as we’d like for services to happen outside of school, there’s just not enough people or enough time in the day for that to happen. Then we’re limiting the time that’s missed academically.”

Harder said another program available

Podrebarac said CrossWinds would like to see more people coming in for treatment, because based on statistics, the population they are currently servicing is just a small percentage of those who might need it.

“When you think about one in five people can be affected by mental illness, that’s a really high number that could be affected,” she said. “We’re just out there trying to (educate). We do speaking events, we talk to the schools; we’re just available to address this by what’s the need and what can we put in place.”

Podrebarac said CrossWinds also works closely with other area agencies such as Community Corrections, Corner House, Inc., SOS CASA of the Flint Hills, Newman Regional Health and the Flint Hills Community Health Center to ensure needs are being met.

“What’s so great about Emporia is, when we find a need, nobody has a problem with picking up the phone,” Podrebarac said. “A small coalition forms and we look at the funding, we look at referrals, and I think there’s a lot of great work going on in Emporia.”

The Flint Hills Community Health Center also provides psychiatric services. FHCHC’s Behavioral Health providers offer education, counseling and therapy services, medication services for depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, as well as other mental health conditions.

Please see Mental Health, Page 7

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

Monday, January 22, 2018

EXPANSION

MENTAL HEALTH

From PAGE 4

From PAGE 6

The expansion will replace the current ER, constructed in 1977, with larger facilities and an integrated Critical Diagnostic Unit to streamline patient care.

“Anyone who has been in the ER knows how tight it is, for patients and for staff,” Blits said. “The new facility addresses that and should result in a huge operational improvement.”

The current ER has 10 beds and a shared entrance for walk-in and ambulance patients.

The new facility will house 19 beds, separate entrances, Express Care and private spaces not currently available. The new ER will also be connected to the Critical Decision Unit, which is now on the third floor.

“Having CDU attached to the ER will make it easier to move people through the ER process,” Blits said. “They’re symbiotic units, but they’ve been physically separate.

Now they’ll be next to each other and share some services.”

Blits estimated that at least half of all hospital admissions come through the ER. Streamlining the process will ease waiting times and improve patient care overall.

“Folks in Lyon County and the surrounding areas should see a change in how ER services are administered,” he said.

Currently, the project is slightly under budget and slightly behind schedule. Because construction is still in the external phase, the recent cold set work back about a week. Blits is confident that lost time will be made up, however.

“We have a lot of local guys working out there, and they have a vested interest in doing right by this project,” he said. Local firms on the project include Burnap Bros., Grimmett Construction and Bruce Davis Construction.

The project is being conducted under a construction manager at-risk model, meaning the architect, engineers, construction manager and hospital administration designed the project together. Project costs are agreed upon and guaranteed by the construction manager prior to final design work being completed. Should costs exceed the estimate, the construction manager absorbs those costs. Should costs come in under the estimate, the hospital will use the savings for further improvements.

“So far bids have come back at or below estimates, giving us a savings of about $200,000,” Blits said. “The beauty of a facility like ours is that we reinvest in ourselves, so those savings can be invested in additional equipment, facilities improvements or in our staff.”

Construction on the new ER will continue throughout 2018 with a projected opening date of Jan. 2019.

Both CrossWinds and FHCHC offer serves on sliding fee scales, and accept a number of insurance providers.

Newman Regional Health does not provide psychiatric services, but the hospital does serve as a stabilization unit through the emergency department when a patient in crisis is brought in.

“What we do is determine if a patient has an emergency medical condition,” Chief Nursing Officer Julia Pyle said. “If they have that emergency medical condition, then we either need to arrange for admission to an observation unit or, if we don’t provide those services here, to a higher level of care. Really, all we are doing is providing an evaluation to determine if there is an emergency medical condition and providing a plan of care from that point.”

Emergency services Pyle said Newman will refer patients to CrossWinds for mental health services, as well as to other agencies in Kansas depending on the severity of the patient.

“If they go voluntarily, we can make those arrangements — and many times do make those arrangements— to get them to where they need to get the appropriate services,” Pyle said. “If it’s an involuntary admission, that’s when we call CrossWinds to provide a screening.”

Pyle said the State of Kansas requires specially trained individuals to provide mental health screening, and CrossWinds has those qualified individuals on staff.

“We have a good relationship with them and work closely with them to provide those emergency services for us,” Pyle said.

Newman Regional Health staff members undergo crisis prevention intervention training. Pyle said it’s designed to keep both staff and patients safe during a crisis.

“It teaches our staff how to de-escalate a patient,” Pyle said. “From a medical standpoint, obviously the care they provide is what we’re all trained to provide such as drawing lab work, doing assessments and so forth, until we can get them at the level of care that they need. We do not provide any psychiatric care here.”

CEO Bob Wright said some of the challenges Newman Regional Health and other local agencies face today is the growing number of mental illness among the community.

“We’re seeing an increase, a real increase, in our area and I think in most ERs,” Wright said. “The issue that we have

to deal with is, other than the training that physicians themselves have received in their residency and the experience they’ve gained over the years — especially the ER physicians — it’s about 6 percent of the diagnoses that come into the ER are mental health related. These patients typically, when they’re brought to us, are in crisis, so they’re either not managing their prescriptions correctly or they’ve had a triggering event either related to that or related to some other substance they’ve taken. We have to screen them not only for an emergency medical condition, but also evaluate them to make sure they’re not a danger to themselves or others.”

Wright said Newman’s physicians are not equipped to provide psychoanalysis or diagnosis for mental health issues, so the hospital does what it can to ensure patients are stabilized. Over the last two years, the hospital’s transfers for psychiatric issues has grown to account for more than 13 percent of its overall transports.

Just two years ago, the number was about 1 percent.

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“We can’t start any kind of real therapy with those patients because we don’t have those professionals in town who are capable of doing that,” Wright said. “That’s the quandary the whole mental health system is in.”

Another challenge, Wright said, is funding issues for mental health services throughout the state. With continued cuts to mental health funding, it’s getting harder for patients to get help before they reach an acute stage. State psychiatric hospitals have been unable to increase the number of beds available, despite increases to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

“I hate to say that all things come back to finances, but that’s the reality,” Wright said. “Most of the providers that are dealing with mental health are underfunded, and the problem’s growing.”

Still, Wright said Newman Regional Health staff is doing what it can to ensure patients get access to the services they need.

If you are someone you know is in need of mental health services, contact CrossWinds at 343-2211 or FHCHC at 342-4864.

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

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Monday, January 22, 2018

newman regional health newman regional health provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical care for all ages with a mission to improve health in our community by providing high quality care. With services to meet the full continuum of care, newman regional health invites you to keep your healthcare local

for your whole life.

newman regional health medical partners

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newman regional health emergency Department project renovation

expanding to fit the needs of our growing community

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