Vision 2020 - Pawnee County Progress

Special to the Great Bend Tribune Sunday, January 26, 2020

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• GREAT BEND (KAN.) TRIBUNE • SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020

Three advanced practice nurses join Heart of Kansas

Bonnie Landgraf

T

he three advanced practice registered nurses who recently began caring for patients at Heart of Kansas Family Heath Care in Larned bring about 75 years combined experience to the clinic.

Brett Middleton, Heart of Kansas chief executive officer, said “we are extremely excited” to have Kara Keenan, Bonnie Landgraf and Jenny Manry join the Heart of Kansas family.

“Each of these experienced, compassionate practitioners is a great asset to Heart of Kansas,” Middleton commented.

“They are dedicated to their patients and families, as well as their community. Larned and nearby communities can count on high-quality service with a personal touch.

“We are looking forward to expanding our services in our Larned clinic,” he added.

“Residents in this area deserve the best healthcare services possible and these three professionals will help deliver them.”

Kara Keenan Kara Keenan sees patients of all ages, providing care and treatment for acute and chronic concerns.

She also offers women’s health services and is certified to administer Kansas Department of Transportation physicals.

“I wanted to care for patients at Heart of Kansas because of its community-minded philosophy,” Keenan said. “It is great to be in a clinic that cares for all patient populations, regardless of ability to pay.

“I have been a provider in the Larned community for 17 years,” Keenan added. “I love caring for multi-generations of families in this wonderful community. I have built trusting relationships over the years and am

Kara Keenan

Jenny Manry

eager to care for even more families at Heart of Kansas.”

Keenan earned her bachelor of science in nursing in May 1995; a master’s of science in nursing in 2002; and a doctor of nurse practitioner in 2018. Each degree is from Fort Hays State University (FHSU).

Her background includes being a primarycare provider at Pawnee Valley Medical Associates, Trinity Medical Associates and St. Joseph Family Medicine, as well as nursing responsibilities at Edwards County Hospital and Centura Health. Keenan also was a nursing instructor at FHSU. Bonnie Landgraf Bonnie Landgraf, who specialized in pediatric nursing for 25 years, also cares for patients of all ages.

“I love seeing children from newborn through high school,” Landgraf commented. “I am dedicated to meeting the needs of growing families.

“This new position is gratifying because I want to be part of a growing clinic that believes in meeting the needs of the Larned community, regardless of the patient’s background or ability to pay.”

Landgraf is originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., but after her older children completed high school “my family and I felt it was the perfect opportunity to move closer to my husband’s family in rural Kansas.

“From baseball to 4-H, we have captured life in rural America and truly love the Larned community and the people in it.”

Landgraf has been a registered nurse since 1990; she earned her bachelor of science in nursing at Ohio University in 2008 and her master of nursing in 2016 at Carlow University. She

is currently enrolled in the doctor of nurse practitioner program at FHSU; graduation is expected next year.

Landgraf ’s experience includes positions at Pawnee Valley Medical Clinic, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Pediatric Services of America. She also has served as a pediatric instructor at FHSU. Jenny Manry Jenny Manry also sees patients of all ages for acute and chronic issues, as well as for wellness exams.

“Patients can be assured I will listen closely to them,” Manry said. “I love caring not only for my patients but for their families as well. Heart of Kansas is the perfect setting for personal care.

Also, I wanted to be here because of the Heart of Kansas focus on holistic patient care.”

Manry grew up in Larned and now has fulfilled one of her dreams.

“I always wanted to return to my hometown to care for patients,” she explained. “Whether someone needs same-day care and/or a long-term provider, I would be delighted to care for you and your family.”

Manry earned her bachelor of science in nursing in 1999 and a master of science in nursing in 2002, both at FHSU. She went on to get a doctorate of nursing

Kara Keenan

75 years combined experience Bonnie Landgraf

Jenny Manry

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Her employment background includes Department Chair of Nursing and instructor at FHSU. Manry has held positions at Pawnee Valley Medical Associates, Trinity Medical Associates, Central Kansas Medical Center, Hays Medical Center, FHSU Student Health Center and Galichia Medical Group.

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COURTESY PHOTO

A Plains Indian lodge tepee, shown in this conceptual image, is part of the American Indian section of the new museum exhibits coming to Fort Larned National Historic Site. This exhibit will feature a holographic image of a Native American Indian woman telling her story.

Fort Larned updates Visitor Center A fter years of preparation, the exhibit upgrades at the Fort Larned National Historic Site’s Visitor Center are almost complete.

Installation is scheduled to be completed

by February and will be available to the public as soon as they are installed. The official Fort Larned Museum Dedication and Celebration will be on April 18, with programs from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. that highlight the complex, multi-cultural history of the fort.

“We hope it’s quite the event,” said Park Ranger Ben Long. “We’re definitely looking forward to it.”

One of the new interactive exhibits will be a Plains Indian tepee with holographic image. A Pepper’s Ghost optical illusion – named for 19th century inventor John H. Pepper and sometimes mistakenly called a hologram – will allow a Plains Indian woman to appear and tell her story.

During the upgrade, most of the artifacts that complemented the old exhibits have not been on display. The ones that will be used in the new exhibits were sent to the Western Archeological Center for conservation work. Other artifacts were put into curatorial storage when the staff temporarily moved exhibits to the Quartermaster Warehouse in the summer of 2018 to install new carpet at the Visitor Center.

Some of the artifacts are back on display but the amount of exhibit displays was reduced during the process of getting the new exhibits installed.

According to the Fort Larned website (nps.gov/fols), this project started in 2014 when curators identified the need to replace the fort’s 40-year-old exhibits.

A request for the money was made to the

National Park Service and once it was approved the planning and design phase began. The design firm that won the contract was The Design Minds out of Alexandria, Virginia.

“While our current exhibits are very informative about Army life at Fort Larned and the Plains Indian tribes in the area, they are not necessarily interpretive, and we don’t have anything about the Santa Fe Trail,” an article on the website explains. “By ‘not interpretive’ we mean they don’t tell the story of how the different people and cultures interacted, how the Santa Fe Trail impacted the tribes living in the area, how the soldiers coped with life at a lonely frontier outpost, or who the traders were on the trail. The idea behind the new exhibits is to put the history into the context of the lives of the people in the area whom the Santa Fe Trail brought together at Fort Larned.

“The first thing we needed to do in the design phase was figure out what our ‘Big Idea’ would be. What would tie all the different stories together? Next we had to think about what we wanted the visitors take away with them after viewing the exhibits. Once we figured those two things out, we needed to determine what design approach would best accommodate those things.”

The key concepts Fort staff would like visitors to take away with them after viewing the exhibits are: • The fort transformed from improvised shelters, to sandstone buildings, to a ranch, to the historic site we see today.

• Many cultures encountered one another at Fort Larned, including the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche,

African Americans, European immigrants and Hispanic traders.

• In just two decades, Fort Larned’s soldiers played a key role in securing the Santa Fe Trail, protecting U.S. mail, and engaging in military conflicts.

• Plains Indians had a complicated relationship with this site. This is where they received annuities, but soldiers from Fort Larned also participated in campaigns against Indian populations.

The design approach involves dividing

the exhibit area into four sections to tell a sequential story through distinct periods of the fort’s history.

An introductory “fast track” funnels visitors down a hallway and into the theater. Exhibits include overview panels highlighting major stories within the exhibits as well as two “breakout” areas focusing on Plains Indian tribes and bison. The center of each exhibit explores cultural interactions between specific groups.

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• GREAT BEND (KAN.) TRIBUNE • SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020

VERONICA COONS Great Bend Tribune

In 2019, the Pawnee County Conservation District partnered with USD 495 Larned on an extensive windbreak project to protect the new Larned Elementary School. Pictured here (above) evergreen trees planted north of the school, and (below) the complete plan created by Kansas State Forester John Klemper.

A Partnereship vision Pawnee County Conservation District partnered with school on windbreak project Pollinator strip and outdoor classroom will complete vision

BY VERONICA COONS vcoons@gbtribune.com

J

ared Gingrich is a second grade teacher at Larned Elementary School. In 2018, he was teaching a segment on erosion that spring. He contacted the Pawnee County Conservation District and asked PCCD Manager Kathy Rondeau for some resources. She arranged for herself, the District Conservationist Jamie Holopirek and Kansas State Forester John Klemper, Garden City, to visit the class and talk about erosion and all the amazing ways trees work in the environment to halt its effects. One of the activities they led to illustrate the power of windbreaks was a game of Red Rover. “First, we had the students stand one in front of the other, and had the other side run through,� Rondeau said. “Then, we had everyone in the front row take a big step sideways, and put their arms out before having the other side run through, and of course

they hit the resistance.�

After the presentation, Gingrich explained that the class wanted to plant a few trees outside the school building. That was the first year the newly constructed school had been open. It was built on land donated to the school by a local farmer, so it had no trees and sometimes the wind picked up sand that made outdoor play a challenge. “The four of us went out there, and we determined more than a few trees were needed,�

Rondeau said.

Rondeau talked to Holopirek and the PCCD board members about taking on fundraising for a windbreak as a project for the district.

Klemper was asked back for a second look. He determined that while a windbreak on the school grounds would be a good thing, it wasn’t nearly enough to truly protect the school. Together, they determined they would need to approach the neighboring property owners to the west and the north and ask for their cooperation to expand the project. Both landowners agreed to help, so Klemper put together the windbreak plan.

Included are several rows of cedar, Ponderosa pine and Shumard oak, as well as hundreds of feet of lilacs and mixed shrubs

including Rose of Sharon, cotoneaster and sandhill plums.

Between plantings to the north of the school, a pollinator strip will be planted this year in the spring, Rondeau said.

In March, the conservation district announced its sponsorship drive for the project. A raffle was held to benefit the project, and $750

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was raised. In addition, sponsorships and donations of $9,475 and in-kind value of the land north of the school worth $1,377 were donated to the project. To date, $7,000 has been spent, and the remaining $4,600 will go towards a greenhouse and outdoor classroom space the school hopes to add in the near future.

In addition, the City of

Larned provided a water meter for the project, free of charge, provided a licensed plumber from within the county was hired to install the hydrant.

Installation began in mid-April after representatives from the Rush County Conservation District brought equipment and tilled the planting strips,

at cost. Volunteers laid drip tape and weed barrier fabric, burying the edges of the fabric in defense from the brisk Kansas wind.

In May, students from Gingrich’s 2018 second grade class, now in third grade, along with community volunteers and members of the 2019 second grade class worked together to plant the nearly 700 trees. Total, there were 200 volunteer hours provided by adults, and 124 volunteer hours provided by youth.

Gingrich and some of the parents also returned to build raised beds for other plantings, Rondeau said.

It’s expected that a small percentage of seedlings will fail the first year, so it will take a few years for the Larned Elementary School windbreak to become established. But these students, years from now, will be able to relive the experience of creating a lasting amenity to their school when they return for class reunions, or perhaps return to the school as their own children enroll.

A plaque listing all the sponsors for the project has been made, and Rondeau will present it to Gingrich who planned to accept it on behalf of the school district at the PCCD Annual Meeting on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.

GREAT BEND (KAN.) TRIBUNE • SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020 •

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Larned High School News Items

COURTESY PHOTOS Janet Fleske

Larned High School’s District Band and Choir Selected through Auditions Choir: Dakota Burger, Bass; Faith Thompson, Soprano; Nicole Poyner, Alto; Darnell Ellis, Alto. Band: Phillip Applequist, Tenor Saxophone. Area bands and choirs met at Dodge City High School on December 7, 2019, where they rehearsed during the day and presented a concert that evening.

Larned High School FACS Mock Interviews Mrs. Jacque Wasinger’s FACS class at Larned High School participated in mock interviews during the fall semster to obtain practice in preparing and participating in mock interviews for future potential jobs. Professionals from the Larned community interviewed Wasinger’s students for possible jobs from dentistry to chiropractic positions to teaching. Wasinger’s students prepared for the interviews with potential questions and proper etiquette and then participated in a self reflection activity following their interviews before viewing the observations from the interviewers. This type of activity provides practical skills for the LHS students when they enter the work field now and following their graduation from Larned High School.

YOU’RE MOBILE! Larned High School’s Welding Team The Larned High School welding team competed at Dodge City Community College during the fall semester, along with 15 other schools with 87 total entries. This was the first time Larned participated in this welding competition.

Each individual student took a written test, worked with an oxy-acetylene torch, and produced a weld using the arc welding process. Larned’s Trevor Bartz placed 24th and John Stedje placed 26th with the Larned team consisting of Bartz, Stedje, Peyton Solk and Corbin Weers taking tenth place. Brice Gibson teaches the welding classes at Larned High School.

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Larned High School’s Student Council oversee Christmas Angel Tree Project Approximately 40 “angels” from the LHS Student Council’s angel tree were waiting to be chosen by a generous person in order to make their 2019 Christmas a special one. Partnering with the Larned Lions Club to provide a joyous Christmas to those in need, the LHS Student Council attended a Chamber of Commerce Coffee Hour at the Pawnee Valley Community Hospital campus to allow community members another chance to pick a family to help.

Gifts were dropped off at the Larned High School office by Dec. 3, making Christmas extra special for some families.

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• GREAT BEND (KAN.) TRIBUNE • SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020

‘IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT’ Eilts, Vanderhoof lead effort to restore once-beleaguered wastewater plant

BY DANIEL KIEWEL dkiewel@gbtribune.com

L

arned City Manager Bradley Eilts’s tone has changed markedly lately when he discusses the condition of the Larned Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Eilts spoke with glowing enthusiasm about the significant improvement of conditions at the plant following more than a year of massive repair efforts to bring the plant back into compliance with Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) standards. “It’s the biggest professional challenge I’ve had in 20 years,� Eilts said.

In October 2018, when Eilts first was made aware of the mounting issues and disrepair at the facility through a letter from KDHE, he said, “I was taken aback.� “I knew we’d been having some reporting problems, but we thought that had been resolved,� he said. “What we found out was, in the past the plant hadn’t been properly maintained by the department head.�

The letter the city received was a notification to the city of a $23,000 fine stemming from multiple ignored requests for repair and maintenance at the plant. The letter detailed several repairs that needed to be made within 60 days of its receipt. The failed repairs had resulted in more than a year of poor quality wastewater being discharged into the Arkansas River. Dale Vanderhoof, the plant’s director, described as almost black in color at the time the scale of the problems was first discovered.

Vanderhoof was part of a team that included himself, Eilts and civil engineer Chad Lawson, who was also design engineer for the Larned facility. The team was initially put together to address the significant maintenance shortcomings. Vanderhoof was, at the time, a consultant with WW Water who the city had contracted with in the past. He was a wastewater management trainer with a Level 4 wastewater certification. Larned Water Superintendent Josh Taylor was part of the effort, as well. “Dale has a great reputation with KDHE and Kansas Municipal Utilities,� Eilts said.

When Vanderhoof first witnessed the facility, he said, “I just about cried.�

He said he was taken aback by the condition of the plant that, at the time, was less than 10 years old, and was previously described by Eilts as “stateof-the art.�

Vanderhoof said he lost a lot of sleep early on due to the decrepit condition of the plant, indicating that there was no part of the plant that did not require significant maintenance.

The list of problems was staggering. According to the KDHE order, the list included: • One UV disinfection train down • Bar screen chain broke • Polymer system not in operation • Belt broken on the grit system • Belt filter press had not been operation since August 2017 • Two SBR influent flow valves were not in operation on basins one and two • Blower #1 not in service This resulted in a host of problems, including E. coli effluent violations eight times from March 2017 through April 2018, with results in excess of more than nine times the monthly effluent limit reported for five of

DANIEL KIEWEL Great Bend Tribune

Employees at the Larned Wastewater Treatment facility attend a training session. Increased education was a key component to improving the condition of the plant.

DANIEL KIEWEL Great Bend Tribune

Plant director Dale Vanderhoof, who spearheaded repair efforts, points out the UV disinfection train, which is responsible for killing off E. coli, one of the primary pathogens present in wastewater, through the use of ultraviolet light.

eight months, meaning pathogens were not being properly removed from the wastewater.

Once the team was assembled, they set out to identify and correct the deficiencies that had led to the rapid deterioration of the plant. The process was what Eilts described as, “a team effort.� “The engineer (Lawson) was really good because of his familiarity with the system. He was able to help us prioritize things,� Eilts said. He indicated this was a crucial step, to ensure the needed repairs were done in the correct order to ensure further problems cropping up once repairs were made.

Eilts said, though, the underlying issues at the plant were not mechanical, but in various mismanagement issues under previous director John Drews.

Under Drews, deficiencies in proper training and communication led to high turnover, and poor communication with the city and KDHE. He said the high turnover was part of what led to several of the key maintenance items not being properly addressed, and reports not being properly submitted. “He would hire people but they wouldn’t stick around,� Eilts said.

So Vanderhoof, who was originally hired as a consultant, was brought on as to replace Drews as the full-time plant director. Under Vanderhoof, he said, the procedural issues that plagued the plant before have improved greatly. “He’s a very active

director that works with his people, teaching them how things are done. He works toward getting them knowledgeable of how to do things and why we do it,� Eilts said. “Daily communication is better, and education (of employees) is better,� which Eilts said has resulted in better employee training and retention.

Employees now are cross-trained in multiple areas, meaning employees are able to address multiple issues.

As these issues were addressed, the long, challenging process of addressing

the myriad maintenance issues began, and Eilts said it was a long and winding road fraught with inherent challenges.

One of the greatest challenges, Eilts said, was keeping the system running while repairs were being made. “We couldn’t say, ‘Hey, for the next month, don’t flush your toilets,’� he said. “So we had to create a diversion system that would take the waste stream around the sections that we were working on.�

There was so many different parts that had to be repaired and replaced,

Eilts said, that often in the repair process, the plant could not operate at capacity. While the plant was designed to compensate for this, it did create additional challenges in the process.

The scope of repairs created cost challenges, as well.

Through each step of the repair process, Eilts said, the team carefully evaluated what would need to be done and what was the most cost-efficient way to do it, including seeking assistance from other city departments.

For example, the city was able to save $20,000 by hav-

ing the city’s parks department transport the broken bar screen to the repair facility in Iowa, rather than having an outside company ship the part to and from.

The city, he said, was able to save about 25% on the potential costs through the careful evaluation process, and the coordinated team effort that resulted.

Still, the process of repairs was an expensive one. He estimated the cost of repairs at $1.3 million, but was careful to note that the additional cost was not being footed by city taxpayers.

He said the process was paid for out of existing capital reserve funds, and will be paid back out of the existing budget over a period of five to seven years.

He said he did not believe and utility rate increases would be necessary to fund the massive repair effort.

On top of the logistical and cost challenges, both Eilts and Vanderhoof noted that the tight deadlines imposed by KDHE posed additional challenges in the process.

Vanderhoof said they often had to plan weeks or months in advance because of the length of time it took to have parts shipped to the facility. “That kind of stuff is stressful, because here we are under the gun when we need these things to be here, and we can’t do anything until stuff gets here,� Vanderhoof said. “I think that’s been the biggest concern of mine is just the length of time things take from when you order something until it actually arrives.�

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7

Showing its PRIDE After a decade, Larned program still helps community improve quality of life

BY DALE HOGG dhogg@gbtribune.com

I

t was a highlight year for the Larned PRIDE, a program that has brought many benefits to the community, said Angie Murray with the organization. “PRIDE turned 10 years old in Larned this year,� she said. “In this time an estimated $700,000 in funding has been received for the community.�

They began 2019 with grant funds from Golden Belt Community Foundation for the 89-year-old Moffet Stadium and Larned High School baseball. With matching funds and collaboration from the Lions Club, Larned Recreation Commission, Fort Larned Unified School District 495, the City of Larned and PRIDE, “we were excited to be awarded the grant,� she said. The money was used for a new turtle (large portable backstop), mound and home plate cover and batting cage nets.

In addition, improvements to the locker room are underway. “PRIDE also received a grant from Kansas PRIDE Inc. for banners for downtown lampposts,� Murray said. These banners emulate the Larned Cares logo.

In 2018, the city and Pawnee County partnered with the Bajillion Marketing agency and released a series of short videos that shared highlights of the communities in a campaign called “Larned Cares.� This was the first step in a re-branding effort, followed in 2019 by phase two and the video “Love Larned.�

There were also the annual projects that PRIDE continued. These were the community garden, Easter egg hunt, 4th of July Run and Halloween in the Park.

PRIDE meets at noon every Monday at Pawnee Valley Hospital. Except for the first week of the month, the group hosts a speaker.

There is no charge to be a member and members are welcome to help with one project or all, Murray said. “Some enjoy attending meetings while others volunteer monthly at the State Theater or work in the garden. It takes us all.�

What is PRIDE? The Kansas PRIDE program is a volunteer, grassroots effort to improve the quality of life in local communities. Each Kansas community is unique and shares a common bond: a rich heritage based on self-reliance and community pride. Since 1970, the Kansas PRIDE program has assisted and encouraged communities to prepare for the future by building on their past and forming a vision of the future. The goal of PRIDE is to help maximize community and economic development efforts by encouraging all groups to coordinate and work collaboratively for community betterment.

The Kansas PRIDE Program is a partnership of K-State Research and Extension, the Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas Masons and Kansas PRIDE Inc. Kansas PRIDE is dedicated to serving communities across the state to encourage and assist local government and volunteers in making their community a better place to live and work.

Through the Kansas PRIDE program, local

TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO

Pawnee County Extension Agent Kevin Grant and his mother, Cindy Grant, volunteer many hours a week to the Larned Civic PRIDE community garden. Similar to Great Bend’s project, many hands help in the garden.

COURTESY PHOTO

Children participate in the annual Easter egg hunt put on by Larned PRIDE.

TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO

Moffet Stadium in Larned received improvements thanks to a grant secured in part by the Larned PRIDE. COURTESY PHOTO

Halloween in the Park is another event sponsored by Larned PRIDE.

communities identify what they would like to preserve, create, or improve for their future.

Then, working with the resources of K-State Research & Extension and the Kansas Department of Commerce, community volunteers pull together to create their ideal community future.

For over 40 years, the PRIDE program has grown and evolved, like our Kansas communities, to help meet their ever changing needs. The constant challenge to remain viable and provide a high quality of life can

be achieved through the comprehensive PRIDE approach.

PRIDE involvement can cover a wide range of activities to meet commonly identified community needs. Through participation in the community development planning process, Kansas communities have worked to involve youth in community betterment projects, retain grocery stores and cafes, develop community celebrations, implement recycling programs, establish food pantries and social services, and a myriad of other projects

to improve the local quality of life.

In addition to Larned, Pawnee County PRIDE communities include Burdett and Rozel.

The purpose of the Burdett PRIDE is to help promote community involvement, community cooperation, and community development by participating to improve the quality of our community for everyone here and the surrounding Burdett area.

Rozel PRIDE is working hard for the survival of this little town. Organizers would like to see it become a town people would like to move to.

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The Petroleum Department offers cardtrol pumps at all three locations and a bulk fuel delivery truck for on site deliveries. The Service Department, located in Rozel, provides a variety of services and products for farm and automotive needs. Golden Valley can replace or repair tires either in our shop or in the field with our on farm tire truck.

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• GREAT BEND (KAN.) TRIBUNE • SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020

Optimism abounds Community hopeful as state addresses staffing issues at Larned State Hospital

BY DANIEL KIEWEL dkiewel@gbtribune.com

“There is no silver bullet to solve the mandates. It will need to be a combination of hard work, creative ideas and time to have long term sustainability,� he said. But, “we’re headed in the right direction.�

A key, he said, is ensuring there are systems in place to ensure LSH is able to retain employees over the longterm. “We’ve relied on the goodwill of the employees (and) thankfully there has been a large group of dedicated individuals that have devoted their time and careers to the organization,�

Nusser said. “But the time is now to show the same level of commitment to the employees.�

Dipman agreed retention is a key to long-term success. “KDADS is also continuing to focus on staff retention and has already in 2020 created an LSH Retention Team made up of staff from all levels to generate ideas and put those ideas into action,� she said.

Despite the uphill climb, Nusser, who also has spent time employed at LSH, said he takes pride in LSH, its employees, and its current leadership in the face of adversity. “I am proud of what the State Hospital has meant to the county and the state, what they do, and what they mean to the area,� he said. “The work they do is important, clear and simple.

This is a time where mandates are the greatest challenge, yet the staff continues to provide excellent care, sacrificing for the betterment of others.�

He praised the leadership of Dipman, as well as leaders at the state level. “Governor Kelly and Secretary Howard have put their best foot forward for the state organizations,�

Nusser said. “I would put my own well-being or my family’s well-being out there,� he said. “It’s a good employer.�

I

n December of 2019, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly authorized pay increases for direct care staff at Larned State Hospital to address long-standing staffing and overtime issues.

Almost two months later, leaders are still optimistic the increases will be a boon not only to LSH, but to the Larned community, as well. “Vacancy and overtime obstacles are not new issues at LSH and efforts by KDADS leadership and its newly formed State Hospital Commission are underway to affect positive change for the staff in those areas,� said Cara Sloan-Ramos, public information officer with the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS). “The recently announced pay increases are a positive step forward in recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce to help alleviate some of those concerns.�

The pay increases, which took effect Dec. 1, included an eight-step increase for security guards, a four-step increase for Mental Health Developmental Disability Technicians and a two-step increase for other positions.

For example, starting pay for MHDD technicians rose to $16.16 per hour with the increase.

Larned Mayor William Nusser believes the higher wage base will help a larger effort to draw more skilled workers to the Larned area. “It will make us more competitive as far as recruitment,� he said.

Sloan-Ramos agreed, “Pay increases are helping address the challenge of DOC and KDADS both recruiting employees from the same small pool of available workforce applicants in western Kansas and helping LSH strengthen recruitment and retention strategies by constructing a robust rate

COURTESY PHOTO

In 2019, the Larned State Hospital water tower required painting, so LSH took that opportunity to display its new logo ‘BE THE ONE’ with its easily identifiable heart. The logo was part of a larger marketing campaign on the hospital’s behalf through the City of Larned and Pawnee County to assist in LSH recruiting efforts.

structure to be competitive in the market,� she said.

LSH Superintendent Lesia Dipman is also optimistic about the long-term impact of the increases. “Although it’s early to see what direct, measurable recruiting progress might be achieved through the pay increase authorized by Governor Kelly, we believe those increases coupled with partnerships that have been built with city and county leaders and universities and community colleges in western Kansas will lead to successes,� Dipman said.

Nusser said the wage base increase is important not only for LSH, but the community of Larned as a whole. “First, the larger the wage base for any employer in the area improves the local economy as there are more available dollars to spend within the community,� he said.

He also believes it’s good for the health and morale of the community. “Seeing positives from LSH is serving as a motivator (for others) to continue to put the work in for the greater good of the community,� he said.

As the city’s largest employer, Nusser believes it is important for LSH and the city of Larned to function as partners. “We have collectively brought LSH alongside the community as an important part of the future, taking the time to insure we’re doing what we can to help LSH,� he said. “We as a community get stronger as their organization gets stronger.�

As part of that joint effort, LSH has partnered with the city of Larned in the LarnedCares promotional campaign, and has begun advertising its job openings on the larnedcares.com

website, along with its postings on the State of Kansas website and other career search websites.

As part of the LarnedCares, the tag-line “BE THE ONE,� appears with the accompanying message, “1 in 5 Americans Experience Mental Health issues. 1 in 1 Americans Can Make a Difference. Be the One.�

To Dipman, though, it is not just a slogan, but can have a special meaning to each employee.

Dipman encourages each staff member to embody the importance of his or her work with patients and residents, the importance of kindness and caring toward others, and know that each of them can truly ‘Be The One’ for someone every day.

But the wage increase and the Larned Cares partnership are only part of the larger recruiting and retention efforts at LSH.

According to SloanRamos, some of the other efforts include: • LSH is working with University of Kansas Health System for recruiting medical, social work and psychology staff into the rural area. • LSH has plans to advertise for psychologists with the American Psychological Association in February. • HR and representatives from the nursing department at LSH attend job fairs as often as possible and visit high schools and colleges to promote openings. For example, members of the Nursing Department attended the Kansas Nursing Association job fair last October. LSH’s Human Resources department actively monitors for job fair opportunities.

Nusser acknowledges the road is going to be a long one, but said there is a lot of reason for optimism.

Sights set on 3-D mammography machine Patients will be able to save time, money

BY VERONICA COONS vcoons@gbtribune.com

T

he Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Foundation announced plans to acquire a 3D Mammography machine at the kickoff of its annual campaign at the “Evening in Paris� Gala event in November. So far, $175,000 has been raised, with a goal of $400,000 total with 2021 as the target date for acquisition and installation, according to foundation director Julie Bugner-Smith.

Breast cancer is the second-most common cancer in American women. On average, every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States, and there are over 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. The Pawnee Valley Community Hospital foundation

wishes to see that number continue to climb, and it is their dream to empower more women within the Pawnee Valley service area to achieve early detection in order to ensure a higher chance of recovery in the local area.

A 3D mammogram is particularly beneficial for women with dense breast tissue, and it helps to detect breast cancer in those that have yet to present any outward signs of the disease. According to Director or Radiology Shelly Stanton, a 3D mammography exam allows doctors to examine breast tissue layer by layer. The radiologist can’t view all of the complexities of breast tissue in a flat image, as with conventional 2D mammography. With 3D, fine details are more visible and no longer hidden by the tissue.

This is particularly beneficial, because it reduces the need or follow-up imaging. Currently, when abnormalities are detected in 2-D mammography, follow-up 3-D imaging is often prescribed.

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“People within our service area are finding they need to drive long distances to get that done,�

Bugner-Smith said.

The new machine the PVCH Foundation will purchase provides both 3D and 2D images. Combining a 3D mammogram with a standard mammogram can reduce the need for follow-up imaging. Being called back for additional imaging can be stressful. It may take extra time and lead to additional costs.

Most wellness plans allow for one mammogram annually for preventative care. Second and subsequent imaging requests are out-of-pocket expenses. By having 3-D mammography available locally, patients save both time and money, Bugner-Smith said.

Combining a 3D mammogram with a standard mammogram also detects slightly more cancers than standard mammography alone. It can result in about one more breast cancer for every 1,000

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women screened when compared with standard mammogram alone.

The Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Foundation was created in 2012, its focus to provide funding to purchase state of the art equipment to assist advancing the health care of people in Pawnee

County. By continuing to grow and reinvest in its facilities and services, PVCH Foundation is able to provide high quality health-care services to the people of this area, making Pawnee Valley Community Hospital a highly rated critical access hospital in rural America.

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GREAT BEND (KAN.) TRIBUNE • SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020 •

9

Gamma camera comes to Larned Equipment to provide state-of-art diagnostic images

T

he University of Kansas Health System Pawnee Campus and the Pat Young Imaging Center announce the new addition of a state-of-art nuclear medicine camera called the GE D 630 (also referred to as a gamma camera). “The gamma camera allows for a wide array of technologies designed to help deliver better patient care,� said Shelly Stanton, Imaging Director at Pawnee Valley Campus. “It will increase a patient’s comfort by reducing the time spent in the machine and allow the patient to relax while the camera rotates around to take pictures. We can now produce two or threedimensional images of any organ we are scanning. “It has higher image resolution than our previous camera, so it helps the radiologists and cardiologists interpret results with greater confidence,� she said.

Unlike other specialized diagnostic tools, like MRIs and CT scans, that produce primarily structural pictures, nuclear medicine imaging visualizes how the body is functioning and what’s happening at the cellular and molecular level. For example, during a cardiac stress test a certified nuclear medicine

COURTESY PHOTO

The University of Kansas Health System Pawnee Campus and the Pat Young Imaging Center announce the new addition of a state-of-art nuclear medicine camera called the GE D 630 (also referred to as a gamma camera). The equipment is shown being unloaded.

technologist uses a combination of radioactive material and the gamma camera to capture the blood flow to the left ventricle of the heart. These images allow the cardiologist to evaluate damage to the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.

While some diagnostic images show whether there are stones in a gall bladder, the gamma camera can capture how well the gall bladder is functioning. “We are very excited to provide this type of leading-edge technology to our patients,� said Melanie Urban, administrator of Pawnee Valley Campus. “The Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Foundation was instrumental in contributing funds for this camera. These kinds of additions to our hospital

allow our care teams to honor their commitment to meeting the needs of the people of Pawnee County and beyond.�

Nuclear medicine is a subspecialty of diagnostic imaging. It uses a small amount of radioactive material to diagnose, evaluate or treat a variety of diseases including many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine or neurological disorders and other abnormalities.

Because nuclear medicine exams can pinpoint molecular activity, they have the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages. They can also show whether a patient is responding to treatments. This camera is a valuable addition to the Pawnee Valley Campus Diagnostic Imaging Department.

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Pictured is the University of Kansas Health System Pawnee Campusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; new nuclear medicine camera called the GE D 630 (also referred to as a gamma camera).

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3D Mammography Machine A 3D Mammogram can reduce the need for follow up imaging, detect more cancers than a standard mammogram alone, and improve breast cancer detection in dense breast tissue.

923 Carroll Ave. Larned, KS 67550 620-285-8632

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10

â&#x20AC;˘ GREAT BEND (KAN.) TRIBUNE â&#x20AC;˘ SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020

PLANT: From page 6 Larned facility back in prime operating condition In the midst of this, the city was required to submit quarterly reports to ensure the progress being made was sufficient to meet the repair plan laid out by joint effort between the city and KDHE, which meant there were constant tight deadlines for the city to meet on the repairs.

However, for all the challenges, the daunting â&#x20AC;&#x153;team effortâ&#x20AC;? has yielded tangible fruit for the nowthriving plant, which is now back to prime operat-

ing condition.

Water that was only a few months ago leaving the facility black is now entering the Arkansas River clear. Vanderhoof is hopeful as weather warms in the spring, the river will once again teem with life and activity.

Pathogen levels, the main items that triggered the massive efforts in the first place, are now glowing, as well.

Total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen

demand, ammonia, E. coli and selenium, key markers of the quality of the wastewater leaving the plant, are now at nearly non-detectable levels from October 2019, when the necessary repairs were completed, forward, after being at levels several times above the KDHE standards for a year and a half plus prior.

And the $23,000 fine?

Eilts said that was reduced to between $10,000 and $13,000 and could

actually be returned to the city if it continues to demonstrate sustained progress and compliance over a period of years.

Vanderhoof is pleased with the newfound efficiency of the plant, which operates primarily through natural means, such as pathogen-killing good bacteria, and gravity rather than abundance of expensive pumps.

The progress leaves Vanderhoof hoping for what a few months ago would have been unimaginable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that the state-ofthe art plant can actually be a model for wastewater plants in surrounding communities.

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THBrewer Museum And Families Library

Pawnee Rock, Kansas DANIEL KIEWEL Great Bend Tribune

The outflow to the Arkansas River is pictured. When the process of repairs started, plant director Dale Vanderhoof said this water was coming out nearly black.

GROSS FLYING SERVICE Larned Airport

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Jewel of the Santa Fe Trailâ&#x20AC;?, The Stone Giant, Knights of Pythias Hall, Harperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Memories, P. Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Antiques, and many other titles have been given to the stone structure at the corner of KS 56 and Centre Street in Pawnee Rock, Kansas.

Built between 1864 and 1874, The Opera House, as it was originally called, housed mercantile on the ground level and entertainment in the hall on the upper level. What came later was by far more interesting and signiďŹ cant to history.

This January work commences on the huge stone building. The stone came from the rock itself and natural sandstone from Judge Thomas Brewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarry. T.H. Brewer was Barton Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Probate Judge for two terms and pioneer local business man.

When complete there will be exhibits of famous old west characters of the times and The Santa Fe Trail. There will be presentations of settlers and local families showing their hard work and strengths which was the very basis of what formed this incredible part of Kansas.

In addition and very important to this venue will be The Families Library. The library will be dedicated and to honor the many families of Barton County and the strong folks who came and settled Pawnee Rock, Dundee, Great Bend and the vast prairie surrounding.

We urge all families whose ancestry dates prior to the 20â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to contact us so we may consider a family volume being placed in the permanent Hall of Fame in appreciation and gratitude. Items being considered are pictures, documents, letters, portraits and small treasures of the times.

Upon completion of exterior and parking, T.H. Brewer Opera House will offer the main hall for special occasions and events as well as garden area for casual or daytime parties.

SERVING YOUR AERIAL AGRICULTURAL NEEDS

The T.H. Brewer Museum and Families Library is a non-proďŹ t organization and appreciative of any and all monetary contributions as well as artifacts either by donation or loan. While waiting for our permanent ofďŹ ces you may contact us by email @ jrossw5@gmail.com

620-285-5609 P.O. Box 393, Larned

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