Lawrence Business Magazine 2015 Q1

2015 Q1

On The Cover:

C o n t e n t s: Features:

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Non-Profit:

22

Integrated Health

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Foundation:

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The Business of:

Graphic Designer: Charles Lewer

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Drinking to Health:

Chief Photographer: Steven Hertzog

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Mentally & Physically Stong:

Andrea Hudy University of Kansas Strength & Conditioning Coach Publisher: Mark Kern Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC Editor-in-Chief: Ann Frame Hertzog Senior Art Director: Rory Harms

Heartland Community Health Center

New Takes on Conventional & Non-Traditional Health Care

Impact Award & Foundation Award Recipients

Yoga

t.Loft, The Merc & KANbucha

Kansas Athletes get the Hudy Advantage

Featured Writers: Anne Brockhoff Mark Fagan Steven Hertzog Tara Trenary Liz Weslander

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Staying Healthy:

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Almost Home:

Editorial Support/Ad Coordinator: Katherine Diaz

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Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan:

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Wellness:

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Local Experts Weigh In:

Contributing Writers: Katherine Diaz Janice Early Megan Gilliland Karen Henry Jackie Hosey Contributing Photographer: Patrick Connor

Departments:

INQUIRIES & ADVERTISING INFORMATION CONTACT: info@LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com www.LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC 730 New Hampshire, suite 110 Lawrence, KS 66044 Lawrence Business Magazine, is published quarterly by Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC and is distributed by direct mail to over 3000 businesses in the Lawrence & Douglas County Community. It is also distributed at key retail locations throughout the area and mailed to individual subscribers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reprinted or reproduced without the publisher’s permission.

Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Statements and opinions printed in the Lawrence Business Magazine are the those of the author or advertiser and are not necessarily the opinion of Lawrence Business Magazine.

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With Healthcare Access

Memory Care

How Local Restaurants are Stepping up to the Challenge

A Community Priority

On Keeping Healthy

Downtown in Focus Business on the Hill City of Lawrence Professional Spotlight Lawrence Memorial Hospital Why Local Newsmakers Local Scene New Business

Mission:

Lawrence Business Magazine: Telling the stories of people and businesses making a postive impact on Lawrence & Douglas County.

@LawrenceBizMag /lawrencebusinessmagazine SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com/SUBSCRIPTIONS

DOWNTOWN IN [FOCUS]

Massage your Health

by KATHERINE DIAZ photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

P

ain. A four-letter word that may be defined as causing great discomfort in the human body.

There are a variety of ways to relieve pain, depending on the level of severity. For example, there are pain relievers, such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen, or one can see a doctor for professional advice. Then there’s massage therapy, which many people have recently sought out as their go-to reliever.

“Pain is the most common reason people get a massage,” said co-member and co-founder of Southwind Health Collective Joy deMaranville.

There’s more to this increasingly popular “pain reliever” as it helps the body release accumulating pain and stress. At times, what individuals need most is to simply relax.

“Just going on vacation or doing something relaxing can really reset you, and massage is also in that category,” deMaranville said. “It can help you reset, and I think about it as getting back to square one and lowering your stress level.”

Amy Gilliland, owner of Massage Envy in Lawrence, emphasizes that massage is an effective stress reducer and adds that many people do not understand the best way to relieve their stress. Although Gilliland admits she is not a massage therapist, she knows first-hand how effective massage therapy is on the body.

Co-founder and co-member Joy deMaranville performs a therapeutic massage on Lana Haas.

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Mentally and physically, the body seeks to maintain stability - in an ideal perspective. However, in reality, the daily pressures cause instability, but massage therapy can help maintain the body’s wellness by increasing circulation, relieving tension in the muscles and bringing the body back to a balanced state. Aside from these benefits, exists another benefit of getting a massage that most individuals are unfamiliar with, which according to deMaranville, is developing a sense of body awareness.

When people visit Southwind Health Collective for the first time, they fill out a health history form - without really indicating anything that’s causing a problem. However, as deMaranville and her staff begin to work on these clients, they quickly find certain issues through their body and it’s almost as if they weren’t even aware of it, but they soon become aware of it.

“What I’ve found over the years is a lot of our clients, as they come to us again and again, become more sophisticated about their own bodies, and they learn as different things are affecting them,” deMaranville said.

Southwind Wind Health Collective was one of the first massage clinics in Lawrence to open in 1987. At that time, deMaranville learned about self-responsibility on health, which really resonated with her. This meant that instead of individuals handing their health over to doctors, people could take responsibility for themselves. “True health,” as deMaranville stated, involves making changes in one’s lifestyle in order to help improve personal health.

“I had just finished my massage training and I really loved the idea that people not only relax, but also develop their awareness of health,” deMaranville said, expressing how she had personally increased her health awareness, as well as her body awareness. She soon wanted to help others understand their health and their bodies, which lead her to co-finding a massage clinic.

From then on, in the past 29 years, it has been truly exciting for deMaranville to witness the growth of massage therapy throughout the Lawrence community. There are now two massage schools, WellSpring School of Allied Health and Pinnacle Career Institute - Lawrence, and various massage

Amy Gilliland, owner of Massage Envy in Lawrence, knows first-hand how effective massage therapy is on the body

Gretchen Lehman discusses her concerns before massage with Joy deMaranville.

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therapy clinics, which according to deMaranville means that more and more people have access to massage; and more and more people see it as part of their health regimen.

“It’s just so exciting to see how educated our clients are getting about health, wellness and bodywork,” deMaranville stated, proudly recalling her experience with clients.

Some of the services clients can look forward to at Southwind include therapeutic massages, hot stone massages, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, facial rejuvenation acupuncture, as well as holistic nutrition. DeMaranville emphasizes how well rounded Southwind has become, by having a full staff of five therapists, two acupuncturists and recently welcoming a holistic nutritionist to the team.

Massage therapy can be used in different ways to treat the body. An example is when people who have muscular tenancy issues, use massage to speed up the recovery time. Runners or people who sit at a desk for too long are prone to injury, even if it’s simple low back pain, this type of therapy will help the body recover in less time than using other healing methods. Although massage has become popular, some individuals will seek out massage therapy for the first time after an injury has occurred.

However, that may serve as the entry point, as deMaranville stated, and many of these customers will come back for more.

“Many clients will come in maybe once a month or every six weeks just to do preventative maintenance so they won’t be in that situation where it’s really hurting and it’s affecting their ability to do their job,” deMaranville said.

Other symptoms massage therapy can help treat, as Gilliland noted, include insomnia, autoimmune disorder, arthritis and even physical disorders.

F“In America, we understand and we connect the dots between if I exercise one or two times a year, I’m going to be sore, but I’m not going to build my muscles or maintain my weight that way,” Gilliland said.

“With massage therapy, it’s the same concept, but instead it’s releasing the tension out of the muscles and getting those knots out. Our goal is to help people understand that their muscles are not supposed to have knots in them, and their not supposed to be tense.”

One can never go wrong with getting a relaxing, pain-relieving, stressrelieving, muscle-relieving massage. It’s something new to try for those who have never been to a massage clinic, and for others who know the full effects – and benefits – should continue to listen to their bodies and practice healthy habits.

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BUSINESS on the [HILL]

Research team I helps W.H.O. make sense of Ebola response efforts

by KAREN HENRY photos provided by KU ENDOWMENT

Stephen Fawcett represented the University of Kansas and signed a memorandum of understanding for cultural, educational and scientific operation with a Ghanaian university, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale campus.

n the midst of the chaos that is the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, a small group of University of Kansas researchers is quietly partnering with their colleagues in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Regional Office. Together, they are developing case studies to help understand what has worked in those areas of Liberia where the spread of Ebola virus disease has waned.

KU’s World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, one of the only such centers focused on community health in North America, will conduct case studies in Liberia in counties where the incidence of the disease has dropped, such as Lofa, and in several other counties where improvement has been slower.

“We will use the case studies to better understand what activities and interventions are associated with reductions in new cases of Ebola, because in a disaster environment, it is very difficult to make sense of what is going on, and to what effect,” said Stephen Fawcett, Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Professor and the center’s director.

A key tool in developing the case studies is the Online Documentation and Support System (ODSS), a tool originated by the KU Work Group for Community Health and Development, which Fawcett also co-directs.

That system will help collect and analyze data from interviews of the staff of governmental organizations (e.g., Ministry of Health, Ebola treatment centers) and non-governmental organizations (e.g., Doctors without Borders) as well as traditional leaders, members of the media and others.

The ODSS will make it easier for WHO staff to carry out monitoring and evaluation responsibilities with the Ebola response effort.

At the invitation of WHO, the team started work on the Ebola effort in September, building training routines, developing a field form for use by

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WHO staff in the regional office and training staff in Brazzaville and Monrovia via Skype. Now the WHO team is beginning to enter data on the Ebola response effort, Fawcett said. Fawcett said that the case studies should be completed by spring 2015.

“The team hopes that the initial case studies in affected areas in Liberia can inform ongoing efforts in that country as well as in Guinea and Sierra Leone, where the Ebola epidemic remains a serious problem,” he said. “Learning from this collaborative project can help guide WHO’s response in continuing and future disease outbreaks.”

Besides Fawcett, the team includes Jerry Schultz, co-director of the KU Work Group, and Florence DiGennaro Reed, assistant professor of applied behavioral science. DiGennaro Reed, a behavioral scientist with expertise in performance improvement, said that the WHO effort was among the most meaningful work of her career. She also co-directs the department’s joint Ph.D.-M.P.H. degree program in collaboration with the Master of Public Health program in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at KU Medical Center. This is the first degree in the nation to combine an M.P.H. with the advanced study in applied behavioral science. The other two members of the team, Ithar Hassaballa and Charles Sepers, are graduate students in the program and graduate research assistants for the KU Work Group.

“We are really lucky to be able to contribute something that has taken Africa — and the world — by surprise,” said Hassaballa, who has met with community health colleagues and presented at WHO meetings in Botswana and Mauritius in the past few years.

“A lot of people think Kansas is geographically disadvantaged, that the University of Kansas is in the middle of the U.S, and that is hard for us to engage with a global world, but we’ve shown that KU is global and it is doing global work,” she said.

The KU Work Group for Community Health and Development is affiliated with the Life Span Institute and the Department of Applied Behavioral Science. The KU Work Group was first designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Community Health and Development in 2004. n

Pharmacy students visit independent pharmacies in southwestern Kansas

by JACKIE HOSEY photos provided by KU ENDOWMENT

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ighteen students from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy spent three days of their winter break traveling across central and southwest Kansas on their way to visit 14 independent pharmacies and owners.

The annual trip is sponsored by KU–NCPA (National Community Pharmacists Association), a professional pharmacy student organization that promotes independent pharmacy as a career option. Each of the students, who were on the road Wednesday-Friday, Jan. 7-9, is interested in a career in independent, community pharmacy.

NCPA co-adviser and Senior Associate Dean Gene Hotchkiss coordinates the trip as well as a second trip during spring break.

He said the visitation trips build relationships between students and pharmacy owners with the hope that those connections will lead to transitions of ownership and continuation of vital pharmacy care services to Kansans.

“Independent community pharmacies are a critical health care resource for rural communities,” Hotchkiss said. “In many instances, in addition to traditional prescription services, they provide a broad scope of ancillary services, including medical supplies, durable medical equipment and respiratory support supplies, equipment and oxygen.”

Pharmacy Dean Ken Audus accompanied the group, which made stops in Emporia, El Dorado, Augusta, Greensburg, Meade, Ulysses, Garden City, Scott City, Cimarron, Dodge City, Kinsley and Wichita. n

KU School of Pharmacy students visit Clark Drug in Cimarron.

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Lead The Way to a Healthier Community

by MEGAN GILLILAND, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, CITY OF LAWRENCE

Lawrence Parks and Recreation features exercise classes of varying intensities.

D

id you know that the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department (LPRD) was the first community in the state of Kansas to enact department-wide nutritional standards for all of their facilities?

Since 2014, the department has required food vendors, in concessions and vending machines, to provide options for healthy food and drinks that meet nutritional standards set by LPRD. The healthy choices are just one way the city is seeking ways to improve the community’s overall health.

“By instituting these nutritional standards, we hope to encourage healthier lifestyles by offering smarter food choices,” said Tim Laurent, recreation operations manager. “People are seeing choices like salads and wraps what haven’t been at our concession stands before.”

The nutritional standards include a requirement that at least 50

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percent of the foods offered must fall below a certain calorie threshold for snacks and entrees.

Additionally, guidelines have been set to limit amounts of fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium in food choices.

Some of the food choices, which meet the new nutritional guidelines, are now offered at Sports Pavilion Lawrence. These choices include low-fat yogurt parfaits and smoothies, lemonpepper chicken wrap, smoked turkey sandwich, flatbread pizza and a fresh-fruit salad.

The department’s efforts toward building a healthier community have been recognized by state and local organizations as a model for other communities to follow. Lawrence Parks and Recreation has been recognized with awards by Governor Sam Brownback’s Council on Fitness, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and KaBoom!/The

Humana Foundation for their healthy programs and initiatives.

LPRD is a founding member of the community coalition LiveWell Lawrence and has developed partnerships with the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, USD 497, Bert Nash Mental Health Center, K-State Research and Extension, Douglas Food Policy Council and several local businesses and organizations to promote healthy lifestyles.

“It is critical that children understand the need to live a healthy lifestyle,” said Ernie Shaw, Interim Director of Lawrence Parks and Recreation. “Since 2013, we’ve provided a program in our summer playground camps called OrganWise Guys.”

The OrganWise Guys is an interactive, science-based education program that uses characters based on the organs of the body to teach children about

nutrition. The OrganWise Guys program was introduced to Lawrence Parks and Recreation through a grant received from the National Recreation and Park Association through the Kansas Health Foundation.

With more than 450 programs available to local residents, LPRD offers opportunities for people to get fit or live a healthier lifestyle. Most of the programs focus on physical health, however, new programs have recently been added which integrate nutritional education and wellness.

The department offers a wide variety of fitness classes at varying levels of intensity and times to fit most schedules. Recreation and sports instruction classes and leagues are available throughout the year. Water aerobics classes are offered year-round.

“Our programs run the gamut for intensity and skill levels. We have high-intensity cardio and core workouts for those really wanting to kick up their activity level,” Shaw said. “Our classes are very reasonable and last eight-to-ten weeks.” n

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PROFESSIONAL [ SPOTLIGHT ]

Cynthia Lewis Chief Executive Officer, Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association What is your organization’s most important commodity or service?

Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) is a not-for-profit Medicare-certified Home Health and Hospice agency that provides care to individuals in their homes. Our Home Health program has RNs and LPNs that perform skilled services from wound care to infusions to chronic disease management for patients who are homebound. We also have a full range of therapy providers including physical, occupational and speech therapy. The program also has a masters level social worker who facilitates community resource support when appropriate. Our Hospice program provides end-of-life care by a team of RNs, social workers, a spiritual care provider and a pool of volunteers. VNA also has a licensed private pay personal care and support services program, Help at Home. All of our programs offer certified aides to assist with personal care. The Help at Home program offers a wide variety of support activities such as housekeeping, meal preparation, transportation to medical appointments, etc.

What is your organization’s most important priority?

VNA’s highest priority is to be the Home Health and Hospice provider of choice in Lawrence and Douglas County by providing excellent communitybased care that is patient-centered and compassionate. We do so in an industry with increasing regulatory obligations and

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decreasing reimbursement. As the CEO, it’s important I support staff to maintain quality as we continuously evaluate costs and efficiency.

What has been some of the most important aspects of your success?

Our history in Lawrence/Douglas County.

VNA celebrated its 46th anniversary in February, and our longevity contributes to name recognition and a positive reputation. While many may not fully comprehend everything we do, many know the VNA name through a family member, friend or neighbor for whom we’ve cared or has been an employee.

Another key aspect of our success is community support. As a not-forprofit organization that provides care to individuals with no insurance or financial resources, we have several mechanisms with which to secure funds to support our charitable efforts. This community support dates back to VNA’s founding at which time community leaders assisted with fundraising to match a federal grant to open the agency. Finally, the strong relationships we have with Lawrence Memorial Hospital, the physician community and other healthcare providers have been critical to our current success and going forward.

How many people does Visiting Nurses employ? Serve, interact with on a daily basis, and are responsible to?

Across all programs, VNA employs 113 staff, most of whom live in Lawrence or

Douglas County. Our average daily census across all programs is around 200 patients.

Not all patients are seen every day as visit frequency is based on an individualized care plan for each person.

How do you and your organization make a positive impact on the Lawrence community?

First and most importantly, VNA’s community-based care helps people remain at home which is most everyone’s preference (versus a facility). However, VNA is also active in the community above and beyond patient care. We are a United Way Community Partner and active in those annual campaigns. The agency donates a tree each year to The Shelter’s Festival of Trees auction. We collect food for community food banks, participate in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, conduct an annual school supply drive, serve as a drop site for Toys for Tots/ Blue Santa, adopt a family each holiday season and offer grief support groups to anyone in the community experiencing the loss of a loved one. In addition, many members of our staff volunteer for or financially support other agencies in Douglas County.

What do you see as your personal responsibility and your organization’s responsibility to the community?

As the CEO of VNA, my personal responsibility is to ensure we provide the best possible care to each individual who entrusts us with their well-being and

independence. That must be accomplished with a fiscally responsible approach in order to sustain our longevity as the local not-for-profit Home Health and Hospice organization. VNA’s obligation to the community is to be responsive to each person’s individual care needs, assisting them to remain in their home and out of the hospital. We’re also obligated to effectively and efficiently manage our business to maximize the dollars provided by generous donors and grantors.

What would you change about doing business in Lawrence?

Difficult question! I love Lawrence and its culture. The partnerships and collaborations that are possible in this environment are exceptional and somewhat unique. One thing we consistently try to improve is sharing our story with the community so people are aware of our “product.”

It’s our experience that unless someone has used our services or knows someone, most of the community doesn’t comprehend the range of programs and disciplines in our organization. Forty-six years of history helps, but reaching our audience is an ongoing endeavor.

Why did you become involved?

I’ve been a Lawrence/Douglas County resident for most of my life and knew about VNA for many years. I’ve also worked in the healthcare industry for 25 years in a variety of settings, but my passion is communitybased care. When a professional opportunity at VNA presented itself in 2008, I jumped at it. Being selected by the Board of Directors to serve as CEO for VNA is a privilege. Despite ongoing challenges in the healthcare industry, I cannot imagine leading an organization for which I’ve held more respect and its mission matches my personal values.

As head of the Visiting Nurses Association, what do you do?

What are your responsibilities?

VNA’s CEO is accountable to the agency’s Board of Directors for the overall management of agency operations, including leadership in the planning and implementation of strategies that support the vision of the agency and resulting in the delivery of quality patient care. I am also responsible to understand financial fundamentals and business metrics and use them effectively to manage a financially stable operation.

What is the biggest challenge you feel your organization faces?

The biggest challenge for VNA is sustaining financial balance while maintaining our mission to serve individuals regardless of their ability to pay for services. Compounding this challenge is successfully doing so in a rapidly changing healthcare industry with increasing regulatory scrutiny requiring additional administrative oversight. Further compounding those challenges is effectively balancing quality and finance with decreasing funding streams.

VNA’s biggest challenge going forward is competition from other home care agencies increasing their Lawrence/Douglas County market share or entering this market. Many of those are regional or national companies attempting to expand their reach. We strive daily to represent the values of our “hometown” by providing high quality care that results in excellent patient/family satisfaction. Healthcare is becoming increasingly competitive so we consistently monitor data that supports quality and fiscal responsibility. n

NON- [PROFIT ]

The Heart of a Community

by TARA TRENARY photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

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ricka Cole has suffered from depression and anxiety for much of her life, but she didn’t know it until recently - because she is uninsured. She had been seeing a doctor at another clinic, but her needs weren’t being met there.

When someone told Cole about Heartland Community Health Center, she was leery because of patient fees, but chronic health issues pushed her to take the leap.

And she’s certainly glad she did.

Heartland CEO, Jon Stewart

“It’s been well worth it. The level of attention and time I receive has been great,” Cole said. “It’s the best clinic I’ve been to. It has given me the ability to feel like I’m in charge of my own health and wellbeing. They do a lot to support our community in so many ways.

They go far beyond what a typical doctor’s office does normally.”

Heartland Community Health Center is a nonprofit primary health care provider that services Douglas County and small

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portions of surrounding counties.

Its clinic offers quality, affordable primary care to all community members, regardless of income or insurance status. It’s a so-called “family doctor” but also dedicates itself to practicing holistic, integrated health care, a model that focuses on physical health as well as emotional, social and spiritual health. Heartland provides a medical home for its patients by offering accessible, coordinated and compassionate care to ensure all their needs are met.

care for all immediate physical needs but also emotional health care screening and counseling, diabetes care and prevention; a free wellness program to help patients make healthy lifestyle choices; a smoking-cessation program; a women’s health program for women aged 40 to 64; a medication-assistance program to help with the skyrocketing costs of prescription medications; a food pantry and a rent- and utility-assistance program.

“We engage people in their own health in a system that doesn’t always operate that way,” CEO Jon Stewart said. “We hear a lot when people come through the door.

We help them navigate the system very broadly and direct them to those services [they need]. We want to be their go-to person.”

“They work with you to get stable and then improve your condition,” said Liz Lanphear, Adult Education Program Coordinator at Johnson County Community College and current Heartland board member and patient. “They’re involved in you getting better versus just treating your symptoms. They help the whole person.”

As part of its “integrated health care model,” Heartland not only offers its patients medical

Heartland was founded by Dr. Dennis Sale in the late 1990s. He had been part of a mobile medical

clinic for migrant farm workers in California, and when he moved to Lawrence, he began offering a free clinic in a local church on Saturday mornings. Some local pastors soon got together and formed a board, and in 2004, the organization was formed. From 2004 to 2012, Heartland used part-time paid employees and volunteers, and relied fully on donations and grants. In 2012, Heartland became federally funded and went from a $600,000-a-year organization to more than $2 million a year. Only a few thousand patient visits a year suddenly jumped to more than 12,000, and that number is still growing.

Heartland is “still not meeting the full need,” Stewart says, adding that 30,000 people in the immediate area could be using Heartland services, but are not.

“They are scared to death to engage in the system,” he explains. “We aren’t here to change anyone. We are here to help people who don’t have options. Most people believe poor people want to take as much as they can, but that’s not what we see. Most people are so grateful for what we do. They are surprised by how much we care. Our goal is to let people know we care.”

Heartland currently has one MD (medical doctor); two APRNs (advanced practice registered nurse); a LCSW (licensed clinical social worker); three CMAs (certified medical assistants); an RN (registered nurse); a LPN (licensed practical nurse); a case-management worker; several patientservices workers and many more support staff. Heartland also has numerous dedicated volunteers.

Because Heartland is a federally qualified community health center (FQHC), it is required by law to have a board with 51 percent medical clinic consumers. It currently consists of bankers, lawyers, teachers, pastors, Heartland patients and other community members. Board members are recruited, interviewed and screened by the Heartland human resources and community-relations staff for approval and selection by the board.

“Our staff and board have worked to build a diverse board of 13 individuals who are passionate about the mission and the way health care is delivered in our community,” says Rachel Hartford, Heartland Director of Community Relations.

Heartland Community Health Center is federally funded and currently has an annual budget of $2.3 million. The majority of its funding comes from patient fees, including Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and self-pay. One-third of its budget comes from federal health care grants. A portion is through various local and state foundation donations, as well as private donations. Heartland is also a line item in several local church budgets, such as in city, county and state budgets.

Additionally, Heartland raises funds to bring money in for the organization.

It holds a block party each spring and an annual fundraising event called “Fill Up. Pour Out.” It hosts flu shot clinics and screening days, is present at health fairs and offers educational sessions on insurance eligibility and enrollment. It also uses grassroots marketing and partners with local businesses to help with costs and reach out to community members and organizations.

Heartland works on a regular basis with community organizations, such as Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Lawrence/Douglas County Health Department, DCCCA, Health Care Access, United Way and Douglas County Dental Clinic, among others.

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“It’s a relationship business,” Stewart said.

Jillian Hatch with Americorp member, Jason Molde, as he registers Hatch as a new patient.

Heartland’s mission is aimed at transforming the health and lives of those in need. It serves anyone in the community, but those under 200 percent of the federal poverty level guidelines, which is approximately $48,500 per year for a family of four qualify for a discount. Fees for uninsured patients are on a sliding scale that is based on income. Insured patients typically pay their normal co-pays, though some qualify for co-pays that are on a sliding scale.

“People don’t realize that if you have insurance, you can go there. It’s not a free clinic,” Lanphear said. “The best part is knowing that since I have insurance, my business helps provide health care for others.”

The more people Heartland sees with insurance, Stewart explains, the more help it can provide to others who don’t.

“The problem is bigger than the resources we have to fight the battle. It’s important not to give up. We’ve come too far,” he said.

Stewart explains that Heartland sees people from the cradle to the grave.

“Patients have to trust us,” he said. “They get healthy when they trust us and let us into their lives.”

Cole agrees.

“For the first time in my life, I’m taking the steps,” she said. “They are helping me take the steps to be as healthy as I can be. You don’t realize how bad it is until you see that change.” n For more information on Heartland Community Health Center and its services, visit www.heartlandhealth.org

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INTEGRATED HEALTH:

New Takes on Conventional & Non-Traditional Health Care

by ANNE BROCKHOFF photos STEVEN HERTZOG

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nxiety, hormone imbalances, disrupted sleep, depression—Emily Curran Day suffered from all of them in her late 20s. As a nurse, she knew none of it was normal for an otherwise healthy young woman, but she worried that any conventional treatment would address only her symptoms.

She wanted more than that.

Day wanted to understand and cure the underlying cause of her ailments, so in 2009 she made an appointment with the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Integrative Medicine Clinic in Kansas City, Kan. A comprehensive screening revealed Day was intolerant of dairy and gluten, so she cut them from her diet. She also began an individualized supplement program and made other lifestyle changes.

Over time, her health improved.

“Yes, I was pursing something alternative, but it made intuitive sense,” Day said.

So much sense, in fact, that she joined the clinic as an advance practice nurse.

“A lot of us who work here were drawn to this clinic by our own various health reasons,” Day says. “We try to walk the talk, not for the sake of being examples, but because it’s what we believe.”

Day isn’t the only one. Almost 40 percent of Americans use health care practices developed outside mainstream or Western medicine, according to the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

These approaches are often truly complementary, used in tandem with

conventional medicine rather than as a replacement for it.

For many, that means practicing yoga or meditation, getting a massage, changing their diet or choosing herbal supplements on their own. However, an increasing number are also seeking care from integrative medical clinics, such as KU’s and from naturopathic doctors.

What’s the difference? Integrative medicine brings a range of nontraditional therapies into a hospital or clinical setting. At KU Med Center’s clinic, physicians, a naturopathic doctor, nurses, neurofeedback technicians and registered dietitians strive to, as the website puts it, “nourish the whole person and stimulate the body’s natural healing response.”

Naturopathic doctors share the same goal, whether they’re located within such a clinic or operate a stand-alone practice—or both, as is the case with Natural Medical Care in Lawrence.

The group has three physicians: Mehdi Khosh, Farhang Khosh and Deena Beneda, who all work out of their office at Wakarusa Drive and Research Park Way. Services there include nutritional and dietary assessments; lifestyle counseling; acupuncture; botanical, or herbal, medicines;

homeopathy (remedies made from herbs, plants, minerals and other natural ingredients) and laboratory, allergy and other testing.

Mehdi Khosh and Beneda also treat patients at the Satsun Center of Integrative Health Care in Overland Park offering family medicine; naturopathy; acupuncture and Chinese medicine; mental health and wellness; bodywork and energy healing and nutrition and lifestyle coaching.

Regardless of location, their approach is not a replacement for primary care, Mehdi Khosh says.

Rather, he sees it as a collaboration with a patient’s other physicians to treat illness, fortify the body’s natural defenses and build a base for long-term health. “It is a partnership,” Farhang Khosh agrees.

“I want to establish a very healthy relationship with the other doctors here for the sake of the patients.”

While naturopathy is still relatively new in Kansas, it’s a long-held family tradition for the Khosh brothers. They grew up in Iran, grandsons of a well-regarded physician and direct descendants of Avicenna, who is considered one of medieval Persia’s most influential philosophers and scientists.

But when the post-Islamic revolution government began persecuting non-Muslims in the 1980s, the Khoshes, who belong to the Bahá’í Faith, fled to Pakistan.

Farhang traveled with a guide, but Mehdi and a friend set out alone.

They were stopped at the border, where guards took their possessions and threatened to kill them.

Then an amazing thing happened.

The militia leader recognized Mehdi Khosh as a relative of his own family’s doctor.

“My grandpa had treated his family in the past. Because of that, he let us go free,” Mehdi Khosh recalled.

“I decided then to go into medicine.”

in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University, joined Farhang (her husband) and Mehdi at their clinic in 2008 after six years in integrative medicine at KU.

Left to right: Deena Beneda, Farhang Khosh and Mehdi Khosh operate Natural Medical Care, a stand-alone practice in Lawrence.

The practice is going strong now, but it wasn’t an easy start.

Sixteen years ago, Lawrence was welcoming but largely unfamiliar with naturopathy. So, the Khoshes gave seminars, talked to the media and published articles. They began attracting new patients, but soon faced another challenge: licensing.

Kansas at that time did not license naturopathic doctors, so the Khoshes practiced under

Mehdi Khosh shows the various naturopathic medicines at Natural Medical Care.

Farhang and Mehdi Khosh reunited in Pakistan before making their way to the U.S. They both earned bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry from KU and doctorates in naturopathic medicine from Seattle’s Bastyr University. They completed their residencies in Wichita, and then returned to Lawrence.

The Khoshes established Natural Medical Care in 1999. Beneda, who has a B.S. in organismal biology from KU and a doctorate

23

KU Integrative Medicine has an active research department focusing on the role of high dose Vitamin C infusions as supportive therapy for cancer treatment.

their Washington license. When critics protested, they could have simply moved elsewhere. Instead, they chose to stay in Lawrence and lobby state regulators for change.

At the same time, concern over health care access and rising costs are boosting naturopathy’s appeal, said Dr. Lorilee Schoenbeck, a Vermont-based naturopathic doctor and spokesperson for the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

In 2001, Kansas began licensing naturopathic doctors. It is now among 17 states that do, and 19 active N.D.s were listed on the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts website as of January. Some practice in other states; those at Natural Medical Care are the only ones in Lawrence.

“This is a medicine whose time has come,” Schoenbeck said. “We are by far the most expensive nation per capita when it comes to health care costs. This is one answer to creating a more sustainable health care system.”

Another shift is in the offing, too. Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prohibit discrimination against state-licensed providers, including naturopathic physicians, Mehdi Khosh says. They and their colleagues are urging regulators and insurance providers to recognize the provision and are hopeful such services will soon be covered.

That would improve access for patients, who at this time must pay out-of-pocket, and create jobs for Lawrence, the Khoshes say. Natural Medical Care currently has two full-time and two part-time employees, in addition to the doctors. Being able to accept insurance would allow them to hire additional staff to handle claims processing and management, Mehdi Khosh says.

With 5,000 square-feet, their location has ample space for them. The practice utilizes the majority of the footage while leasing an office to Irene Bockelman, a clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist. West Side Yoga occupies a 2,000 square-foot studio on the building’s west side.

This is their third, and hopefully last, site, Mehdi Khosh says, and it embodies their natural ideals by incorporating energy-efficient design, low-VOC paint, a serene color scheme, fish tanks and large windows overlooking a grassy pasture. They may also install solar panels this year, he says.

Word-of-mouth remains naturopathy’s most powerful marketing tool, although the media’s embrace of alternative practices also plays a role. Take television’s “Dr. Oz Show,” whose host, surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, regularly endorses natural diets, practices and supplements.

“We’ve been using astaxanthin, an antioxidant, for 10 years, but not many people knew about it. Then when Dr. Oz mentioned it, lots of our patients wanted it,” Mehdi Khosh said, who notes Natural Medical Care only supplies such products to patients.

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Clearly the field has positioned itself to answer that need. There are seven accredited naturopathic medical colleges in North America, compared to just two 20 years ago, and more are in development, Schoenbeck says. That, plus the increasing prevalence of state licensing, provides more certainty and safety for patients. It also boosts the creditability of naturopathic doctors who, to be considered as such must graduate from an accredited school; pass standardized national board examinations; hold a state license; and meet state requirements for continuing medical education.

Increasing awareness of those standards will only lead to wider acceptance, Schoenbeck says.

“Naturopathic medicine is an emerging profession,” she says. “It’s in a similar place as osteopathic doctors were 30 years ago, and nurse practitioners were 10 years ago. We’re going to see the same sort of progression in this profession.”

That’s happening in integrative medicine as well, Day says. Dr. Jeanne Drisko established KU Med Center’s Integrative Medicine Clinic about eight years ago, and it’s grown steadily since then. The clinic now has 14 staff members including Drisko, an internal medicine specialist; a pediatrician; technicians; dietitians; nurses; a research coordinator and office support, Day said.

The space itself spans six exam rooms and offices on the med center’s second floor. There is also an infusion area, where intravenous treatments for various conditions are administered; neurofeedback facilities and a kitchen where dieticians teach healthy cooking classes.

While patients are sometimes referred by other doctors, they can self-refer by making an appointment with one of the clinic’s nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants or physicians. The clinic at this time does not accept insurance.

Initial exams can last as long as an hour and a half as practitioners seek to understand symptoms, previous diagnosis and other variables. Food, nutrition,

hydration, exercise, environmental factors, sleep, stress, toxins—the impact of each on a patient’s overall health is evaluated.

“It’s the practitioner’s job to see what’s missing,” Day says.

Filling those gaps strengthens the body’s foundation, allowing it to operate more efficiently, repair damage, heal and fight disease while working in concert with more traditional medical care. These are longterm, fundamental strategies, not immediate acute care, Day says.

“If you have an ear infection or strep throat, we’ll urge you to go to your primary care doctor,” Day says. “But if someone is having chronic sinus infections four or six times a year, and repeatedly needing antibiotics, integrative medicine has great tools to prevent that recurrence.”

Because KU Med Center is a teaching hospital, fourth year medical students and residents have the opportunity to rotate through the clinic. A year-long fellowship allows recipients, who can be from any medical specialty, to work within the integrative medicine setting.

“Education of future students and providers is paramount,” Day said.

So is understanding the science behind integrative medicine. The clinic is collaborating with several of KU Med Center’s departments to study the effects of high doses of intravenous vitamin C on cancer cells. Early results show it’s most effective when used in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation during the early stages of cancer.

Vitamin C infusions can also reduce side effects and improve quality of life in the later stages, the clinic’s website states.

“We now have a better understanding of vitamin C’s anti-cancer action, plus a clear safety profile, and biological and clinical plausibility with a firm foundation to proceed,” Drisko said in a statement on the clinic’s website. “Taken together, our data provide strong evidence to justify larger and robust clinical trials to definitively examine the benefit of adding vitamin C to conventional chemotherapy.”

It’s all just part of their mission, Day says.

“KU’s overall mission is to deliver world class patient care,” she said. “I believe we’re doing that in this clinic.” n

W

by KATHERINE DIAZ photos PATRICK CONNOR

hen thinking about our local economy, success is often attributed to the largest players — frequently, these are the resident industry leaders who provide a variety of services and act as job creators as a whole,” said Mark Kern, Lawrence Business Magazine Publisher.

Equally important, however, are the contributions made by local small businesses. A market full of diverse small businesses plays a critical role in the positive economic growth of a community; when considered collectively, their impact cannot be ignored. Maintaining a diverse body of employment is similar to any other sound investment; a community can mitigate economic risk by spreading its employment base across multiple industries instead of relying on the success of one. With our highly educated workforce, innovative spirit and strong small business growth base, Lawrence and Douglas County have strategic advantages in the professional and business services sector, Kern says.

“CadreLawrence is a group of individuals who desire to be active in the promotion and support of economic development in Lawrence and Douglas County,” said Heidi Simon, Chair of Board of CadreLawrence.

“Our ultimate goal is job creation, shifting the tax base burden off of city and county residents while not increasing the business tax mill levy, and providing balanced and factual feedback to our elected officials on these matters.”

The Foundation Awards honors businesses that are locally owned or locally franchised for-profit and have been in business for at least three years. Each business must show a growth in jobs by adding 20 percent more employees or a total of at least 20 new jobs within the year.

“A key fact is that 80 percent of local job growth is done by existing businesses in a community, not new businesses,” said Ann Frame Hertzog, editor-in-

chief of Lawrence Business Magazine and partner at KERN Marketing Group. “And the Lawrence Business Magazine and CadreLawrence want to honor those established companies, and celebrate their contributions to our local community.”

It’s not only about adding jobs and opportunities within the community; it’s also about making a commitment to stay local by collaborating with other businesses and buying locally. The Footprint Impact Award recognizes a business that has made a significant community impact by making a conscious business decision to work and interact locally. Such business not only focuses on the growth and success of its company, but also focuses on giving back to the community. This year, Cromwell Environmental & Cromwell Solar was recognized for its dedication to the Lawrence community. The company showed its commitment to help maintain a clean environment and provide alternative solutions for energy sources.

“We think it is important to not only think about what a business does, but how they do business,” Hertzog said.

“Our local businesses, supporting our local businesses – keeping it local.”

Doug Gaumer, Regional Market President for INTRUST Bank, helped introduce the featured speaker of the

night Dr. Lynne Murray, President of Baker University, who discussed the importance of Baker’s role in the community. Murray stated that it is important for Baker to reach out to local businesses in order to create and build relationships between students and local business owners.

Long-time business owners Larry McElwain and Lawrence Mayor Mike Amyx presented the awards to each recipient. McElwain has been an active member of the Lawrence community since 1966, and now serves as CEO of the Lawrence Chamber. As a lifelong Lawrence resident, Amyx understands the challenges of operating and maintaining a successful local business, being owner of Amyx Barber Shop, Inc., Amyx took over the

C

romwell Environmental, in addition to being a Foundation Award Recipient, was awarded the Footprint Impact Award.

Cromwell Environmental specializes in testing and cleaning environmental and indoor air quality problems to help create a safe and healthy environment for everyone. The company works both locally for homeowners and businesses, as well as working nationally with large corporations, banks and relocation firms. Cromwell Environmental has become a national leader in the past 33 years in environmental testing on foreclosed homes. It has also proudly worked in all 50 states and beyond.

In addition to Cromwell Environmental in 1982, Cromwell Solar was founded to provide individuals with the opportunity to choose an affordable and sustainable electricity source. Using their engineering and science

family business since 1975.

“Congratulations to all the 2015 Foundation Award recipients. This year, we recognized the growth of 12 small businesses in Lawrence. In 2014, we inaugurated the Foundation Awards by celebrating 14 businesses,” Kern said. “In two short years, the Foundation Awards has recognized 26 local businesses and celebrated more than 166 jobs they have added to Lawrence and Douglas County. Their work and dedication are examples of the strength and importance of our small business sector.

Thank you to Intrust Bank and all of the other business sponsors that made this event possible. A special thank you to CadreLawrence for creating a strong partnership with Lawrence Business Magazine.”

background, they design and install solar energy systems and extend its services to Kansas and Missouri. They approach solar energy from an engineering perspective, and using the variables of sunlight/shade/sun direction to custom design solutions to each customer’s unique needs.

As solar technology has developed and improved, Cromwell Solar has integrated the new technologies and worked with a local bank to help make solar affordable and protect our environment by reducing Co2 emissions.

Aron Cromwell has overseen the growing success of the business for the past 15 years, and in 2014 added 8 full time employees.

Foundation Award Winners Advanced Plumbing, Inc. Advanced Plumbing, Inc. is a full-service plumbing company that was established in 2008 by Lifetime Douglas County resident, Chuck Folks.

After spending many years working his way up from apprentice to operations manager of a large construction company in Shawnee, Chuck started his own company. In 2012, Advanced Plumbing, Inc. moved into its first office and shop at 545 Minnesota. In 2014, one new employee was added, making a total of four members in the Advanced Plumbing team.

AesthetiCare of Lawrence AesthetiCare has been a Midwest leader in aesthetics since 2011 and is the only Medical Spa in Lawrence. They invest in the most advanced equipment available in the U.S. and own 5 FDA-approved devices. Its staff consists of three RN’s who have more than 15 years combined experience and the medical director is Board-certified in OB/GYN. AesthetiCare added six new employees in 2014.

Alpha Roofing, LLC Alpha Roofing started in 2004 providing roofing services to the Lawrence community and surrounding areas. Their main focus through the years has been their commitment to customer satisfaction. Alpha Roofing’s success has allowed them to sustain slow, incremental growth. In the past year, Alpha Roofing added two new jobs to the Lawrence community.

Bigg’s Doug Holiday opened Bigg’s, a full-service, casual theme restaurant in September 2004. Bigg’s specializes in slow smoked meats that are rubbed in a special homemade dry rub. The food is made in-house from scratch using Holiday’s own recipes. As owner and operator, Holiday expanded Bigg’s growing success and added 20 new employees in 2014 to the Bigg’s family.

Good Energy Solutions, Inc. Good Energy Solutions, Inc. is a full service energy partner that provides comprehensive consulting and services in electrical, renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy management in the central U.S. region.

Founded in 2007, the company has earned a reputation of reliable service, expertise, and quality through commercial and residential installations of solar and wind. Good Energy Solutions added nine renewable energy jobs within the community.

Griffith Payments With 42 years of strong and dedicated business expertise in Lawrence, Griffith Payments continues to provide Lawrence business owners the tools and connections necessary to run a successful company. Griffith Payments specializes in helping local small businesses get paid by developing individualized solutions to meet the payment needs of their clients for start-up ideas, expansions and those with multiple locations.

They added one new sales agent to the team in 2014.

Local Business Growth is the Foundation of a Healthy Economy, Congratulations to the 2015 Foundation Award Recipients Advanced Plumbing • Aestheticare of Lawrence • Alpha Roofing Bigg’s • Good Energy Solutions • Griffith Payments Next Level Baseball Academy • Printing Solutions Silverback • The Summit • Treanor Architects

Cromwell Environmental

2014 Foundation Award Recipients 360 Energy Engineers, LLC • Paradise Carpet One • ComfortCare Homes of Baldwin City The Crystal Image • Danielsan Electric, LLC • Googols of Learning • The Granada Kurt Goeser State Farm Insurance • Massage Envy • OrthoKansas, LLC • Pawsh Wash & Pet Health Market Pennington & Company • The Results Companies • Struct/Restruct, LLC

Thank you to our sponsors:

For more information: www.LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com/Foundation2015

Next Level Baseball Academ Matt Duncan has owned and operated Next Level Baseball Academy in Lawrence for the past 10 years. The company mentors and instructs children and teenagers of eight to 18 years old. It also trains more than one thousand youth and adults at the high school, collegiate and professional level. In 2014, four new members were added to the staff.

Printing Solutions Printing Solutions is a full service commercial printer that has been in business for 14 years. It started in the garage of owners, John Hutton and Terry Jacobsen, with just three pieces of equipment. Printing Solutions now occupies a 30,000 square foot factory, does business nationwide, and has 60 employees. The company has invested heavily in modern equipment both in the digital world and traditional offset printing. This past year, Printing Solutions added 10 new employees to its ever-growing business.

Silverback Enterprises Silverback Enterprises was founded in 2012 by Lawrence native Ryan Robinson and Kyle Meyers of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Silverback is a full-service worldwide event production company that is proud to be headquartered in Lawrence with additional offices in Atlantic City, N.J. and soon to be San Francisco, Calif. With three years in business, Silverback has now produced more than 225 sporting events worldwide in 135 different cities for clients such as The Color Run, Ironman and The Wipeout Run. This past year, the company added five new members to the Silverback team in Lawrence.

The Summit The Summit is a full service fitness facility located in downtown Lawrence at the intersection of 9th and New Hampshire. In 2014, The Summit expanded its customer base by more than 50 % and now has more than 1,000 members and personal training clients. As a facility, what sets The Summit apart is the friendly environment and emphasis in the community, which staff members believe is incredibly important in creating a place where people want to be. From 23 staff members to 28, The Summit contributed in adding five new jobs in the Lawrence community.

Treanor Architects Treanor Architects, P.A. is a professional architecture firm with four additional offices located in Topeka; Kansas City; Mo.; St. Louis, Mo. and Dallas, Texas. Treanor Architects has been proud to serve the people of the community for the last 34 years. Their work has also allowed them to work in 30 states and internationally. Treanor looks forward to continuing to do the things that they have successfully done in Lawrence and hopes to continue doing them for the next thirty-four years and beyond. In 2014, Treanor added 13 new jobs in the Lawrence community. n

30

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Y

Sharyn Harley, owner of Om Tree Shala

oga is not just for flexible people who want to relax – it’s a rapidly growing segment of the health and wellness industry that has the potential to increase muscle tone and strength, reduce the risk of injury, boost mood, and assist in weight loss.

Lawrence has a number of options available for people wanting to add yoga to their wellness routine.

Local gyms, yoga studios and independently arranged yoga classes offer an eclectic mix of yoga levels and styles which means that just about anyone can find a yoga class that will suit their needs.

This rich supply of yoga options is a great thing for Lawrence residents looking to gain physical and mental balance in their lives. The high demand for yoga in Lawrence also means that local teachers and studio owners must work to establish their niche while finding a personal balance between service and business that works for them.

Sharyn Harley is the owner of Om

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Tree Shala, the newest yoga studio on the Lawrence scene. Om Tree, 1405 Massachusetts St., teaches a blend of yoga styles and offers many classes that are meant to make people sweat. Harley said she believes the studio is filling a demand that has existed in Lawrence for a while.

“When I moved to Lawrence in my early 20s, there wasn’t that place that you could drop into at almost any time of day and get a good yoga workout - which was what I was into,” Harley said.

Sensing that teaching was the next step in her yoga journey, Harley became certified to teach Body Flow, a trademarked, yoga-inspired fitness class, at the local women’s fitness club Body Boutique.

“That was a great place to start.

Both the staff and the clientele at Body Boutique are awesome. There is some really fun energy there, but I was still looking for a studio vibe.

And I knew there were people in Lawrence -often people who came

from other cities - who were wanting more power vinyasa and harder flow classes,” she said.

With two young kids and not a lot money, Harley assumed that opening a studio of her own was a dream that would need to wait.

However, when she unexpectedly received an email from Yoga Pod, a yoga studio in Boulder that was running a teacher training and was also interested in franchising, Harley took it as a sign. With family in the Boulder area that could provide lodging and help with childcare, Harley headed to Boulder for 10 weeks to take advantage of the training and to further explore the idea of opening a franchise studio.

“The Boulder yoga scene is iconic.

I did research on what I really liked about their yoga culture, and what I wanted to bring back to Lawrence,” Harley said. “I looked closely at the franchise opportunity, and how I thought it would translate here, but at the end of the day, the franchise wasn’t a good fit for Lawrence.”

However, the trip to Boulder was not in vain. Instead of opening a franchise, Harley took what she learned in Boulder and used it

to create a Lawrence yoga studio according to her own vision. With the help of mentors and friends, Harley developed a business plan, secured and remodeled a space, and then opened the studio within six months of returning from Boulder. Om Tree opened in September 2012.

Harley said that setting rates in a way that was both lucrative for teachers and palatable for students was challenging in the beginning.

“People were not used to being told exactly what to pay for yoga in Lawrence,” Harley said. “There are a lot of sliding scale classes and there are a lot of donation-based classes -which is awesome, and I love that we have that - but students had to get used to coming in here and seeing there’s no making a special deal with the teacher. That was a little bit of an adjustment for some of the community.”

Sorcha Hyland is one teacher in town who has taught in a variety of settings for a variety of prices, including a weekly donationbased yoga class that she taught at Be Moved Studio, 2 E. 7th St., from 2005-2013. Hyland said she did not charge a set price for her class because she did not want to

Gopi Sandal, Westside Yoga instructor and co-owner, demonstrates a yoga

exclude anyone from the practice of yoga. Her open-door policy brought a variety of people to her class, some who were homeless and paid nothing, others who paid her with tomatoes, and others still who paid $8-$10 for the class.

“It was very important for me to teach the class in the true spirit of traditional yoga,” Hyland said. “I could do that once a week, and it served me well, but I don’t think I could do it that way for a living.”

Melissa Arthur, one of the three co-owners at Westside Yoga, which opened in 2011 at 4935 Research Park Way, said that generating income from a yoga studio is indeed quite a challenge. The Westside Yoga studio is located in a space that the co-owners rent from Dr. Mehdi Khosh and Dr. Farhang Khosh, who operate their Natural Medical Care practice in the same building. Arthur said the Khoshes were generous about setting an affordable rental rate when the studio was getting started. Arthur and her co-owners, Rita Joy Stucky and Gopi Sandal, have jobs outside of owning and teaching at the studio.

“We as studio owners do not take a profit from the business. We do our pay our teachers and we do pay rent, but it’s something that we basically run as volunteers as a service to the community,” Arthur said.

In terms of filling a niche among the yoga studios in Lawrence, Arthur said that Westside’s location and their accessible and inclusive classes are what set them apart. The studio offers a class called curvy yoga, as well a class designed for seniors.

“We try to make sure that our studio is a place where anyone can do yoga and where everyone feels comfortable,” Arthur said.

The Yoga Center of Lawrence, 920 Massachusetts St., has been in operation since 1999 and is the longest-standing yoga business in town.

Jack Krebs, who co-owns the Yoga Center with his wife, Jill Krebs, said that with a progressive curriculum that focuses on the very specific and disciplined Iyengar style of yoga, the Yoga Center of Lawrence sees itself as more of a school; a place where people learn proper alignment of yoga poses, rather than a studio, in which people go to get a workout while doing yoga poses.

Both Jack and Jill have other sources of income beyond the Yoga Center, but are constantly thinking about the business and doing small tasks related to the Yoga Center.

Sharyn Harley, owner of Om Tree Shala

“We look at what we so as a service to the community, but we also want it to be economically viable for the time we put into it. We are professionals and don’t want to work for six dollars an hour,” he said. “But the balance in terms of the time that we put into the center and what we make - it’s hard to pin down.”

For Harley, opening Om Tree has forced her to spend more time focusing on the nuts and bolts of the business, which was a tough adjustment from focusing solely on teaching. However, applying the principles of yoga to how she conducts business has been a welcome challenge, she said.

“That is the ultimate yoga for me now - doing the yoga of being a fair and just business owner,” Harley said. “Every decision I make I am asking myself is this yogic or not. Usually it’s very to tell. Your gut we tell you.” n

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Drinking to Health

by LIZ WESLANDER photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

B

t.Loft owners and motherdaughter duo Lisa Green and Marybeth Mermis.

everages are more than just thirst quenchers these days. For many, they are an avenue to better health and a go-to solution for snacks, meals and energy boosts throughout the day. With more and more people turning to juices, smoothies and unique tea blends on a daily basis, local businesses are getting creative about answering the demand.

According to Natural Food Merchandiser Magazine, bottled drinks are the second largest sales category after fruits and vegetables for natural product stores nationwide. Rita York-Hennecke, who is now General Manager at the Merc Co-op at 901 Iowa St., and who began working at The Merc in 2005 as the refrigerated grocery manager, said that she has seen the demand for healthy bottled drinks grow rapidly during her time at the natural foods grocery store.

“It started out with the Odwalla and Naked Juice smoothies and Perrier water, and has just blown up from there,” she said. “Now people are looking for things with chia seeds in it, cold-pressed juice, coconut water… drinks are something that people seem to want more and more of.”

The health beverage trend is not limited to bottled drinks. The Merc recently completed a renovation that included an expanded juice and coffee bar that offers freshly made organic juices and smoothies. The juice bar also serves a locally made kombucha, called KANbucha.

Kombucha is a lightly sweetened effervescent fermented

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tea drink that has gained popularity in recent years.

York-Hennecke said that The Merc has made a conscious effort to differentiate its juice bar by using only organic ingredients for the juices and smoothies, and by serving the local KANbucha in the novel on-tap format.

“We are all about healthy, local and organic, but people are not just looking for the nutrition,” she said. “They also want some excitement and sense of adventure with their beverages. The kombucha-on-tap is a fun thing to provide. It’s the closest thing we’re going to get to a beer tap here.”

Although kombucha, which originated in China, has been around for hundreds of years, it has only gained popularity in the U.S. during the last few decades. YorkHennecke said that she remembers having only one brand of kombucha on the shelves of The Merc in 2005.

The co-op now sells five brands of bottled kombucha in a wide array of flavors that occupy more than half of the real estate in the drink cooler.

KANbucha owner Elliot Pees was inspired to try brewing kombucha in 2009 after trying a bottle that his sister brought for him from Austin, Texas. He started selling KANbucha on-tap from a kegerator at the Lawrence Farmers Market in 2010, and has since started selling bottled KANbucha at health food stores, coffee shops and gyms in both Lawrence and Kansas City. Business is going well enough that Pees recently partnered with Ben Farmer, owner of the local Alchemy Coffee House,

Certified Environmental Drycleaner

to lease a 25,000 square foot production space at 111 Riverfront Dr. in North Lawrence.

“If you do your research, you’ll find that fermented foods have the potential to treat a number of chronic problems,” Pees said.

“And kombucha is the rock star of fermented foods. It’s pourable, you can take it with you, and it has a broad flavor palate.”

Kombucha, like most fermented foods, can be an acquired taste for people whose palates are not accustomed to tangy or sour foods. KANbucha comes in six flavors with the most popular being Ginger Rose, which is a combination of kombucha, ginger, rosewater and some grape juice for color and sweetness. Jasmine Aid, which is made by adding jasmine tea and lemonade to the kombucha – is another popular flavor, Pees said.

“I see a lot of reactions to kombucha,” Pees said. “Some people taste it and love it right off the bat. I tell people that if you try it and don’t like it one day, come another day and try it again. If you don’t like it then, come another day and try it again. We have 6 different flavors, so it may be that they just haven’t found the right flavor.”

Lisa Green and Marybeth Mermis have also recently developed a business based on the popularity of healthy beverages. Green and her mother, Mermis, opened t.Loft at 4801 Bauer Farm Dr., late last summer. Everything on t.Loft’s

Elliot Pees, owner of KANbucha Rita York-Hennecke, General Manager at the Merc Co-op at 901 Iowa St.

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menu, which includes fresh juices, smoothies and tea blends is gluten free. Green’s sister, Jill Minton, came up with the t.Loft concept after she, her daughter and her father were diagnosed in 2010 with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. Minton also operates two t.Loft cafes in Kansas City.

Green, who also has celiac disease, said that the family started drinking tea to help with their celiac disease, and that Minton, who Green describes as “dreamer” and “entrepreneur” came up with every recipe on t.Loft’s menu.

Green said that she has received a lot of positive feedback since t.Loft opened five months ago. Many of t.Loft’s customers are people with food allergies and autoimmune diseases, Green said, but a lot of the clientele are simply people who want to feel good and lead healthy lifestyles.

“People come in for a lot of reasons from a hangover to when they feel like they are getting sick,” Green said.

The most popular juice on the t.Loft menu is the “Alive and Alert,” a mix of kale, spinach, grapes, oranges, apples and ginger, Green said.

“Everybody just talks about how it makes them feel so good,” Green said. “I think people like it because you are drinking kale and spinach, but you can’t taste them.” n

Prompt Care

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838-1500 www.promptcarelawrence.com

by STEVEN HERTZOG photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

T

yrel Reed, the winningest basketball player in University of Kansas history, tells a story from his freshman year.

Andrea Hudy, Assistant Athletics Director of Sports Performance and the KU Men’s Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach, demonstrates to the team what it is to be mentally tough, by doing a pushup using only her two thumbs.

She does this thing, a pushup with just her thumbs. I mean just her two thumbs,” Reed said. “Now I don’t think it is as much a strength thing as it is a mental thing, blocking out the pain. And as a

40

freshman, you see her do that and we are all thinking she is a Greek God!” It is the Hudy system, mental toughness and sports performance conditioning to make KU athletes the most physically fit and mentally tough athletes on the playing field.

When you watch KU Men’s Basketball teams, it is clear to every spectator and analyst that the players are better conditioned than their opponents, both physically and mentally. An athlete cannot have success with one and not the other. They have more

energy. They have more strength.

They are mentally tougher. They are the athletes on the floor who are not cramping. Not suffering from a strained or pulled muscle.

They are well hydrated and well conditioned. If they are fatigued, they sure don’t show it. At the end of the game, they are faster than their opponent.

And when we think of why the KU Men’s Basketball program has the best-conditioned athletes in the country, we know one of the answers — coach Hudy.

“We think Andrea is one of

herself and our program. She is hungry for perfection. As a result, Andrea is always refining herself as a coach,” said coach Bill Self in Hudy’s book “Power Positions.” “She seeks to balance proven practices with the latest in cutting-edge technology. Her passion is why our strength program is arguably the best in the country. Her science-based approach combined with the latest technology and software puts our athletes at the forefront of performance training.”

“I think sports performance goes beyond physical — it is also spiritual and mental,” Hudy said. “When I think about health and wellness, I think about happiness, and for people to be living the best life they can.

It is all encompassing as to who I am as an individual. Health and wellness is a lifetime process.”

Hudy’s past players speak volumes about the extraordinarily positive impact she has had on their lives, in the weight room, on the court and in their maturing lives as young men. They agree that what makes her so good is her attention to detail, loving what she does and caring about the athletes. She wants them to get better so they can achieve their aspirations at the highest level. the very best strength and conditioning coaches in the country. She constantly researches new techniques and technology to ensure that our athletes can perform at the highest level,” said KU Athletic Director Dr. Sheahon Zenger.

Hudy has trained hundreds of student-athletes throughout her award-winning and illustrious career as one of the leading strength and conditioning coaches in the world. Constantly in demand as a motivational speaker for the ever-growing world of better and new scientific

approaches to fitness training, she recently published her new book, “Power Positions,” detailing in precise language her technique and philosophy for creating the best-conditioned athletes in the world and helping guide them to National Championships and achieving their personal goals.

And with more than nine National Championship rings and 11 Big 12 Conference Championships, it is difficult to argue with her exceptional success and unique vision.

“Andrea not only demands the best of our athletes, but also of

“What makes Hudy’s program so different from other sports performance programs is her extensive knowledge about how the body works,” Reed said. “She is so in touch and so intelligent about bio mechanics.

She understands why athletes do what they do, what exercises are going to make them more explosive and give them an edge on their lateral quickness. She really studies human movement, and that sets her apart.”

Tyrel Reed, Kansas Basketball 2007-11 137-17 winningest player. photo courtesy of Kansas Athletics.

When it comes to the conditioning of a studentathlete or professional athlete,

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it can mean different things to different people. There is, of course, the individual, but there is also the sport and position. There is sprint conditioning, power conditioning and endurance conditioning, so when Hudy looks at it she thinks, not only sports performance, but also human performance. She is always seeking out how we can get better as individuals, whether or not we are athletes.

from point A to point B faster than the person in front of you.”

The biggest misconception athletes have about conditioning, Hudy explains, is that you go into the weight room and you bench-press, do pull-ups and squat.

Are those the foundations of strength? Absolutely, she says. But then she argues that it is not the foundation for better performance. Strength is not this one target you need to hit; just because you get stronger, you get better is not the case. It depends on what specific goal individuals want and need because people are different.

“That is the beauty of what I do,” Hudy said. “I work with a bunch of individuals who come from different backgrounds and are motivated differently and want to go to different places, and I have to feed into each athlete as the unique individual they are. If you want to stay healthy, you need to be a well-rounded individual. Frank Mason, for example, can tumble, can roll, do summersaults, which is not the case for a 7-foot guy, but that 7-foot guy should be able to do that — be able to control one’s body weight and get

Hudy breaks it down in “Power Positions” into three

types of athletes focusing on how the athlete moves.

The Lateral Reactive, the Linear and the Rotational.

The Lateral Reactive athlete tends to be muscular and needs to be able to change direction (basketball player, cornerback, shortstop in baseball); the Linear athlete (sprinter, wide receiver, striker in soccer) tends to be longer, leaner and moves in a forward line and the Rotational athlete (golfer, pitcher, discus thrower) may not appear to be athletic when they run and jump, but that is advantageous to them for rotation.

Reed says that when he first came to KU he had his own ideas about what strength and conditioning was.

Working with the only female strength and conditioning coach in NCAA Men’s sports was never a concern for him. He says her reputation preceded her, and coach Self spoke highly about her credentials and the success she was having with the other athletes.

“I thought strength and conditioning was more about how much weight you could move. It was all about getting as strong as you can and getting the number [weight load] up as high as you could,” Reed said, who is working toward a doctorate in Physical Therapy at KU. “But it is more about the technique. Being explosive and fast moving the weight. As an athlete who plays basketball, it is all about changing direction and getting

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Her approach, that every athlete is different, that you train for your specific position, is a key element of Hudy’s reputation as one of the most respected and innovative strength and conditioning coaches in the country.

into positions they can get out of.”

Hudy’s philosophy is to develop a mechanically efficient human who is healthy and remains injury free.

“We have to train our athletes for what they are doing, whether it be basketball, track and field, volleyball, baseball, whatever — and once you create that athlete and make that athlete strong enough, then too much of something can be a bad thing and then we offset it,” Hudy explained. “For basketball practice, they are on the court, they are breaking, breaking, breaking, accelerating, backpedaling. For me to do more of those exercises in the weight room would break them down even more. So what we are trying to do is offset it with proper conditioning.”

One of the pieces of equipment Hudy has incorporated into her program to help analyze performance is the Sparta Trac Force Plate. Under Hudy’s guidance and vision, KU was the first university in the country to utilize this new, state-of-the-art equipment.

Dr. Phil Wagner of Sparta Trac is one of the inventors of the Force Plate. With its revolutionary software, Sparta is changing the perception of how sports performance is altered and re-evaluated. Dr. Wagner first met Hudy

“

“

I think sports performance goes beyond physical — it is also spiritual and mental,

on a visit to the Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, and was immediately drawn to her.

“I am a perfectionist, so our initial meeting in Germany was pivotal in bringing our software out into the open and let this secret out to the masses,” Dr. Wagner said. “Since then, she has been a voice to the industry, answering questions on how she applies this technology as a seamless guide to her training approach.”

Currently, Sparta has more than 12 partners, ranging from international rugby, such as the England National Team and Australia

Rugby Champions; to small and big colleges, like the University of Pennsylvania to University of Texas and professional teams in all sports such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Falcons and Colorado Rockies.

The Force Plate is technology used to measure an athlete’s ground reaction force, which is how each athlete’s body creates, transfers and uses force through the ground. This works by having the athlete do six vertical jumps on the Force Plate, which is then transferred to proprietary software to analyze and identify the athlete’s movement

quality, also known as movement signature.

If you are an athlete who has to stop and go in another direction and you are not strong enough to go in another direction, something is probably going to get injured. Or if you are a high accelerator but you are not designed to stop quickly and you do, you’re going to blow something out.

Hudy uses Force Plate and SpartaTrac app to monitor performance and injury risk, as well as to create a workout plan based on each player’s movement signature, tracking the results in a

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manner for both coaches and athletes to understand.

This transparency between coach and athlete is a significant part of Hudy’s character and philosophy in working with athletes.

They believe through their experience that nutrition is important for optimal performance because it is the foundation that allows an athlete to optimize performance continually throughout a career.

“So such visibility is something that really fit the culture she has created at the University of Kansas and the reputation she has within our industry,” Dr. Wagner said.

“The athlete is either going to build their house (performance) on a foundation of rock (proper performance nutrition habits) or sand (poor performance nutrition habits),” Carbuhn said.

“Performance built on a foundation of sound nutritional practices will allow an athlete to improve performance over time, resulting in an optimal performance that can be duplicated many times over, which I believe is the key to a true champion.”

The Force Plate offers Hudy a unique look into how effectively an athlete uses energy through movement. She takes this analysis and prescribes workouts to fix any inconsistencies in movement to make them more athletic, more elastic and less prone to injury. This is the foundation for what is called Evidence Based Training.

“We used to think we were just hitting this target, or I thought I had a feel for what we wanted to accomplish in athletes,” Hudy said. “Now it is proven we have the numbers behind it and the statistics to show exactly what we are trying to create. If an athlete comes in as a non-lateral athlete, we can tell that and then we know exactly what we need to do to get them to be a lateral reactive athlete. So in that respect, we are training them to prevent injury.”

Aaron Carbuhn is the Sports Nutritionist at KU. He has been working with Hudy for more than four years to cultivate a proper diet for Jayhawk athletes.

Top: Andrea Hudy courtside with Athletic Director Dr. Sheahon Zenger.

Bottom: San Diego Padres Tyson Ross with Dr. Phil Wagner going over workout. www.spartascience.com

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Carbuhn says that what makes Hudy’s program at KU so different from other strength and conditioning programs in the country is that “Coach Hudy maintains a constant innovation and drive to become a better professional each day and to improve sport performance at Kansas and keep them on the cutting edge of technology and philosophical approach.

Pioneering approaches to training and technology, continues to put the University of Kansas on the forefront of sport performance in the country.”

Reed explains that Hudy always has a rationale behind everything she does. She is good about doing sportsspecific exercises and functional movement that are based on what a specific athlete needs. The small

movement of the mobility exercises, or a clean and press; she can explain why doing it in the weight room will transition onto the court.

Her athletes can see that she cares so much about making them better that when they go into the weight room, they feel they have to show her that they know how much she cares for them.

“Hudy has so much enthusiasm,” Reed said. “She loves seeing us get better, loves seeing us get stronger and helps teach us how to transition what we do in the weight room and take it onto the court.”

Dr. Zenger adds, “She helps our athletes believe in themselves, and as a result they accomplish things they didn’t think they could. And the word has spread: With Andrea here, recruits know they will train with the very best when they come to Kansas.”

Inside Phog Allen Fieldhouse, hanging from the rafters is a large banner with a warning: “Pay Heed, All Who Enter: Beware of the Phog.”

Maybe it’s time the university adds another banner that reads: “Beware of the Hudy.” n

FROM THE BOOK

POWER POSITIONS HUMAN MOVEMENT IS ABOUT FUNCTION

LOAD-

The ability to decelerate or control the body against gravity through anterior chain strength.

EXPLODE-

The ability to create strength through muscle stiffness and brace against forces

DRIVE-

The ability to overcome gravity to reach and maintain maximum speed through compliant muscular contractions in the posterior chain. www.AndreaHudy.com

“

We have the numbers behind it and the statistics to show exactly what we are trying to create.

“

Force Plate Technology in action.

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Staying Healthy

with healthcare access

by TARA TRENARY photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

S

cott Swedlund knows what it’s like to struggle.

Though he says he’s blessed today, but it wasn’t always that way. About 20 years ago, he worked two jobs just to survive and try to save money for college. He had no health insurance through his work, didn’t qualify for insurance under his parents and wasn’t eligible for government assistance. And he got sick, really sick.

health insurance and don’t qualify for government assistance, began in 1988 in a retirement community as a short-term solution for low-income citizens. Starting with one volunteer and $500 as a grassroots effort in the medical community, Health Care Access now offers a variety of services, including primary care, mentalhealth counseling, a wellness program, prescription assistance, an early-detection program for women aged 40 to 64 and referrals to specialists.

A friend introduced Swedlund, now a sales manager with Cumulus Media and a local small business owner, to Health Care Access, a health care option for lowincome, uninsured Douglas County residents. He had pneumonia and no doctor, and going to the emergency room wasn’t an option for him. He knew how easily a simple emergency room visit could sink him financially and take away his college dreams.

“We are the clinic for residents who have nowhere else to turn,” said Kim Polson, interim director of Health Care Access. “We help this population manage their long-term health.”

Not only did Health Care Access treat Swedlund and provide him with the medicine he needed free of charge, it also saved his life—literally.

“I wasn’t made to feel poor; I wasn’t made to feel like I was receiving a handout,” he said. “They treated me with dignity. I have a debt to them that I’ll never be able to repay.”Health Care Access, a nonprofit organization that provides primary health care and wrap-around services to community members who can’t afford

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Health Care Access is made up of 13 paid employees and approximately 40 active volunteers. The clinic consists of two NPs (nurse practitioners); two RNs (registered nurses); one CMA (certified medical assistant); one LSCW (licensed clinical social worker); one pharmacy technician; one wellness coordinator and two receptionists. The administration has an interim director, an administrative assistant and a development coordinator. Among the volunteers are 15 active medical providers, including MDs (medical doctors); DOs (doctors of osteopathy); APRNs (advanced practice registered nurses); PAs (physician’s assistants) and others.

Haylee Fulmer, volunteer from the University of Kansas, works out with Wellness Coordinator Nikki Ingersoll.

Libby Graham, APRN, discusses medications with patient at Health Care Access.

Kim Polson, Interim Director of Health Care Access

There is also a 14-member board made up of community members that provides leadership and governance, and helps with priorities to be executed by the executive director, who’s in charge of implementation and reporting. At least one position is reserved for a physician, which the medical director and pharmacistin-charge are considered ex-officio members.

“It’s a wonderful bunch of individuals,” said Libby Graham, APRN and clinic coordinator, who manages the clinic staff. “Everybody who’s here wants to be here and feels a calling to the mission.”

The mission Graham speaks of is Health Care Access’s goal to “help facilitate access to health services for Douglas County, Kansas, residents with limited financial means who are not covered by private or governmental insurance programs.” All of Health Care Access employees strive to serve this mission.

Along with needing basic health-care access, many patients have no place to live and no food, have lost a job, need crisis management or help with mental-health needs. Health Care Access can help them with all of these issues.

“We try to figure out a better plan for their future,” Graham said.

Figuring out a better plan for patients’ futures consists of diagnosing and treating the acute and chronic health issues of between 20 to 50 patients a day, and prescribing medications for those patients. The Patient Assistance Program offered by Health Care Access helps patients get expensive medications at no charge.

It also consists of identifying patients’ other needs, such as mental-health or substance abuse issues, and helping them navigate how best to deal with those issues.

“We help them access community resources,” Graham said.

One major challenge, she points out, is patient compliance. Many patients don’t follow up with doctors and take charge of their health; missing medications, doctor’s appointments and not attending physical-therapy sessions.

“A lot of the time it ends up being a lack of knowledge by the patients,” she explained. “It can be a challenge to see people in such a bad situation. [But] we have to put the ball back in their court.”

Along with being an NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance)-recognized patient-centered medical home to its patients, Health Care Access is the only primary-care practice in town with an onsite Wellness Center. The Wellness Center provides education and guidance on exercise and nutrition, with much of the exercise equipment donated by local businesses and generous community members. The programs are designed for patients’ specific health needs and geared toward getting them safely to their goals.

“We do our best to facilitate a working environment where they [patients] feel welcome and can achieve their goals,” said Nikki Ingersoll, Health Care Access Wellness Coordinator. “The idea is that when they get insurance, they can take that knowledge and do it on their own.”

Keeping patients on track with exercise and nutrition is not without its challenges.

“They take one step at a time,” Ingersoll continues. “This is a demographic that is underserved. It’s extremely important that we provide care so they can get back on their feet and start living their lives.”

Getting patients back on their feet is no easy task, especially in a state where 12.6 percent - approximately 359,000 - of Kansans do not have insurance, according to the most recent numbers in 2013 from the Kansas Health Institute’s Annual Insurance Update 2014.

Other than those with private plans which is more than half in 2013, Kansans obtain health insurance through public-health programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Veterans Administration - about 30 percent.

Among adult Kansans between 19 and 64 years old, about 12 percent have public insurance, while more than 17 percent have no insurance. More than a third

of children in Kansas receive public coverage. About 60 percent of all uninsured Kansans are between the ages of 19 and 44, and more than 40 percent of adult Kansans with incomes below the federal poverty level are uninsured.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), established in 2010, requires all U.S. citizens to have health insurance. It created the Health Insurance Marketplace, by which private insurance companies sell insurance plans. At the end of open enrollment in 2015, 96,226 Kansas consumers had chosen a plan or had been automatically re-enrolled in Marketplace coverage, 80 percent of which qualified for a tax credit through the Marketplace.

However, approximately 182,000 Kansans fall into what is called an “eligibility gap,” including adults whose income is too high for Medicaid eligibility but too low to qualify for premium tax credits through the Marketplace. Of that 182,000, 78,400 of those Kansans have no health insurance, with nearly half in the gap being employed.

Because of the Supreme Court’s 2012 ACA ruling that Medicaid expansion be optional for states, Kansas and 24 other states have chosen not to expand Medicaid, creating a gap between existing Medicaid eligibility and eligibility for premium tax credit assistance.

“While these employees now have access to individual insurance on the Marketplace, the cost of that coverage is out of reach,” Polson said. “While HCA helps navigate patients to insured status whenever we can, our focus is providing quality primary care to those who remain caught in the coverage gap and those who fall through the cracks.”

Therefore, Health Care Access exclusively serves those uninsured Douglas County residents who are less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level guidelines approximately $48,500 per year for a family of four. This

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makes the organization more dependent on grants and fund-raising.

“We have great support from LMH [Lawrence Memorial Hospital], its affiliated groups and the local medical community, but the costs for uninsured individuals are still a challenge,” Polson said.

Health Care Access is financed by in-kind contributions - the largest portion of which comes from Lawrence Memorial Hospital - state, city and county grants, fundraisers, personal contributions from community members and some patient fees - the smallest portion. These patient fees are calculated on a sliding scale and run about $10 to $15 per appointment, no more than $20 per day. Community organizations and individuals also donate medical and fitness equipment and supplies.

Health Care Access patients face tough choices every day, and one of the biggest is making their health a priority.

We Do Flowers, Need We Say More!!!!

“If someone’s not well, they can’t contribute to our community,” Polson said. “And as most parents do, they will forego their own care to provide for their families.”

Health Care Access, officers, employees and volunteers hope they can change that.

“You never know when you’re going to end up needing help,” Graham said. “If we weren’t here, they wouldn’t have anyplace to go.”

Former patient and board member Swedlund knows this all too well.

“HCA is for people who fall through the cracks. It’s not a handout, it’s a hand up,” he said. “They gave me a chance to repay that debt through work and participation.”

He vowed to give back when he was able, and though he only used Health Care Access a few times when he was sick with pneumonia, he has never forgotten what it did for him and knows how important it is to this community.

“Most people are one diagnosis from disaster,” Swedlund said. “The people who are most at risk do not fit any stereotype. They are your friends and neighbors. HCA is the safety net to those who don’t have access to health insurance, dignity and care.” n

Clinton Parkway Nursery & Garden Store, inc 4900 Clinton Parkway | 842-3081 | Mon-Sat 8:30-5:30 Sunday Noon to 5:00 Extended Seasonal Hours

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Almost

ack is usually the first to greet you – that’s usually after someone opens the security locked door though. On his four small paws, he roams about visiting every resident in the home. He might also stop by the kitchen with the caregivers to see if they’ll be generous enough to give him another treat. At ComfortCare, Mack and the residents are as close to home as they could possibly be.

ComfortCare Homes in Baldwin City is an assisted living facility for individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia-related illnesses. What makes this facility distinct is that residents are not patients living in yet another living facility or institution, rather they are true residents living in a real home among the Baldwin community.“You typically see anxiety and confusion in the mind of the resident who lives in these larger facilities and institutions because they don’t have the capability to have new memories, so to speak, so they can’t necessarily remember where their room is, where the bathroom is, or who the help is because there’s so many faces,” said President of ComfortCare Homes in Baldwin City and Ottawa Scott Shultz.

When cognitively impaired individuals are placed in smaller environments with familiar surroundings, and are able to bring personal items with them, they start seeing these small facilities as a home, Shultz explains. At ComfortCare, the maximum

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Home

by KATHERINE DIAZ photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

capacity of residents accepted in the home is 11, and residents may either share a room with another individual or have one to themselves. ComfortCare’s kind and compassionate caregivers tend to its residents with upmost importance.

“Our ratio of caregivers to residents is quite a bit higher than facilities employ because it’s personalized, individualized care,” Shultz said.

“There isn’t a one size fits all type of care and so we tailor everything we do to each individual person and that’s what makes us different and allows for people to live here more successfully than they do in large facilities for the cognitively impaired.”

Shultz began his own ComfortCare facility four years ago, and opened a second home just this year in Ottawa. However, Shultz needed professional medical help to care for the individuals, and for the past year and a half, Susan Gray, certified dementia nurse practitioner joined Shultz and together have provided quality service and care for all

residents.

“It’s kind of a trial and error with each person sometimes as far as what works for one doesn’t work for another, and on the same hand or opposite hand, what works for a person today may not work for them tomorrow, so you constantly have to be very creative in how you deal with them,” Gray said.

An important factor to emphasize when addressing the needs of memory care patients is understanding that they’re usually not in reality, and so, one must go to where their reality is, Gray explains. An example is when a daughter visits her mother in the home, which in the resident’s mind could be her mother, her sister or her aunt, but not her daughter.

“Reality is just something you cannot impose on them, or else it won’t make sense to them at all,” Gray said.

What Gray and the caregivers do is to try to stimulate their senses through various activities that residents enjoy. Some activities

Lisa Pippert styles Shirley’s hair. ComfortCare brings in a hairstylist every Friday.

President Scott Schultz

include coloring, word searches and painting, essentially these pastimes attempt to help keep the residents active.

“The caregivers are really good at knowing what their interests are,” Gray said.

Caregivers are key in helping maintain residents healthy. During the morning, there are three caregivers when residents are getting up, two throughout the day and three once again in the evening to help get everyone ready for bed.

“Our caregivers are universal. They do everything,” Gray said. “They clean the house, they do the laundry and they care for the residents, so you don’t have different people doing all these different jobs.”

Although each caregiver is either CNA or CMAcertified, it is required that they receive dementia training by Gray throughout the year. This may include reading articles and signing off on them, but there are many ways Gray educates caregivers on how to deal with situations with cognitively-impaired individuals.

extremely challenging – and potentially dangerous.

“Typically, when someone brings their loved one to us it’s a result of getting into a crisis situation,” Shultz said. “Their person has fallen or they’ve learned that their loved ones are unsafe with cooking and they’ve been taking care of these loved ones themselves, working 80 or 90 hours a week, and they just hit a breaking point.”

In February, the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, at its annual banquet, recognized ComfortCare as the Business of the Year. Shultz is grateful that the business community recognizes their efforts to provide great care to the elderly. As Shultz said, this award, coupled with last year’s Foundation Award from CadreLawrence and the Lawrence Business Magazine are very encouraging to everyone at ComfortCare. n

It’s no easy task to care for someone with a dementiarelated illness, and Shultz understands that taking personal care of such individual in one’s own is

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Gluten Fee, Dairy Free, Vegan How Local Restaurants are stepping up to the challenge.

by ANNE BROCKHOFF photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

Alejandro Lule and Subarna Bhattachan co-own eateries Zen Zero, La Parilla and Genovese located on Massachusetts Street.

T

here was a time when a special order at a restaurant meant salad dressing on the side or no pickles. These days, diners are just as likely to request meals that accommodate their food allergies and sensitivities.

Are Lawrence restaurants up to the challenge?

Absolutely, restaurant owners and chefs say. Locally owned eateries are adding alternatives and backing up their promises with improved techniques, systems and training to better serve customers with special dietary needs.

“We want people with dietary restrictions and preferences to be comfortable and to be able to navigate their meal stress-free,” said T.K. Peterson, the chef-owner of Merchants Pub & Plate at 8th and Massachusetts Street.

That attitude makes sense, given the numbers. An estimated 15 million Americans suffer from food allergies, according to the nonprofit group Food Allergy Research & Education. As many as three million may have celiac disease, which the Celiac Disease Foundation calls one of the world’s most prevalent genetic autoimmune conditions, while another 18 million may suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Even more, adults are reducing their gluten intake by choice. A 2013 NPD Research poll found diners

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request 200 million gluten-free meals annually. That doesn’t even count folks with other sensitivities, like a dairy intolerance or those living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

While some critics dismiss consumer fascination with these diets as a fad - Jimmy Kimmel famously lampooned clueless gluten-free adherents in a 2014 episode - demand isn’t likely to diminish, local chefs say.

“People are not only conscious of where their food is sourced and how vegetables and things are grown, but also very conscious of what they’re putting into their bodies and how their bodies react to it,” Peterson said. “I don’t think it’s a trend. I think it’s part of the evolution of the modern day diner.”

Peterson embraced the shift when he took over the restaurant in the former Merchants National Bank building in 2013. He revamped the 230-seat space to create what he calls a comfortable, affordable atmosphere.

Merchants is often described as a gastropub, thanks to its equal commitment to beer - there are 30 on tap - and seasonal farmhouse fare. However, Peterson is also dedicated to welcoming those whose health limits what they eat, not because he himself has any restrictions, but because he understands how frustrating they are for those who do.

“We’ve been around it so many times when eating out with friends,” Peterson said. “It can be a buzz kill for someone with a dietary restriction—whether it’s vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free or an allergy—to have to ask the server a million questions.”

About three-quarters of the Merchants menu is or can be prepared gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan. Each is flagged to immediately provide as much information as possible; guests can then follow-up with specific questions.

Marking the sticky chicken lettuce wraps with GF/DF shows they’re already both gluten- and dairy-free. The addition of a + indicates items like the bourbon-glazed pork tenderloin and bison Bolognese can easily be made so by subbing sides or pasta. Those made without any animal products, such as the strawberry shortcake, are marked V for vegan.

Figuring all that out does take experimentation and flexibility, Peterson admits. He’s developed an arsenal of alternative ingredients such as arrowroot powder, rice flour, potato starch and nutritional yeast and become adept at mimicking the textures and richness delivered by dairy products, eggs and wheat flour.

Most recipes are prepared without dietary triggers, or made in such a way that it’s easy to swap or omit elements. One thing never changes though—fresh, quality ingredients.

“It’s a nice feeling to see people who have a serious gluten allergy really enjoy themselves and feel like a normal person.”

-Ted Nguyen “It has everything to do with quality ingredients,” Peterson said. “If you’re going to substitute with olive oil, you have to substitute with really good olive oil.”

It’s not enough for a dish to be “-free,” however. It has to be delicious. Peterson credits his wife, Emily Peterson, with holding him to that standard. The couple became the restaurant’s sole owners last year.

“When I’m writing the menu, she’ll ask ‘Yes, but are you able to make that gluten-free?’” he said. “If I say yes, then she asks how. She constantly challenges me.”

In the end, some things simply don’t translate, like the mac & cheesemonger, made with cavatelli pasta and cheddar, parmesan and gruyere cheeses, on the menu in February.

Serving dishes like that means there is potential for crosscontamination. Preventing it requires vigilance and careful organization, Peterson says.

One of the kitchen’s two fryers is dedicated to gluten-free foods, as are certain cutting boards and a section of the grill used to toast GF buns. Ongoing training keeps the restaurant’s 45-person staff current on options, procedures and facilitates better communication. It’s a constant process, but one that’s

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well worth the effort, Peterson says.

“Our expectation is that we will accommodate anybody with a dietary restriction,” he said. “The kitchen isn’t going to balk at anything.”

The payoff for that kind of attitude? Repeat business, often from larger groups, said Neeley Carlson, Vice President of Education and Training for the Kansas Restaurant & Hospitality Association.

“If we’re calling to find an allergy-free meal, it’s not a decision for one person with an allergy,” says Carlson, whose own family has restrictions.

“It’s a decision for four of us, or, if friends are with us, eight.”

When someone gets it right - “We’re very loyal customers,” she said.

Subarna Bhattachan and his business partner Alejandro Lule have worked hard to earn such a following at Zen Zero, La Parilla and Genovese in downtown Lawrence, mostly by emphasizing customer communication.

Many customers call or email ahead of time to discuss the menu and kitchen procedures, or speak with their server or the chef once they arrive—that’s essential, since their menus generally don’t address such issues. Shellfish and peanut allergies are the most frequent concerns, although there has also been a recent rise in the number of gluten-free queries, Bhattachan says.

To accommodate them, the restaurants’ cooks switch to fresh utensils, cookware and disposable gloves and carefully track each order as it moves through their kitchen. They also eschew problematic ingredients when they can, Bhattachan says.

For example, Zen Zero uses soybean-based vegetable oil instead of the peanut oil more common in Southeast Asian-style cooking. If someone is sensitive to soy, the restaurant swaps it for olive oil. Rice or rice noodles can easily stand in for noodles containing wheat.

La Parilla, which offers an eclectic mix of Mexican, South American and Central American fare, serves both all-corn and wheat tortillas. Genovese’s gluten-free gnocchi is made with potato starch instead of flour and is kept separate from the Italian restaurant’s other traditional handmade pastas.

The restaurants together have 70 employees; all are trained to talk concerned customers through these and other options, Bhattachan says. New hires spend their first few weeks studying the menu, tasting and examining each dish’s preparation and presentation. They must then pass a kitchen test before becoming permanent.

Managers and chefs—each restaurant has its own, and many are long-time employees—do a line-up of specials before shifts, and weekly meetings create opportunities for additional training, reminders and policy reinforcement.

It’s not easy, Bhattachan said, but it’s essential to creating positive experiences and building repeat business.

“If we can take care of our customers and their needs, hopefully they’ll come back,” he said.

“That’s the whole part of being in the food service industry. Sometimes you bend over backwards to please customers.”

Peterson and Bhattachan aren’t the only Lawrence restaurateurs with that attitude. Online resources such as the Facebook community Gluten-Free Lawrence, Yelp.com and findmeglutenfree.com list dozens of eateries with GF offerings. Many more accommodate other needs as well.

They range from Wheat State Pizza and Rudy’s Pizza, both of which offer gluten-free crusts and vegan cheese, to Billy Vanilly Cupcakes, which has vegan and gluten-free offerings. Some, including the 23rd Street Brewery have a separate gluten-free menu, while Henry T’s and others note availability on their main menus.

While many local restaurants have their own procedures in place, industry organizations have also developed training programs including the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe Allergens online course and the Gluten Intolerance Group’s Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program.

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Still, people should be aware that providing truly safe food is difficult, Carlson cautions.

“There’s no way a restaurant can guarantee an allergen-free meal,” Carlson said. “They have processes in place to help minimize those risks, but if you have a high allergy response to anything, eating out is always a risk.”

That’s why it’s essential for patrons to fully disclose and discuss any health concerns with a restaurants’ staff, owners say. That’s becoming easier, thanks to the proliferation of consumer-focused websites, apps and dining cards, which are used to communicate allergies and sensitivities.

Restaurants increasingly ask guests to distinguish between medically necessary requests for conditions like an allergy or celiac disease and dietary preferences. Among them is Ramen Bowls, which substitutes rice noodles for wheat-based types in gluten-free orders and will even cook them in a fresh pot of water if gluten presents a health risk.

Other restaurants hedge their bets by describing their offerings as glutensensitive, as Bigg’s BBQ does. Some caution that they may not be able to prevent is cross-contamination. That’s the case at The Oread Hotel’s Five 21 and Bird Dog Bar restaurants, whose menus carry this clarification: “GF indicates gluten-free item. Fried items may come into contact with gluten.”

That’s one reason Ted Nguyen, owner of Ted’s Taphouse, eliminated wheat flour and ready-made foods from his kitchen—it simply makes cooking gluten-free easier. Nguyen grew up in Lawrence, and his family’s operated restaurants downtown since 1981. Angler’s Seafood, The Orient and Wild Pho have all occupied their spot at 10th and Massachusetts streets over the years.

Nguyen’s method of brining and pressure-frying gluten-free chicken became the foundation for Oh Boy! Chicken, which his mother, Nancy Nguyen operated in the street front location as her son launched Ted’s Taphouse in an adjacent space at the rear.

When she retired, Nguyen expanded the Taphouse to take over the entire 120-seat operation. The fried chicken stayed put on the menu, stayed gluten-free and has been joined by a host of other GF items.

“It’s very difficult to address every single allergy, but because I have this down so well, we concentrate on gluten-free,” Nguyen said, who counts about 70 percent of his menu as gluten-free. “It’s a nice feeling to see people who have a serious gluten allergy really enjoy themselves and feel like a normal person.”

High quality gluten-free foods purchased from restaurant vendors tend to be pricier than their traditional counterparts, so Nguyen holds costs down by making them himself. It’s also the best way to control what goes into his food, since food manufacturers and distributors sometimes change ingredients and brands.

“Everything we make here is by hand, and that allows us to really control that part of it,” says Nguyen, whose restaurant prepares everything from fried chicken and sides to spice mixes and desserts from scratch.

Ted’s Taphouse will celebrate its first anniversary in March, and Nguyen is looking forward to expanding both its gluten-free offerings and its current staff of eight.

“I’m proud of the fact my mom started down here, and that now I’m able to pick up the ball,” Nguyen said. “Hopefully I’ll be here for another 30 or 40 years.” n

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LMH Among the Nation’s Top 100 Hospitals Again

by JANICE EARLY

I

t’s official…again! For the third year in a row, Lawrence Memorial Hospital has earned its place among the nation’s top 100 hospitals. As a recipient of the 2015 Truven Health Analytics™ 100 Top Hospitals® award, LMH is proud to rank so highly among nearly 3,000 acute care hospitals nationwide.

LMH is in the national top 20 for organizations its size, and it’s also the only hospital in Kansas to achieve this distinction for the past three consecutive years.

In an industry changing as rapidly as health care, according to Truven Health Analytics, the 100 Top Hospitals illustrate how effective leaders manage change and achieve excellence in a dynamic environment. The 2015 study recognizes hospitals that have clearly demonstrated the vision to develop long-term excellence in care, efficiency and community value. The program objectively gauges leadership impact and organizational health by assessing the ability to drive consistent, outstanding performance versus the performance of industry peers.

How the Truven Health study works The 100 Top Hospitals designation is based on hospital-wide performance improvement over time.

Using independent, quantitative research, the Truven Health 100 Top Hospitals study identifies hospitals and leadership teams that provide the highest level of value to their communities, based on a national balanced scorecard.

The scorecard measures overall organizational performance across 11 key analytic measures that encompass patient safety, quality of patient care, operational efficiency, financial stability and patient perception of care. Rather than conducting a oneyear analysis – which only captures performance at a

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specific snapshot in time – the Truven Health study looks at data that reflect five-year performance for most measures.

The 11 measures are: 1. In-hospital mortality 2. Medical complications 3. Patient safety 4. Core measures mean percent (includes measures like performing angioplasty on heart attack patients within 90 minutes of arrival, providing the appropriate initial antibiotics to pneumonia patients, giving surgery patients the right antibiotic to prevent infection, and more) 5. Average length of patient stay 6. 30-day readmission rate for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and hip/knee arthoplasty 7. 30-day mortality rate for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia 8. Expenses 9. Profitability 10. Medicare spend per beneficiary Patient satisfaction (based on HCAHPS score, a patient rating system for overall hospital performance) Hospital-wide performance excellence at LMH this year, LMH received an overall composite score in the 93.5 percentile, which means it’s continuously improving – and improving at a faster rate than 93.5 percent of all medium-sized community hospitals in the U.S. The medium-sized community hospital category is the largest of the five categories in the 100 Top Hospitals Study, which makes it the most competitive: after being compared to roughly 1,000 similar hospitals, LMH once again emerged in the category’s top 20.

1. What does LMH’s recognition as a top 100 hospital mean for patients? Research shows that patients at Truven Health 100 Top Hospitals: 2. Have a lower mortality index considering patient severity 3. Have fewer patient complications 4. Avoid adverse patient safety events 5. Follow accepted care protocols 6. Have lower mortality and 30-day readmission rates 7. Keep expenses low 8. Send patients home sooner 9. Score better on patient satisfaction surveys 10. Truven Health research further reveals that, as a top 100 hospital: 11. LMH excels across the entire organization, from high quality patient care to financial management, community benefits and more.

12. It has very strong board leadership, and all hospital leaders at LMH are very effective with management and organizational goal development.

13. LMH follows care standards more closely than nearly 1,000 similarly sized hospitals and nearly 3,000 other hospitals throughout the U.S. 14. LMH values a culture of excellence and performance improvement throughout every aspect of its organization.

15. LMH builds on its achievements and continuously raises its own standards of excellence.

16. LMH uses advanced information technology processes.

This highly celebrated program is now in its 22nd year, and being named a Truven Health top hospital is a very prestigious achievement. As leadership at the Truven Health Center for Performance Improvement explains, the 100 Top Hospitals program is different from all other hospital ranking systems because its purpose is to show hospitals how and where they can improve, not to help consumers choose a hospital.

Furthermore, it is completely objective: hospitals cannot apply for the 100 Top Hospitals award, and winners do not pay to market this honor.

At LMH, it has earned its position among the top U.S. hospitals through its culture of performance improvement, its outstanding leadership and staff who embody evidence-based management as well as evidence-based medicine, and its unwavering dedication to the health of the community.

As the center of healthcare in this community – not to mention one of Lawrence’s largest employers – LMH knows financial health, operational efficiency and high quality patient care must be at the center of everything it does, and every decision it makes. Its focus going forward will be to continuously reset LMH’s performance targets for ongoing improvement throughout the hospital. From hospital leaders to physicians and other health care providers, staff and volunteers, LMH is proud to share this honor with the community for the third consecutive year.n

WHY [LOCAL]

Building a Healthy Relationship Group runs, workouts, even pingpong energize business activity

by MARK FAGAN photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

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ick Wysong rolls out two new tables, provides the 14 paddles and restocks the seemingly endless supply of balls.

Then he welcomes the two dozen competitors who stroll into his restaurant and bar in downtown Lawrence. They’re ready for the night’s four hours of double-elimination pingpong and all that comes with it: the fun, the food, the drink.

“It’s healthy competition,” Wysong said, owner of Ingredient and Five Bar, the side-by-side establishments whose tall windows face the street at the northwest corner of 10th and Massachusetts Street. “It’s a workout.

And it’s good fun.”

The additional foot — and paddle — traffic is proving to be an added bonus for Wysong, who is among business owners in Lawrence building both community and business loyalty by organizing or affiliating themselves with a range of energetic activities.

Whether it’s a restaurateur organizing pingpong or a running store conducting free group runs, businesses built on service are finding that they can boost connections with customers by feeding their desire for shared, active experiences.

“It’s a critical ingredient,” said J. Jenkins, manager of Garry Gribble’s Running Sports at 839 Mass St. “We’re all about community and connecting with the community, and probably the biggest part of that is the events we put on: everything from the clinics to the fun runs to our weekly group runs. It’s definitely an opportunity get people excited about running and to keep our name in people’s minds.”

Two years ago, Jenkins launched Mass Street Milers, a club for runners of all ages, experience and expectations. Just show up to the store at 6 p.m.,

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ready to run and you’re off. Most runners head out for 40 to 50 minutes, covering anywhere from three to seven miles.

The weekly runs typically draw about two dozen people, sometimes more when a vendor makes the latest products available. Earlier this year, a technical representative from Adidas brought in the company’s newest running shoes: the Glide Boost 7 and the Energy Boost 2.0 ESM. Each Mass Street Miler could try on shoes, ask questions and even wear the high-performance shoes out for a test run on the Kansas River levee.

“They can go out there for a half hour, an hour and think about whether they like the shoe before they commit to it,” Jenkins said. “That lets people form an opinion about a shoe they might be interested in before they buy.”

Alex Beecher is a regular participant in the free program, which he credits for helping him train consistently and build speed. He appreciates the group dynamic, which motivates him to show up each week. Faster runners push him to pick up his pace, providing a “consistent intensity” that accelerates his pace. Experienced runners share insights for avoiding injury, and less-experienced participants offer him opportunities to share his love for running.

“The biggest thing for me is it’s something I look forward to every week,” Beecher said. “It’s something you can’t get from an online forum. You can talk about running online, but you can’t share in the activity. The people I run with, they’re people I know 100 times better than I do otherwise.

They care about my race goals, and I care about their race goals. It’s a sense of community you don’t get anywhere else.”

And there’s financial motivation, too. Runners who head out with Mass Street Milers come back to the store entitled to a 20 percent discount for the evening.

“It’s awesome,” Beecher said. “This is really something only a local business can provide. It’s certainly not something any of us could organize on our own. It’s really valuable.”

Even programs unaffiliated with any business can help people in business increase their business. Red Dog’s Dog Days, for example, brings together hundreds of people to stretch, jump and run, a collection of commitment that can’t help but spur occasional business talk.

Jeff Sigler, a Lawrence pharmacist, has been working out with the iconic Don “Red Dog” Gardner for 20 years now — from doing jumping f the Dog Days people are fairly healthy, but I have a number of Dog Days friends who ask me to take care of their parents,” he said. “They know me, they get to know me and trust me enough to take care of them.

You develop relationships with people, and that’s what life’s all about: relationships.”

The biggest payoff, of course, comes from the workouts themselves. Sigler uses the sessions to stay in shape and get energized for long days at the office. Weekday sessions during winter are conducted at 6 a.m. Tuesdays

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and Thursdays at the field house, and each runs for less than an hour, giving him time to make it home, get cleaned up and grab a bite to eat.

“It’s a great way to start your day off,” he says.

Activities also can be a worthwhile way to close out a day.

At Ingredient, Wysong’s Tuesday- and Wednesday-night table tennis tournaments drive significant business while nurturing a loyal business following. He figures the tournaments add 10 percent to his daily receipts.

Players start showing up at 8:30 p.m., some with their own shoes, sweatbands and paddles, but most simply with a willingness to play.

Participation in the Lawrence Ping Pong Social Club is free, and members enjoy specials on drinks and food. There are even mugs with the club’s logo etched on the sides, and winners receive gift cards for the restaurant and bar.

“This is something we can offer,” he said. “And it’s an opportunity for people of all ages to come down and have some fun.”

Lu Vaccaro is among the club’s dedicated players, and certainly the one with the deepest experience. She started playing back in high school — beginning in 1948 — and welcomes the chance to try her hands against subsequent generations.

“I’m not as good as a lot of them, but I get a good workout,” Vaccaro said, a robust 80 years young. “I’ve got two artificial knees, asthma and I can’t walk for any distance, but this is great. It’s the best exercise I get. It’s intense fun.”n

WELLNESS A Community Priority

by LIZ WESLANDER photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

Health Fair at Hyvee

Greg Windholtz, Director of LMH Business Health Center LMH Community Education Coordinator, Ansley Anderson at Health Fair.

During the past five years, the Business Health Center at Lawrence Memorial Hospital has been partnering with local employers to offer wellness programs for employees within the workplace, with positive results.

Now the center is working to make some of its most popular programs more accessible to the entire Lawrence community.

Each program developed by the LMH Business Health Center looks a little different, depending on the size and needs of the business. Greg Windholz, Director of the Business Health Center, said that approximately 25 employers in the area pay the center to provide a variety of levels of health programing to their employees. Sometimes the center provides simple services such as flu shots or finger-stick cholesterol checks. Other times, employers ask the center to put on comprehensive health fairs that include in-depth personal health assessments and blood analysis. Some employers also pay the center to provide followup support to individual employees or the staff as a whole.

“Our program is not just a one-size-fits-all thing that we take out to employers,” Windholz said. “Different employers have different risk factors - depending on whether or not they are an employer that has a lot of sedentary workers versus manufacturing where people are up and moving a lot. We can tailor

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education to those risk factors.”

The City of Lawrence is one of the largest local employers that the Business Health Center works with to provide wellness programing. In addition to a yearly health fair, the city has arranged to have a clinic, staffed with a nurse practitioner from the hospital, available to its employees for follow-up health coaching. City employees can use the clinic as much as they want and do not have to pay anything out-of-pocket for the service.

There are plenty of smaller-scale options for employers that want to work with the LMH Business Health Center. LMH Community Education Coordinator Ansley Anderson offers “Lunch and Learns,” which are short presentations on a variety of health topics free of charge to businesses.

Anderson regularly presents to all three shifts at Big Heart Pets processing plant in Lawrence and has recently started doing “Lunch and Learns” at General Dynamics Information Technology in the East Hills Business Park. Anderson also writes a monthly health newsletter and weekly health tip that goes out to 75 local businesses.

“We try to have something for everybody depending on their wellness budget,” Anderson said. “If it’s small group with a smaller budget - they might just decide to do some lunch and learns on occasion and

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subscribe to the newsletter, whereas other employers may decide to do the full-blown health appraisal and follow-up coaching visits. We try to meet everybody’s need and give them assistance to support wellness programs.”

Some segments of the programming offered by the Business Health Center are also available to the general public via health fairs and classes, but the center is currently working to widen the scope of resources it offers to the community at large. Redesigning the LMH Wellness Resources webpage and making the center’s online Cerner Wellness Portal available to the public are the two major components of this initiative. Windholz said that a handful of community members are currently testing out the portal software, and they hope to have it ready to roll out to the public by second quarter. Access to the portal will be a paid service with multiple options at multiple price points. The Wellness Resource page will be accessible to everyone.

The main goal of redesigning the LMH Wellness Resources page is to consolidate the information about health resources available both at LMH and throughout the community into a central, well-organized database. Windholz said that his team has been working with communitywellness agencies in the Lawrence to ensure that the resource page is comprehensive.

“We want to be the resource for wellness activities in the community,” Windholz said. “If you are a community member and you need some wellness information - either you’re looking for personal training, or need a health screening, or you’re looking for tai chi classes - you’ll be able to come to this site and find it. If you want to know what parks and rec is doing you can click there, if you want to know what the health department is doing you can click there, and so on. Right now those resources are all available, but they are all over the place.”

While health assessments that delineate risk factors are a fairly common tool, the advantage of the Wellness Portal is that each of the risk factor categories on the site has an accompanying extensive online library. This means that once users identify their personal health risk factors, they can click on links that will bring them to websites and videos that will further educate them on those issues. The software will also lead them to tools that can help them address specific health needs. For instance, the software has a meal-planning tool that generates a weekly menu based on dietary needs and weight-loss goals. It also offers tools that will keep track of medications, log total daily steps and determine whether or not the user is drinking enough water. The portal can be hooked to a FitBit and also has a mobile app so that people can enter information remotely.

During their work with the employees that they serve through the center, Anderson and Windholz have seen the positive effects that using the portal can have on people, and they are excited to see the resource available to the entire Lawrence community.

“Both Greg and I have been wellness gurus in the community for many years and it’s exciting to see other people finally starting to realize that this stuff does make a difference,” Anderson said. “They have tried leading a healthier lifestyle, they have sees the results, and now they’re hooked.” n

Screening and testing labs at LMH Checking in at Business Health Center

Local Experts Weigh In On Keeping Healthy

by TARA TRENARY photos by STEVEN HERTZOG

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rom the Internet to health specialists to self-proclaimed wellness gurus, these days, there’s an overwhelming amount of information about the best ways to keep your health in tip-top shape. Sometimes, one reliable source of information says one thing, and another equally acclaimed source says something completely different. So how do you know what’s the best advice to follow? We asked top local specialists the best ways to maintain good health rather than simply correcting poor health. Here are their suggestions: When should a patient see a doctor in your field?

Dr. Brent Wood

Dr. J. Waco Goodnight

Dr. Pamela Huerter, MD, Lawrence Family Medicine and Obstetrics (Primary Care): Primary care is the entry point for most medical concerns, and in family medicine, we are trained to be able to at least, initially, see anyone for anything. Most common medical concerns, both problems and routine care, can be addressed by a family medicine specialist. Any subspecialty care can be referred to through a primary care physician. All primary-care physicians supervise preventive health needs, such as routine checkups, vaccinations and routine lab screening. Common problem visits include upper-respiratory infections, urinary-tract infections, headaches, back pain and depression.

J. Waco Goodnight, MD, FAAP, Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, PA (Pediatrics): I am a primary-care provider, meaning that patients typically see me first with any particular medical concern; and I also handle their well checkups, which are for monitoring known health problems and preventing future ones. Most commonly, parents bring their children in for coughs, fevers and yearly checkups.

Robert C. Dinsdale, MD, Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates (Ear, Nose and Throat): We see patients directly for ear, nose and throat problems, as well as by referral from their primary physicians. If something in your head/neck area has changed, and it

isn’t getting better in two weeks, it is worth having us evaluate it. We see a lot of children with ear and throat infections, adults with sinus issues, all ages with hearing issues and adults with facial skin cancer.

John Harvat, OD, The Eye Doctors (Optometry): We recommend yearly eye exams. The three biggest reasons people come to see us are (in this order): trouble with their vision, eye irritations/red eyes and a family history of eye problems.

Matthew J. Brown, AuD, CCC-A, F-AAA, Kaw Valley Hearing (Audiology): A patient should see an audiologist if he or she is having difficulty communicating in any situation. Some of the more common complaints from patients are that they feel they can hear what is being said but often misinterpret the message. Asking for repetition, difficulty communicating on the telephone and turning the television up may be an indication the individual may want to obtain a comprehensive hearing examination.

Hearing loss has been shown to have effects on an individual beyond hearing, which may include: social isolation, depression, tinnitus and difficulty with memory.

Kyle Anderson, MD, Kansas Medical Clinic (Dermatology): If a patient has a lesion that is bleeding, changing or painful, it’d be wise to come in and make sure it’s not cancerous.

Well people should also see us for skin exams, prevention of skin cancer, persistent rashes and every six months after skin cancer.

Dr. Chris Wertin, Advanced Chiropractic Services (Chiropractics): Most people consider that chiropractors are “back and neck” doctors. However, a more accurate description would be “function” or “health” doctors. As chiropractors are experts in natural health care, paying extreme attention to the function of the body, anyone who is interested in restoring or maintaining their health should consult a doctor of chiropractic. Most commonly, people seek out the help of a doctor of chiropractic when they have obvious pains and discomfort that they would like help getting rid of. It is very common that people seek us out after they have already tried other forms of health care with little or no result.

Dr. Kelli Henderson, DDS, Growing Smiles (Pediatric Dentistry): Within six months of the first tooth erupting or by age one. Most people seek out dental care for their children as a preventive measure, but other times, it is because of tooth pain or facial trauma.

Dr. Brent C. Wood, Oread Orthodontics (Orthodontics): The American Association of Orthodontics recommends seeking an evaluation from an orthodontist around age eight. The majority of the patients in my office do not receive treatment until their teenage years, but some problems can only be corrected at a young age. Most common consultations are due to teeth malalignment causing problems with correct occlusion, cleaning of teeth or all-around esthetics.

Are routine exams important in your field to maintaining optimal health?

Why are they important? How often should people get them?

Huerter: The purpose of routine exams is to identify health concerns before they become symptomatic or severe. Every adult should have his or her blood pressure checked at least once every year. Young adults without any chronic issues do not require a physical every year, but should seek some sort of preventive medicine exam with screening lab work every three to five years. Older adults and those adults with any chronic diseases should have the status of those conditions evaluated every six to 12 months if they are stable, and more frequently if they are not well controlled. Children should have an evaluation of growth and development every year. Screening tests often discussed during a preventive exam include mammography,

colonoscopy and bone-density testing. This is also a time when routine lab work would be discussed.

Goodnight: Routine exams are extremely important. I look at them as a way to thoroughly look at a patient from every angle, which allows me to continue current care of known health problems, detect previously undetected health problems and anticipate and prevent future ones. Visits for a single problem, i.e. sick visits, do not allow me to perform the same kind of medicine I’m able to practice when doing a “well check.” The time between well checks is dependent on age.

Dinsdale: Routine screening exams are not usually done in our field, because most serious conditions in the head and neck give you symptoms. I would say be aware and honest with yourself so you don’t dismiss those symptoms and miss the chance to resolve them. Protecting your ears from noise, protecting your skin from the sun, protecting your voice from abuse and not smoking are the ways to maintain optimal health for our region of the body.

Harvat: Routine exams are important in our field. People can develop various eye diseases, such as glaucoma, that are asymptomatic. They do not even realize they have a problem, which can make treatment more difficult and less successful.

Many different systemic problems in the body, like diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, can also show up in the eye.

Brown: An annual examination may not be warranted. However, if a patient recognizes a change in hearing, it would be advised to have it evaluated. When having a hearing examination, it is important to have tests completed that can examine all parts of the ear. Results obtained should include the appearance and function of the outer, middle and inner ear. These tests may include otoscopy, tympanometry, air and bone conduction, and speech recognition.

Other test may be warranted depending on the results obtained above.

Dr. John Harvat

Dr. Robert C. Dinsdale

Anderson: Once you hit 50, it’s recommended on a yearly basis; every six months after cancer and yearly, if younger with skin issues. Every two years is fine without.

Wertin: Routine functional assessments are very important in maintaining proper

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health. In fact, most doctors of chiropractic complete these assessments every time they evaluate and render care to their patients. These exams can be very thorough, or they can be an ongoing progressive evaluation of the patient to ensure that the goals of care are realized. The purpose of care is to restore and maintain good health and function, and these evaluations help the patient and doctor monitor and achieve these goals.

Henderson: Routine exams are critical in dentistry because so many oral disease processes are symptom free to the patient for a long time. Many times, once the disease process has created a symptom for the patient, it is very progressed. For early detection, we recommend dental exams at least every six months.

Wood: Periodic monitoring of teeth allows the orthodontist to advise parents and patients on the optimal time to begin treatment. This can lead to the best results with minimum intervention. When treatment is complete, routine follow-up appointments are needed to assess long-term stability and retention options.

If there’s a history of disease in a person’s family, how important is it for him/her to take that into consideration when trying to maintain optimal health?

Huerter: Knowing individual family history is one of

Dr. J. Waco Goodnight examining Kmaryana Ephriam

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the best ways to determine when and how often to do routine screens in order to avoid repeating that family history.

Goodnight: It’s always something you should communicate to your health-care provider. If your provider knows your family risk, it can help him or her detect disease earlier and modify your risk factors for getting the disease. He or she may be able to lower the chance of you getting it or minimize its impact upon you when you do start showing symptoms.

Dinsdale: The self-protective steps outlined above (protecting your ears from noise, protecting your skin from the sun, protecting your voice from abuse and not smoking) would be even more important if there is a family history of hearing loss, skin or head/neck cancer.

Harvat: Very important. Many eye diseases have a familial history.

Anderson: It should be taken seriously. You should try six months at first, then yearly. Those with blonde hair and blue eyes are much more prone to skin issues. Skin cancer can happen in any color or ethnicity, but it’s more likely in fair people.

Wertin: Genetics sometimes plays a big role in the health of an individual; however, research does suggest that the expression of familiar traits can be altered for good or bad, by the lifestyle, diet and functional aspects

of a person’s habits and body..

Henderson: Very important, as dental caries (tooth decay, cavities, etc.) is a communicable disease, and there are numerous hereditary concerns in dental health, as well.

Wood: Family dental history is an important factor to evaluate patients’ orthodontic needs. Whether it be a history of missing teeth or excessive/ deficient jaw growth, these are all factored into a patient’s predicted final result.

What are the most important lifestyle choices/changes people can make in your field in maintaining optimal health?

Huerter: Healthy diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep and stress management. Symptoms are our body’s way of communicating. Don’t ignore your body when it is trying to tell you something.

Goodnight: Avoid fast food and carbohydrate-laden food. Fruit juice, despite what the industry would have you believe, is NOT healthy.

Exercise is important daily, and diet is not a personal issue or change to be made, it is a family issue that requires change by the entire group.

Dinsdale: Get enough restful sleep, exercise, don’t smoke and protect your ears from noise. Our bodies are pretty amazing, and they will generally work great if we do what our mothers told us: eat right, exercise and get enough sleep!

Harvat: More and more research is showing the importance of a healthy diet in maintaining good eye health. Also, wearing sunglasses is very important. Routine eye exams, I think, are the key to maintaining optimal health.

Brown: Protecting your ear from loud noises by reducing the volume, avoiding loud sounds, utilizing earplugs and shortening the amount of time in loud environments can help. There have been a multitude of factors that have been linked to hearing loss in one form or another, which include: osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, smoking and hypertension, to name a few.

Anderson: Most important: Don’t use tanning beds. Also, use sunscreen or a broad-rimmed hat when outside for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

It’s important for everyone to get a baseline exam then a one-year exam.

Skin cancer is a cancer no one should die of.

Wertin: Keep the nervous system and spine in proper working order.

Keep the body in motion. Eat a proper and nutrient-rich diet. Get out and look at the world and relieve some of the life stressors that hit us.

Validate the good in life, and work to improve what isn’t so great.

Henderson: Minimizing sugar-filled drinks like juice, soda and sports drinks, as well as sugary snacks like fruit gummies, raisins and candy.

Opt for healthy snacks like cheese sticks and yogurt. Brush for one to two minutes two times a day with adult supervision, and seek routine dental checkups twice a year.

Wood: There are a lot of treatment options these days, from retainers to clear aligners to invisible, metal, ceramic and microbraces. Orthodontists have the specialized knowledge to consider all possibilities, based on variables like your age, possible jaw imbalances, differences in the size of your teeth and more. They know what to use and when to use it, and will work with you to make the best decision for your best smile. Orthodontic treatment can be successful at any age. It is never too late to appreciate the benefits of a wonderful smile. n

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THE LOCAL

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NEWS [MAKERS] PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Capital City Bank Hires Ernesto T. Hodison Capital City Bank is pleased to announce the expansion of their Commercial Lending Team to include Ernesto T. Hodison. He joins Capital City Bank in the position of Senior Vice President, Commercial Lender after 16 years in a similar position at Douglas County Bank.

His lengthy banking career also includes employment with the former Mercantile Bank.

Ernesto brings with him to Capital City Bank over 28 years of banking experience and a strong knowledge of commercial lending. “Ernesto is a welcome addition to our Team,” says Mark Gonzales, Senior Regional Executive Vice President and Lawrence Market President of Capital City Bank. “He is known among his customers for his commercial lending expertise and his customer service skills. Our team looks forward to working with Ernesto as he continues to develop close relationships with new and existing Capital City Bank customers.”

Ernesto attended the University of Kansas and is a graduate of the ABA Commercial Lending School, the ABA Advanced Commercial Lending School, and the Graduate School of Banking in Boulder, Colorado.

Family Centered Medicine Stephanie A. Suber, D.O. is proud to announce Family Centered Medicine, LLC, (FCM) Lawrence’s newest family practice clinic. Practicing in the Lawrence area for the past seven years, Dr. Suber has taken a considerable entrepreneurial step by building her own facility located just north of 6th and Wakarusa Drive.

Heading up FCM office management is Danica Loftin who joined the new group after 10 years with Criticare of Lawrence. Suber says of Loftin that she is the glue that keeps everyone together.

The “we” is a big part of Family Centered Medicine. Making the move with Dr. Suber are two experienced, board certified Physician Assistants; Britani Congleton PA-C and Tara (Zabawa) Stecklein PA-C. Dr. Suber says, “FCM is so lucky to have them both! They bring the ability for FCM to provide high quality, same day walk-in service to anyone in need, as well as bringing in loyal patients of their own to the practice.”

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NEW DOUGLAS COUNTY BUSINESSES [ JAN to MARCH 2015] 1224 OH, L.L.C. 1221 Vantuyl Lawrence 66049 2435 IOWA PARTNERS, LLC 2421 Harper Street Lawrence 66046 901 MANAGER, INC. 901 New Hampshire Lawrence 66044 ABENTEUER ACRES LLC 846 E 1650 Road BALDWIN 66006 ABILENE HOUSING I, LLC 4105 Wimbledon Drive Lawrence 66047 ABSOLUTE PAWFECTION LLC 2234 Ohio Street Lawrence 66046 ACE3 ENERGY EFFICIENT ENCLOSURES, LLC 3741 Greenway Circle Lawrence 66046

ADC, INC. 901 New Hampshire Lawrence 66044

FREESTATE CONSTRUCTION LLC 533 Elm Street Lawrence 66044

THE LENDING JOURNEY USA, INC. 1271 N. 870 Road Lawrence 66047

CARS TO GO LLC 123 W 8th Street Lawrence 66044

FRONTRUNNER PROPERTIES, LLC 734 N 1750 Road Lawrence 66049

LOCALTICKETS.COM, L.L.C. 16 E 13th Street Lawrence 66044

CAT INTERNET CONCEPTS LLC 4720 Harvard Road Lawrence 66049 CENTRAL PLAYA MUSIC LLC 211 Comfort Lane Lawrence 66044 CLINTON KANSAS STORE, L. L.C. 588 N 1200 Road Lawrence 66047

CLINTON STOP INC. 1801 West 2nd Street Lawrence 66044

GKG LLC 1004 Wagon Wheel Road Lawrence 66049 GLICH’E GAMING, LLC 4220 Wheat State Lawrence 66049

GOALS FOR GOOD FOUNDATION 5000 Clinton Parkway Lawrence 66047 GROUNDWORKS LLC 1145 Pennsylvania Street Lawrence 66044

COMMUNITY FOODS MANASSEH LLC 617 Vermont Street Lawrence 66044

HALEY’S CLEANING SERVICES LLC 3704 Gunnison Drive Lawrence 66049

ANCESTOR LLC 1048 Hartland Drive Lawrence 66049

COMPTON RENTALS NORTH PROJECT INVESTMENT, LLC 901 New Hampshire Lawrence 66044

HALL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, INC 2040 W 31st Street Lawrence 66046

ANDRADE INVESTMENTS LLC 709 Mississippi Street Lawrence 66044

CRISIS KIDS PROJECT, INC. 542 Frontier Road Lawrence 66049

HANG THE MOON DESIGNS, LLC 1747 Lake Alvamar Drive Lawrence 66047

ANDRADE LAWN & TREE SERVICE LLC 1538 Cadet Lawrence 66044 ARCHITECTURAL TITANIUM INTERNATIONAL, INC. 1611 St. Andrews Drive Lawrence 66047 ARTSY FARTSY DESIGNS INC 2013 Heatherwood Lawrence 66047 THE ATTIC LLC 2110 Delaware Street Lawrence 66046 AUGUST DATA SYSTEMS LLC 784 E 1400 Road Lawrence 66046 AVANT-FARM, LLC 852 E 800 Road Lawrence 66047

CTI INVESTMENTS LLC 5025 Keystone Court Lawrence 66047 DANCE FOR LIFE LLC 2951 Four Wheel Drive Lawrence 66047 DARLA’S KITCHEN LLC 3514 Clinton Parkway Lawrence 66047 DAVID BEATY FOOTBALL CAMPS L.L.C. 1651 Naismith Drive Lawrence 66045 DDUB PRODUCTIONS LLC 1401 E 24th Street Lawrence 66046 DEALER MATS DIRECT LLC 3301 Iowa Lawrence 66046 DEXTER CONSTRUCTION, LLC 2098 E 150 Road Lecompton 66050

MAINE STREET, LLC 901 Kentucky Lawrence 66044

MAINTENANCE PLUS LLC 642 N 6th Street Lawrence 66044 MG & MO FARMS 2, LLC 3409 Tillerman Drive Lawrence 66049 MONTGOMERY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LLC 3600 Parkview Court Lawrence 66049 MOTET SINGERS SOCIETY 1729 Charise Court Lawrence 66046 MURRABIT STATION, LLC PO Box 842 Lawrence 66044 MYRIAD AEROSPACE LLC 645 Vermont Lawrence 66044 NORTH PROJECT, INC. 901 New Hampshire Street Lawrence 66044

HKU INC PO Box 1420 Lawrence 66044

OAKS GOLF, LLC 2101 Greenbrier Lawrence 66047

HOTSPUR & CO., LLC 3924 Willshire Drive Lawrence 66049

ONE TOMORROW INC. 701 East 19th Lawrence 66046

IMPACT RESEARCH LAB, LLC 853 N 1663 Road Lawrence 66049

OZARK TALENT EVENT MANAGEMENT, LLC 718 Schwarz Road Lawrence 66049

IN THE YARD PRODUCTIONS LLC PO Box 441 Lawrence 66044 ISP TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 4225 Wimbledon Drive Lawrence 66047 J2 PROPERTIES, LLC 700 Prescott Drive Lawrence 66049

PERISCOPE ADVISORY LLC 4500 Bob Billings Parkway Lawrence 66049 PHOG SPORTS, LLC 740 New Hampshire Lawrence 66044

POULTRY PARTNERS LLC 832 Pennsylvania Street Lawrence 66044

JAYHAWK APPS LLC 1530 Engel Road Lawrence 66045

JB & MG FARMS 1, LLC 3409 Tillerman Drive Lawrence 66049

PROJECT SLEEVE, LLC 1301 W 24th Apt J17 Lawrence 66047

JJS GLASS, LLC 313 E 8th Street Lawrence 66044

RAKER REAL ESTATE LLC 4724 Carmel Court Lawrence 66047

FEBRUARY CAPITAL, INC. 24179 Chieftain Road Lawrence 66044

KANSA NATURALS CONSULTING, LLC 4605 Trail Road Lawrence 66049

REGENCY2222, LLC 800 Wheaton Drive Lawrence 66049

BLUE ASPEN DIGITAL INC. 1126 Ohio Street Lawrence 66044

FLAIRRE L.L.C. 2511 W 31 Lawrence 66047

BLUE CABOT LLC 1003 E 1292 Road Lawrence 66047

FLAWLESS DRYWALL FINISHING & REPAIR LLC 1908 E 19 Street Lawrence 66046

KANSAS QUEER YOUTH NETWORK INC. 1332 Vermont Street Lawrence 66044

AWW INC. 2828 Fenwick Road Lawrence 66046 B & A KC TRUCKING LLC 609 N Salsbury Court Lawrence 66049 BEBERS FOODS LLC 2208 S Ousdahl Road Lawrence 66046

BLACK OAK LLC PO Box 455 Baldwin City 66006

BRIARCLIFF MEDIA LLC 7 E 8th Street Lawrence 66044 BRYK PROPERTIES, LLC 4910 Corporate Centre Drive Lawrence 66047 THE BUNKER KC NFP INC. 2524 Prairie Elm Drive Lawrence 66047 CARL CLIFTON FARM, LLC 1430 N. 1000 Road Lawrence 66046

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CARRIE DUNCAN TOWING AND TRANSPORT LP 838 E 12th Street Lawrence 66044

EMANATE YOUR ESSENCE INC 1047 Rhode Island Lawrence 66044

EXCELLENT CW LLC 1548 E 23rd Street Lawrence 66046

KEELING FARM FRESH, LLC 1020 Ohio Street Lawrence 66044

FLY OVER LLC 1520 Foxfire Drive Lawrence 66047

KUNJ ENTERPRISES LLC 1900 Haskell Avenue Lawrence 66046

FOX & DOVE, LLC 4100 W 24th Place Lawrence 66047

LAZY LAB WOOD SHOP, LLC 1028 N. 600 Road Baldwin City 66006

FRED’S PLACE LLC PO Box 139 Lecompton 66050

LEEWAY FRANKS LLC 255 N Michigan Street Lawrence 66044

FREE MOBILE MECHANIC INC. 3323 Iowa Street, Lot 545 Lawrence 66046

LEGEND ENDURANCE LLC 701 E 19th Lawrence 66046

Q2 INC. 906 Schwarz Road Lawrence 66049

RELLEZ, LLC 903 N 2nd Street Lawrence 66044 RGS CONSULTANTS LLC 1635 George Williams Way Lawrence 66047 RICE INNOVATIONS, LLC 1655 Mississippi Lawrence 66044 ROHLING REAL ESTATE LLC 523 N Hurricane Lane Lawrence 66049 THE ROLLING GNOME 3104 Heatherwood Court Lawrence 66047 ROOKIN VENTURES, LLC 102 Earhart Circle Lawrence 66049

THE RUBBER & GLUE COMPANY 721 N 3rd Street Lawrence 66044

SABLE HOSPITALITY GROUP LLC 2218 Vail Way Lawrence 66047 SELECTION RENTALS LLC 845 Iowa Street Lawrence 66044 SHOOTER’S GUN CLUB, LLC 1709 Lake Alvamar Drive Lawrence 66047 SKY PARADE INC. 2436 Redbud ln Lawrence 66046 SOLTEKH INC. 901 Kentucky Street Lawrence 66044 SOMETHING BLUE EVENTS LLC 2108 W 27 Street Lawrence 66047 SPONSOR PUSH LLC 701 E 19th Lawrence 66046 STANHOPE TECHNOLOGY LLC 3528 W Eagle Pass Court Lawrence 66049 STRIDE FORWARD LLC 255 N Michigan Apt 34 Lawrence 66044 SUNRISE GREEN, LLC. 1515 E 11th Street Lawrence 66046 TEAM HOPE, LLC 741 New Jersey Lawrence 66044 THETA WAVES LLC 2133 Ohio Lawrence 66046

TODAY & TOMORROW’S TREE SERVICE LLC 3057 W 8 Street Lawrence 66049 TRSC SERVICE & REPAIR, LLC 1457 N 1823 Road Lawrence 66044 UNEEQ INC. 901 New Hampshire Street Lawrence 66044 VIEVE COMPANY 4000 W 6th Street Lawrence 66049 WADE ENTERPRISES INC. 3021 Campfire Drive Lawrence 66049 THE WAFFLE IRON L.L.C. 920 Delaware Lawrence 66044 THE WALDRON PHOTOGRAPH COMPANY LLC 1510 N 1050 Lawrence 66046 WENTZ ALTERNATIVE ENERGY, L.L.C. 2912 Whitmore Drive Lawrence 66046 WIDE EYED MEDIA LLC 220 Earhart Circle Lawrence 66049 WILMA’S ANGELS INC PO BOX 3581 Lawrence 66046 WILSON FINANCIAL LLC 947 New Hampshire Street Lawrence 66044 WORKTOP, LLC 2137 Rhode Island Street Lawrence 66046

WH OSE DESK? Be the first to correctly guess which local business figure works behind this desk. Winner receives a $50 gift card to 23rd Street Brewery. facebook.com/lawrencebusinessmagazine