Senator Jerry Moran, in a Thursday morning visit to Hutchinson, announced a $408,000 federal grant to the Reno County Sheriff’s Office for technology upgrades in the department. Moran told of his work on a senate committee, which funds the U.S. Justice Department, and how he worked
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Tuesday June 25 “Minions,” part of the Fox Kids Summer Film Series, 2 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, 18 E 1st Ave. $4 admission at the door Haysville Aviators v Hutchinson Monarchs, 7 p.m. at Hobart-Detter Field in Carey Park Wednesday June 26 Reno County Farmer’s Market, 10 a.m. - 1
The Hutchinson USD 308 Board of Education approved a child care expansion resolution which will double the number of children aged 0-3 the district can care for Monday at its regular meeting. The board approved a grant for $862,285 to build or redesign a childcare facility
The Hutchinson USD 308 Board of Education heard a public comment from an attendee of the meeting concerning the $110 million bond that is being considered by the district. Randy Hamilton, president of the Club Azzurri soccer league in Hutchinson, voiced his support for the bond
As debates ensue within the commission surrounding solar power usage, Reno County has remained under a temporary moratorium for this renewable energy. With the moratorium set to expire at the end of the month, however, the commissioners were forced to make an update on the
AS Designed Co. is hosting Red, White, & Brews at Carrie’s Beer Garden and Charlie’s Wine Garden on the Kansas State Fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday. The Kids’ Zone will be open from 1 - 7 p.m., offering food trucks, face painting, bouncy houses, and more. Later
The 2024 Wichita Sports Commission’s Junior College Female Athlete of the Year award went to Blue Dragon women’s basketball’s Kiki Smith. Smith received the award at the WSC Sports Banquet Wednesday night at Intrust Bank Arena. Hutchinson Community College’s John Ontjes was named the commission’s Gene Stephenson
The Reno County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) starts with a profound statement, “Imagine if Reno County had what they needed to be healthy,” a statement that provided much food for thought during a discussion on mental health held Wednesday evening at the Hutchinson Public
The City of Hutchinson announced the Woodie Seat Freeway is reopening as of Wednesday afternoon. “The engineering department has received notification from APAC that Phase 1 of the Woodie Seat Freeway Improvements project has been successfully completed,” the official city press release read. “As a result,
The Reno County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) starts with a profound statement, “Imagine if Reno County had what they needed to be healthy,” a statement that provided much food for thought during a discussion on mental health held Wednesday evening at the Hutchinson Public Library.
The 60-minute discussion was moderated by Candace Davidson, health education supervisor for the Reno County Health Department.
Panelists included Tyler Vance, director of community support services for Horizons Mental Health Center; Debbie Graber, coordinator of counseling and social work services for Hutchinson Community College; Matthew Caraway, a peer mentor; Lisa Omison, Rise Up Reno; Valerie Taylor, Community Impact Coordinator for United Way of Reno County; and Gary Race with the Reno County Health Department.
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Race spoke of a need “to bring all parties to the table” for a discussion on mental health.
“Mental health affects choices people make,” Race said. “We need to normalize what it means to have a mental health issue so that the person dealing with the crisis is not ostracized.”
Graber said Hutchinson Community College employs three full-time therapists and trains instructors and coaches on how to recognize mental health issues.
“A college is a community within a community so we are working to make certain students are urged to come forward to seek help,” Graber said. “If a student takes as little as one hour of coursework, they are still eligible for all our services. People often ask what do college students have to worry about. It is one of the most stressful times in life.”
Omison said people should know it is okay to talk about mental health issues.
“You may even find that others you know are struggling with the same issue,” Omison noted. “Don’t hesitate to ask how people are doing should they be acting differently.”
Graber said mental health issues are also affecting farmers and complimented companies such as Farm Bureau for its efforts to provide services.
“Farming is not a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, and sometimes the stress of maintaining ownership of a multi-generational farming operation may seem hard to deal with,” Graber said.
The panelists were unanimous in their support of the nationwide 988 suicide dial-in number, which is available 24/7, and were puzzled why it took so long to deploy. Although each expressed appreciation for improved technology such as Tele-Health, most seemed concerned that some insurance carriers are balking on coverage.
Vance minced few words in his support of Medicaid expansion and how it could improve the healthcare of what is now 150,000 uninsured Kansans.
“Also, the correlation of homelessness and mental health issues is astounding,” Vance said.
Davidson invited residents of Reno County to join in the conversation to learn and be engaged in the efforts being made to improve gaps of care and areas identified by CHIP.
“This is a great time for people to understand how much work is going on to better our community,” Davidson said. “We are excited about who is presenting on topics and believe our community can have a great impact on the steps we are taking to work on areas in the CHIP.”
The third of four public meetings is slated for 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, July 10 at the Hutchinson Public Library. Dakota Sanders, Author, and ACT Peer Support Specialist at Horizons Mental Health Center, will speak and respond to questions from the audience.
The Reno County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) starts with a profound statement, “Imagine if Reno County had what they needed to be healthy,” a statement that provided much food for thought during a discussion on mental health held Wednesday evening at the Hutchinson Public
