BUSINESS NEWS

Now that all The University of Kansas Health System’s imaging services in Great Bend are offered in one location, Shannon Deines expects patients will benefit from more convenience and increased efficiency.

Deines is the imaging services supervisor at The University of Kansas Health System Great Bend Campus. She and her staff, who have a combined 286 years of experience, have moved from St.
Rose Medical Pavilion to the hospital.

“There are 18 technologists here eager to provide the highest quality imaging services in central Kansas,” Deines said. “It’s great that the entire imaging team, as well as all other services, continue to work together for the health and well-being of local families.”

Most of the imaging staff works full-time but there are some part-time staff. The entrance to imaging is still located on the west side of the hospital. Inpatient and outpatient services include X-ray, mammography, CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), bone-density DEXA scans, ultrasound and nuclear medicine.

Mammograms are available during extended hours on the first and third Mondays of the month. On those days, after-hours appointments are available between 4:30 and 6 p.m.

“This is another way we go the extra mile to accommodate our patients,” Deines said. “We know it can be difficult to schedule an exam during regular business hours.”

While patients are always the priority, Deines said, these changes benefit the staff as well.

“The University of Kansas Health System is wonderful,” she commented. “Everyone has been very supportive. Being part of a large health system such as this gives us quick access to more
outreach services and more specialists.

“The University of Kansas is bringing even more advanced healthcare services to Great Bend. This is good for everyone.”

Deines started working for the former Central Kansas Medical Center 22 years ago.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today reintroduced the Startup Act – bipartisan, cutting-edge legislation to encourage job creation, grow entrepreneurial activity, increase innovation and advance economic development.

The Startup Act would accelerate the commercialization of university research and creative inquiry that can lead to new ventures, review and improve the regulatory processes at the federal, state and local levels, and modernize a critical Economic Development Administration (EDA) program to spur economic growth and promote innovation. The widely-supported legislation also creates both entrepreneur and STEM visas for highly-educated individuals so they can remain in the United States legally to promote new ideas, fuel economic opportunity and create good-paying American jobs.

“America continues to fall behind in new business development and struggles to retain top talent that could grow our U.S. economy,” said Sen. Moran. “With a renewed sense of urgency, Congress must prioritize policies that will help recruit and retain highly-skilled students and innovators, bolster a pro-growth environment and enable entrepreneurs to transform ideas and research into companies and products – creating meaningful, good-paying jobs for Americans in the process. Thank you to Senators Mark Warner, Roy Blunt and Amy Klobuchar for continuing to prioritize this important legislation to help make certain America remains the best place in the world to bring an idea to market and grow a business.”

“I’ve spent most of my career in the private sector so I know the importance of advancing innovation,” said Sen. Warner. “By encouraging entrepreneurship and helping attract and retain talented individuals, this bipartisan bill will help Virginia promote capital investment while boosting our economy and promoting U.S. competitiveness.”

“To compete and succeed in a 21st Century global economy, we have to make our country the best place in the world for entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses,” said Sen. Blunt. “This bill will help promote innovation and small business growth, which in turn will create more jobs and strengthen the economy. The legislation will also increase U.S. competitiveness by making sure we have the workforce we need for high-demand STEM fields.”

“Startups and small businesses are engines of job creation and economic growth,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “Our bipartisan bill would make it easier for students and innovators to get their ideas off the ground, encourage new ideas, and strengthen our workforce to keep the U.S. competitive in the 21st century economy.”

Many of the principles included in the Startup Act are based on the research and analysis by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, based in Kansas City, Mo. Kauffman research shows that immigrants to the United States are nearly twice as likely as native-born Americans to start businesses, and first-generation immigrants now make up nearly 30 percent of all new U.S. entrepreneurs.

Data shows that international students studying in the U.S. on temporary visas accounted for nearly two-fifths of all Ph.D.s in STEM fields – that number has doubled over the past three decades. Further, international doctoral students were significantly more likely than domestic students to major and earn degrees in STEM disciplines in the U.S.

The Startup Act is supported by Sprint, Garmin, the Enterprise Center of Johnson County, the Kansas City Startup Foundation, Engine, the UMKC Innovation Center, the KC Tech Council, the Internet Association, the Consumer Technology Association, CTIA, SSTI, CompTIA, the Angel Capital Association, the Computer and Communications Industry Association, National Venture Capital Association, the Center for American Enterprise and the Information Technology Industry Council.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

Barton Community College’s annual literary publication, Prairie Ink, has begun accepting entries for its tenth edition.

Editor Scott McDonald said the aim of the publication is to provide a venue for local authors to showcase their creative writing talents.

The editors are looking for the following types of original work to be considered for publication:  fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, drama, and graphic short stories.  They will be accepting submissions until April 1, 2019.

Barton students, alumni and all residents of the seven counties in Barton’s service region: Barton, Pawnee, Rush, Russell, Rice, Stafford and Ellsworth counties, as well as Barton’s Fort Riley, Fort Leavenworth and Grandview Plaza campuses are encouraged to submit entries.

Submission guidelines and other information about the magazine can be found at prairieink.bartonccc.edu or by sending an email to Editor McDonald at mcdonalds@bartonccc.edu.

There will be one more name in the Great Bend High School Hall of Fame following The February 15^th ceremonies. Matt Friedeman, a 1977 GBHS graduate, was selected to be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.

Friedeman is currently a professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. He has hosted radio shows, written columns, and served as a pastor.

Great Bend High School Activities Director David Meter says it will be nice to bring Friedeman back to Great Bend.

Matt Friedeman Audio

Friedeman was heavily involved with choir and track and field while at Great Bend High School. He still owns the record with a 198’11” discuss throw. Friedemen received a track scholarship to attend the University of Kansas where he became a Big Eight champion and was chosen to compete in the 1980 Olympic trials.

Meter says Friedemen is an excellent speaker and will hopefully get a chance to talk to many students while he is back in town.

Matt Friedeman Audio

The day includes a luncheon at 11:45 a.m. at Stoneridge Country Club. The induction ceremony will take place between the girls and boys basketball games later that evening against Dodge City High School. After the games, a reception will be held in the Jack Kilby Commons.

Tickets for the luncheon are on sale for $15. Contact the Great Bend High School athletics office at 620-793-1560 for purchasing tickets.

The excitement was electric as Great Bend Robotics Club members prepared for their first competition, the VEX Turning Point Robotics Tournament held in St. John on Tuesday, Jan. 29. The Great Bend High School team competed against more than 25 teams from eight school districts.

The teams use robots from VEX Robotics. While each team gets exactly the same robot pieces, the design and programing are entirely up to the individual teams. Coached by Jake Hofflinger (GBHS) and Amber Lucchesi (GBMS), students began designing their robot last September and have been working diligently after school since the beginning of the year to prepare for this inaugural tournament.

Working within a 12’x12’ playing area, the robots have to work autonomously (by themselves) for the first 15 seconds of a round then the driver takes over for the remaining 1:45.

“In the fast-paced tournament format, the kids were able to score and overcame some of their programing errors,” said Hofflinger. “It was impressive to watch them expose design flaws and come up with alternative programing on the fly.”

“Sometimes you see that your design is not going to work,” said Gregory Aumiller, eighth-grade club member who accompanied the high school team for research. “You just have to start over. You can’t get too attached to a design idea.”

While the Great Bend team placed 21 in the tournament, their sights are already set on their next opportunity to compete.

“I am happy and surprised with how we did today,” said Mayra Ramirez, club president. “We did not have time to practice before we competed at the venue, but the months of preparation kept us competitive.”

A next step for the Great Bend Robotics Club is to identify a corporate partner/sponsor to enhance the technology available to the middle school and high school students.

“Access to better equipment would make the team more competitive at the tournaments, in addition to the robust skills they’ll gain using the technology,” said Hofflinger.

Anyone interested in learning more about the program or sponsorship opportunities is invited to contact Jake Hofflinger, GBHS technology teacher and robotics coach.

The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program was designed to improve the health of women with families. The service provides nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, foods, and referrals to other health care programs.

For years, the WIC program distributed paper checks to qualifying women to use at grocery stores. Their WIC items had to be separated from the rest of their items at the checkout.

Bev Frizell, with the Barton County Health Department, says all that changed last spring with the creation of the WIC debit card.

Bev Frizell Audio

Frizell says women and children can come into the Health Department to find out of if they qualify for the WIC program, which is based on family size and income. Each month, your family’s WIC food benefits will be deposited onto your card.

When it comes time to pay for the groceries at the store, WIC participants just swipe their card which will clear all the WIC items from their bill, and then they can pay for the remaining groceries.

Bev Frizell Audio

There are approximately 650 WIC program participants in Barton County.

BUSINESS NEWS

The Great Bend Recreation Commission will be hosting a Valentine’s Day Entertaining Meals program on Wednesday, February 6^th, at the Great Bend Recreation Center located at 1214 Stone Street.  Join us over your lunch hour and enjoy beef lasagna, green salad, bread, dessert and beverage along with entertainment from the Great Bend Middle School Music in Motion group.  The meal will begin at Noon and entertainment will be held from 12:15 to 12:45 pm followed by time to visit with your friends before you head back to work at 1:00 pm.  Registration deadline is Friday, February 1^st, with the entry fee set at $10.00.

A complete list of programs and class details can be found at the GBRC web site at www.greatbendrec.com .  Online enrollment is now available on the website. Please contact the Recreation Commission office at 793-3755, ext 110, stop by the office located at 1214 Stone Street for more information or any questions you may have.