Lawrence Central Rotary

Author: Admin

Beth Llewellyn Discusses Health Care for the Uninsured

Beth Llewellyn, executive director of Health Care Access, spoke to Lawrence Central Rotarians about the mission and the services of this “safety net” clinic for low-income and uninsured individuals living or working in Douglas County. Llewellyn grew up in Lawrence and returned to take charge of Health Care Access in June of 2015. Llewellyn has 25 years of experience in health care administration and has a strong personal conviction that good health care should available to everyone. The clinic operates on a sliding fee scale with 26 percent of the people served being unable to pay anything. Unfortunately, this number is increasing.

Clinic services include primary care, chronic disease management, counseling and psychotherapy, referral coordination, prescription assistance, resource navigation management, case management, wellness management, and on-site physical therapy. Some 59 percent of the people served are at or below the Federal Poverty Line. Many of them suffer from hypertension, diabetes, or mood/behavior disorders.

Health Care Access, located at 330 Maine Street, has a staff of fifteen and an operating budget of $950,000 and is governed by a private board of directors. The organization works with a number of health care related partners that make up a network of health care assistance and expertise. In addition to fees and donations, financial support comes from the State of Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, and the United Way.

What is the biggest challenge or need? Beth Llewellyn urged support of the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas. More information is available on Health Care Access at healthcareaccess.org.

August 21, 2016
eXplore Lawrence’s Michael Davidson Talks Tourism to Lawrence Central Rotary

Lawrence is known as a place that is quirky, cool, fun, eclectic, and out-spoken. “Like a great film, it leaves you wanting more.”

The challenge to eXplore Lawrence, the non-profit entity now responsible for promoting and managing Lawrence tourism, is to understand the Lawrence brand and capitalize on it, according to Michael Davidson, Executive Director since April 1, 2016. The entity, funded by the city’s transient guest tax, anticipates a 2017 budget of $990,000. With the slogan “Unmistakably Lawrence,” the City is well on its way to enhance its reputation as a destination.

eXplore Lawrence is focused on encouraging visits not only for leisure activities, but also for conventions, meetings, and training events held by corporations. Currently, according to Davidson, 25,000 people in Lawrence work in tourism-related businesses—attractions, hotels, restaurants, and support services—generating an estimated $5 million in the local economy. For every $1 spent in tourism, $8 dollars gets churned into the economy. And Davidson also points out the fact that the industry provides numerous entry-level jobs for workers in the area.

Recently, eXplore Lawrence invested in a professional survey to identify ways to become even stronger and more effective in its efforts. In addition, the group is using social media in innovative ways, collecting pictures and videos from folks who have actually visited Lawrence and re-posting them on their website. They also use technology that alerts them when people who have explored the website actually come to visit the community.

August 10, 2016
Lawrence Central Sister Cities 2016 Scholarship Recipients Update Members On Their Travels

Central Rotarians saw the fruits of their contribution to Lawrence’s Sister Cities organization when Elizabeth Grinage and Chehailis Jones spoke to the club on August 3. These two young women were the recipients of 2016 travel scholarships provided by the club.

Kelly Schultz, a nine-year member of the advisory board, explained that the Sister Cities program was devised during the Eisenhower administration in order to promote relationships among people and reduce the likelihood of conflict in the world—values certainly consistent with Rotary’s aims. Lawrence has three Sister Cities: Eutin, Germany; Hiratsuka, Japan; and Iniades, Greece. There is a Friends group in Lawrence for each city. Friendship gardens here symbolize the effort and care that it takes to generate the beauty of international relationships. The student travel program is a reciprocal one where Lawrence students spend time in homes in one of the Sister Cities and then host their new friends here in our community. Porter Arneill, the city staff liaison for Sister Cities, was also in attendance.

Elizabeth, a junior this fall at Free State High School, spent a month visiting Eutin, Germany, along with six other Lawrence students. Not only did Elizabeth stay in the home of a German family, she attended school, a real challenge since she has only been studying German for two years. The Eutin parks and gardens and the local castle impressed her in particular. In visits to other cities, she explored churches, a miniature museum, and an outdoor festival. The group spent five days in Berlin, visited a concentration camp, and mixed with the crowd of soccer enthusiasts during a public viewing of a game. She visited a seal rescue station on the North Sea and held a jellyfish in her hands at the Baltic Sea. Favorite new foods: “spaghetti ice” and “milk rice,” rice cooked in milk with sugar and served with strawberries. Elizabeth is looking forward to hosting her German friends for a month in Lawrence this fall.Chehailis, an

Chehailis, an eighth-grader at Southwest Middle School, spent ten “amazing” days in Hiratsuka, Japan. Her group visited an aquarium, a Shinto temple, and an amusement park situated on the sixtieth floor of a building. She told about the crowds, music, and festival lanterns. What was most different? Well, they walked everywhere! And ate lots of fish. And had vegetables for breakfast. When her Japanese guests came to Lawrence last month, Chehailis took them to Pet World, to meet her friends, to play at Worlds of Fun, and to see the Basketball Hall of Fame at KU. They also sampled fry bread and saw bison at the Potawatomi Nation.

August 8, 2016
Marilyn Hull and Charlie Bryan Discuss the Lawrence Pedestrian Bicycle Issues Task Force Report

Douglass Country Community Foundation Program and Communications Officer Marilyn Hull and Douglas Country Community Health Department Community Health Planner (and Lawrence Central Rotary Member) Charlie Bryan came to present the findings of the Lawrence Pedestrian Bicycle Issues Task Force Report released earlier this year.

The Task Force’s mission is “use community input and research to recommend ways to create a healthier, safer, greener, more prosperous Lawrence by making it easier for residents and visitors of all ages, abilities, and incomes to walk, ride a bike, or use a wheelchair or other mobility device for everyday transportation and recreation.”

The big takeaway from the report is that virtually every Lawrence citizen walks, wheels or rides a bike in the course of a week. From the report:

It may be as simple as walking or wheeling from a car or bus stop to a grocery store or doctor’s office. It may be riding a bike to school, or walking to work, or wheeling to a downtown event. Everybody needs safe ways to move around the community.

Because the need is universal, the City of Lawrence Pedestrian-Bicycle Issues Task Force has taken an inclusive approach to studying our walking, wheeling and bike-riding environment. Our findings and recommendations are geared toward providing additional safety and comfort for all ages and abilities.

They also pointed out that Lawrence has 72 linear miles of streets with no sidewalks. The report asserts that Lawrence’s sidewalk maintenance policy is ineffective, resulting in a deteriorating pedestrian network. Many sidewalks don’t provide adequate access for people with disabilities or seniors with mobility limitations.

They also showed members a recommended map of upgrades and additions to the local bike and multi-use path network that would ultimately complete the loop around Lawrence.

If you are interested in more information please visit the Pedestrian-Bicycle Issues Task Force at https://www.lawrenceks.org/ped-bike

August 1, 2016
Kansas Advocates for Better Care (KABC) Visits Lawrence Central

Mitzi McFatrich executive director of Kansas Advocates for Better Care (KABC) says she has “the best job in the world” even though the word she uses the most in describing it is “challenging.”McFatrich who is a United Methodist minister, started working with the group when it was Kansas Improvement for Nursing Homes. Founded in Lawrence by a concerned citizens group headed by Petey Cerf and Harriet Nehring, as a statewide organization of volunteers, there are 650 members across Kansas. The group advocates with the legislature for law changes that benefit older people, works on upgrades in possibilities and hosts workshops.

McFatrich who is a United Methodist minister, started working with the group when it was Kansas Improvement for Nursing Homes. Founded in Lawrence by a concerned citizens group headed by Petey Cerf and Harriet Nehring, as a statewide organization of volunteers, there are 650 members across Kansas. The group advocates with the legislature for law changes that benefit older people, works on upgrades in possibilities and hosts workshops.

“There are always new challenges,” she said, using her favorite word. “We train law enforcement, social workers , bankers to identify, intervene and prevent elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.

“Another challenge,” McFatrich said “is helping people pick long term care. Older adults want to age in place at home. Nobody wants to talk about nursing homes or go to one. We work to maintain people’s sense of self and their dignity. We help people through life’s transitions.”

A priority of KABC is also to monitor medical care for older adults. They maintain a database on facilities in Kansas to see what medical care is available at which nursing homes, to help people avoid medical interactions that cause problems, and to record comments and opinions about elder care . They serve as ombudsmen for older citizens.

“And when I see some of the results, McFatrich said, “this really is the best job in the world!”

July 25, 2016