Schowalter Villa announces building name and dedication date

HESSTON-  Two years ago this month, Bluestem Communities announced thePrivate Home for Everyone Campaignto help raise funds to construct a new, two-story assisted-living addition for Schowalter Villa residents and the community.

This week, Bluestem Communities announced the grand opening date for the $6.1 million community building will beSept. 7, 2018.

At the grand opening, Bluestem Communities will honor the Mullet Family with a building dedication. The new community building,Mullet Place at Schowalter Villa, will be named in honor ofRoy and Bess Mulletin recognition of lead gifts from Excel Industries and the Mullet Family. Roy Mullet was one of the founders of Excel Industries located in Hesston; he and Bess were Schowalter Villa residents for over a decade. The couple had five sons, each of whom personally supported this community project.

“We are honored to partner with the Mullet Family and Excel Industries on this project and to be able to recognize their generosity in this way,” said Yvonne Sieber, Bluestem Communities Chief Philanthropy Officer.

The driving motivation for the new building was to create private homes for every Schowalter Villa resident. Mullet Place at Schowalter Villa will provide residents with 24 new assisted living homes, resulting in 40 total assisted living homes and 98 private healthcare rooms on campus.

“We firmly believe that every individual on our campus deserves the privacy and dignity of a private home. Thanks to the benevolence of many donors, this belief will become a reality for residents on our campus very soon. We are all so excited for the opening of Mullet Place at Schowalter Villa,” saidJames Krehbiel, CEO/President Bluestem Communities.

The word ‘place’ was chosen due to its broad meaning. Schowalter Villa sees this new addition to be used by the community in many ways, reaching even beyond the organization’s residents and staff. In addition to providing residents with private homes, the building will include two new classrooms for Hesston Intergenerational Child Development Center, community café and bakery, gift shop and outdoor walking paths.Mullet Place at Schowalter Villawill be a place for the community to gather, children to play and seniors to enjoy a dynamic place to live and connect.

“The Private Home for Everyone project was one that resonated with us from a business and family standpoint. Both Schowalter Villa and Excel Industries have been pillars of the local business community for many years and this project will benefit many Hesston residents and their families,” said Bob and Paul Mullet.

For more information on Bluestem Communities visit us online atwww.bluestemks.org.

Pilot program helps improve health of Salina Medicaid population

Participants in a pilot project in Salina, Kansas, are living healthier and more active lives after KanCare (Kansas’ Medicaid program) and Cerner collaborated to improve their overall well-being. Starting in June 2015, the initiative used targeted data to focus on eligible Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes, and those who were pregnant. Those beneficiaries then learned how they could improve their health through things like healthy eating and exercise. 

“The pilot program identified effective ways to improve the health and engagement of those in the Kansas Medicaid program,” said Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, M.D.

When the program ended in July 2016, those who took part in all the program requirements reported a drop in triglycerides and total cholesterol, as well as an increase in physical activity. Total cholesterol fell an average of 9.8 mg/dL, while triglycerides fell an average of 27.5 mg/dL. The group also self-reported an increase in moderate or vigorous physical activity — from 82 percent to 93 percent.

“Cerner and the State of Kansas have a shared vision for improving the health of its residents. The pilot project allowed us to collaborate on innovative ways to engage KanCare beneficiaries and provide a tailored health care experience which led to improved health outcomes,” said Christa Roberts, director of population health client performance management, Cerner.

To encourage participation, Cerner looked at the geographic data on disease prevalence and set up physical locations close to where beneficiaries lived, worked and shopped, including the Salina Emergency Aid /Food Bank, Central Kansas Foundation and Walmart.

At those locations, Cerner’s health team administered labs and biometric screenings, provided health coaching services and offered education about food and transportation resources. Cerner health navigators also matched participants to physicians, monitored program engagement and shared information about the participants’ progress with those involved (managed care coordination). As an incentive, enrollees received water bottles, pedometers or Walmart gift cards for their participation in the program.

Cerner and the University of Kansas Business School created a survey to collect data on participants’ health beliefs, motivations and hopes. Survey results helped break the respondents into various groups. Health navigators then communicated with participants in each group with personalized messaging to encourage further participation. 

“Through the program, we found a way to incentivize members to make healthy behavior changes,” said Colyer. “The incentive strategy, combined with collaborative relationships between beneficiaries and their health team, are helping Kansans achieve better outcomes.”

Now that the pilot project is complete, it could lead to similar future projects to improve the health of Medicaid beneficiaries.

CCC's 4 x 100 relay team wins gold at KU

LAWRENCE — Central Christian College’s track and field team competed in the prestigious KU Relays this weekend and showed that it belonged.

The Tigers’ 4 x 100 relay team, which had Friday’s fastest qualifying time in 41.54, came back on Saturday with a 40.94 time in the finals to win the title. Runners include Qawtavis Johnson, John Jones, Alfred Thomas and Derek White. 

The Tigers outlasted Emporia State (41.6) to win the college division.

CCC had two members place in the long jump, with Malik Johnson taking sixth and Mark Noel was eighth.

Johnson also finished seventh in the triple jump.

For the women, Amanda Murray qualified for the finals in the 100 hurdles and took ninth as she pulled up with an injury.