The Chief of the Medical Staff at Geary Community Hospital, Dr. Richard Lochamy has proposed the possible establishment of a daycare service at GCH for children of the hospital employees.
The idea was taken to the Board of Trustees on Tuesday.
Lochamy feels it’s important to show the employees that they’re being looked at as a total package. “Have raised the possibility of bringing daycare to our campus to keep the entire family close knit. I think it would show some sincerity on the hospital’s behalf that we’re thinking of their young ones, and I think it might seperate us from the rest of the pack. I think we need to consider retention, and I think it would just be a nice package for Geary Community Hospital to bring to our employees.”
Hospital CEO Dr. Joseph Stratton confirmed a task force will be formed to study the issue of daycare for the children of hospital employees.
Lochamy indicated he is willing to help fund part of the project. Factors noted in support of the proposal included the high cost for employees to obtain their own daycare service, the hospital in Abilene already offers daycare service to employees, and Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is looking at it. Lochamy indicated he has seen a place at GCH where a daycare service could possibly be located, and noted Geary Community is competing with a number of hospitals in the area to retain employees in the area.
The Geary Community Hospital Board of Trustees has voted to endorse a partnership between GCH and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas on a pediatric clinics project.
Geary Community Hospital CEO Dr. Joseph Stratton
Joe Stratton, Geary Community Hospital CEO, said it will put GCH in front of anyone in the area. “We’ve got a collaboration between Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City, which is a U.S. regional hospital for children and pediatrics. We’re working with children so as well as ourself, the Bramlage Family Foundation and Geary Community Healthcare Foundation pulled together a project that’s evolving. ” Many of the details have yet to be determined.
Stratton stated, “The concept is that Children’s Mercy would place additional clinics out here on a permanent basis. Could be anywhere from two to three to four clinics with those specialties yet to be decided in a section of our building.” It could take a couple of years to finish the project.
The clinics could be located in an undeveloped basement area at Geary Community Hospital. There would also need to be some fundraising. Stratton noted that there is work that must be done in negotiations, and to get the community involved.
Gary Drake, Geary Community Hospital Board Chair, said it’s one of the most exciting things to happen to the hospital for a long time. “And primarily because Children’s Mercy chose us. With the support of the Bramlage Family brings an opportunity for us to really move forward and provide some new services to the area that are not being provided anywhere in the region.”
The Junction City Police Department is requesting the public’s help in locating 59 year old Kathy Marie Jackson of Junction City.
Jackson was last heard from by a family member on the afternoon of August 19, 2016. Jackson was on her way to her residence but never arrived, according to the JCPD.
Family members are concerned about Jackson’s welfare because she is disabled.
If you know the location of Kathy Marie Jackson or have recently seen her please contact the Junction City Police Department at 785-762-5912.
You can also call the Junction City/Geary County Crime Stopper TIP Line at 785-762-TIPS (8477).
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department is investigating two vehicle burglaries.
The Sheriff’s Department reported that Deputies responded to 2422 Liberty Hall Road for a vehicle burglary. A 1998 black GMC Yukon had its passenger side window smashed. There was a wallet taken from inside the vehicle.
Deputies also responded to East Rolling Hills Park in reference to a vehicle burglary. A birth certificate and prescription medications were taken from the vehicle.
The Color Dash, hosted by the Young Professionals of Junction City (YPJC), a division of the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce, had a successful turnout in it’s first year.
Steve Burch, Vice President of YPJC and Director of the Color Dash, said that the turnout Saturday morning was “awesome”.
“I think we had a great turnout from what the Color Dash company actually has said we’re blowing it out of the water for our first year,” said Burch.
Burch estimated about 250 runners took part in the event, but the vendors were a little slim.
“We have a little less on our vendors than we would like, but about 15 or so vendors…I think it’s a great, successful first year and hopefully the Young Professionals will be able to continue this every year,” said Burch.
Burch said that the funds from the Young Professionals will be used to put back in to the city.
“Our goal with the funds that are raised here is actually to continue to bring these different types of events and then also invest it within our community [and] making sure that we’re looking at youth, looking at the different items that are around town that needed [to be] cleaned up, or whatever we can possibly do; mainly getting youth involvement and making the town great – having pride in our own town,” said Burch.
Burch said the Young Professionals of Junction City aim to “get people involved and keep people in the community that are up and coming young professionals – the future leaders.”
DICKINSON COUNTY – Three people were injured in an accident just before 4p.m. on Friday in Dickinson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Nissan Versa driven by Bridgette Marie Warnke, 43, Abilene, was northbound on Kansas 43 one mile south of unincorporated Dickinson County community of Detroit, Kansas.
The vehicle struck a northbound horse drawn trailer
Warnke was transported to Geary County Hospital.
Two pedestrians with the trailer Malachi Leroy Hamilton, 13, and
Micah Leroy Hamilton, 15, both of Enterprise, were transported to the hospital in Abilene.
Warnke was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Dan Breci took over duties as Interim Police Chief for the Junction City Police Department on June 9th and now after a months long process, Breci has formally been named the new Police Chief.
Junction City Police Chief Dan Breci
“I feel very honored and proud to be a member of the Junction City Police Department,” said Breci. “Our men and women here are a group of great people and I look forward to being their cheerleader; and I look forward to working with all the citizens of Junction City and our surrounding communities and our law enforcement community – we have a great group of people that really truly care about the citizens of Junction City and Geary county and I’m just fortunate to be a part of it.”
Breci began his work in law enforcement in 1976 in Mitchell, South Dakota before joining that military. Breci came to Junction City in 1986 as a part of the military; after leaving the armed forces in 1989 Breci began working for the Junction City Police Department.
Breci worked in community involvement as the first full time DARE officer, crime prevention and community police officer before becoming a detective and then relocating to the Topeka Police Department for a period of six years. In September of 2005 Breci returned to the JCPD as the Captain of Operations where he’s worked for the past 11 years.
Allen Dinkel, City Manager, made the decision to hire Breci as the “full-time chief for the city” after “a search and some phone interviews.”
“I’m real fortunate that I had somebody of the caliber of Dan Breci to choose from and to select as police chief,” said Dinkel. “He has shown a long term dedication to not only law enforcement but also to the city of Junction City; and I believe he will be a very successful chief for us and one that will be able to continue with the legacy – going back to Tim Brown and the chief before that – in offering the citizens of Junction City the quality police department that they deserve.”
Breci has an impressive resume including jobs like: the Military Police Investigations Unit at Fort Riley, Detective in charge of Internal Affairs and Human Resources in Topeka, Undersheriff of Shawnee county, KS, instructor for police for the University of Kansas at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Hutchinson, currently teaching police and sheriff’s administrators around the state on conducting internal affairs investigations, past President and Secretary of the Kansas Internal Affairs Investigators Association, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, and Internal Association of Chiefs of Police.
Breci has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources from Friends University and a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Fort Hays State University.
Chief Breci is married to Carolyn and has four children and eleven grandchildren.
“There is no ceremony I need; the city manager [Allen Dinkel] told me to go put on my new badge and that was the ceremony, and I know that the people that I work with are happy that we now know who is at the helm and they can start planning for what is going to happen next,” said Breci.
The Geary County Sheriff’s office has reported the arrest of four people in connection with an incident on July 19 near Old Highway 13 in the rural southeast portion of the county where a man was found severely injured at the edge of a field.
The victim alleged he had been beaten and kidnapped from his residence in rural Wabaunsee County near Alta Vista and was transported to a residence in rural Geary County.
The Sheriff’s Department initiated an investigation and requested assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service in locating and apprehending the suspects.
Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf reported that Mark Daniel Lee, 33, Herington was already in the custody of the US Marshal’s Service on unrelated charges. On August 11 the Geary County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Justin David Spiker, 26, Alta Vista. On August 16 the Kansas Apprehension Task Force apprehended Randy Carroll Fetters Jr., 36, Herington, and Story Lee Blocker, 36, Herington. Wolf confirmed all of the suspects were charged in Geary County District Court warrants with Aggravated Kidnapping, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Kidnapping and Aggravated Battery. The identity of the victim has not been released by authorities.
According to Wolf the incident allegedly revolved around illegal drugs and stolen property.
The Kansas Apprehension Task force is a multi-jurisdictional fugitive task force comprised of the United States Marshals Service, Topeka Police Department, Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Geary County ranks among the worst in the state when it comes to health.
Deb Andres, Geary County Family and Consumer Science Agent, was a guest on JC Now on 1420 AM
Deb Andres, Geary County Extension Agent
– The Talk of JC where she revealed some troubling numbers.
“On the health indicators, we rank 100 out of 101 and on health behaviors we rank 101 out of 101 – now we have 105 counties [in Kansas] but there were four counties that didn’t have the right combination of data sources for it those to be included,” said Andres.
These shocking numbers come from a research document on county health rankings in Kansas, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“We’re struggling a little bit in some areas and we’re exceeding in others…although there’s some areas we’re doing much better in, overall in health we’re struggling,” said Andres.
Last. Literally last is where Geary County ranks in those two major categories – but what exactly do they mean?
According to Andres, health indicators are things like physical activity and rates of obesity; health behaviors are smoking, alcohol use, food consumption, and access to healthy foods – are they readily available/affordable?
“We have one of the highest fast food per capita rates in Kansas,” said Andres. “You think about Wichita and Kansas City and Topeka and all those other urban areas and you think ‘Oh well..’ but – per capita we rank very high.”
Andres notes that many in the community are busy and often it’s easier to grab fast food, which isn’t bad – but she cautions the frequency in which we turn to those “fast” options.
Changing your eating and lifestyle habits can be difficult, but Andres says it is necessary for survival.
“The analogy I draw to that is kind of like a root bound plant, at some point you have to change pots and you have to replant or else the plant dies – so change is a necessary part of life in order to continue to grow,” said Andres.
Andres says that the overall health of Geary County residents extends far beyond just healthy eating, but healthy lifestyle choices as well.
“Having a beer every once in a while,” Andres uses an example, “that’s all okay, but the frequency in it is the issue.”
As a part of Live Well – Geary County Andres wants the community to know that there are resources available to get healthy.
“It isn’t just specifically one area, it isn’t just your diet or exercise, it’s wellness across the spectrum from physical activity, to emotional health, to social interaction – the whole gambit,” said Andres.
“We have amazing access to physical activity facilities, we just don’t choose to access them; so we have like, the Junction City YMCA, we have 8 or 10 wonderful walking trails, we just have a lot of good places to go and get physical exercise we just aren’t at the rate that we need to be in utilizing those,” said Andres.
Volunteers are essential to many of the activities at Junction City High School, and one in particular is at risk of dissolution.
Gennifer Booth, Booster Club President and head volleyball coach, said that her time as president is coming to an end.
“What we’re really looking for in the booster club is actually new people to take over – I’ve been at it for about 8 years now and it’s time to move on,” said Booth.
With Booth deciding to move on this leaves the fate of the booster club unknown.
“If we don’t have those volunteers, the booster club will probably be dissolved by the end of this season…and I understand you know the community runs thin – everyone asks everyone to do something – but this is a great program that supplements what we need in athletics for our coaches and our students,” said Booth.
Concerning as it may be, Booth is optimistic that someone will step up and take over.
“I would hope that we could get a good group that would come in and want to take over,” said Booth.
The hunt for new leadership in the booster club is active, but for now they are focusing on increasing membership.
Booth added that general family memberships are $30, and they are also working to sell advertisements to be promoted during football and basketball games.
Only time will tell if new volunteers will step up and take over duties for the booster club; which begs the question, how heavily do JCHS activities rely on the booster club, and is it truly a “big loss”?
