St. Rose Health Center has a legacy of reaching out to the community and it wants to do even more in the new year.
Three current and recent outreach projects demonstrate St. Rose’s commitment to central Kansans, Executive Director Zena Jacobs said.
The projects include providing speakers on health-related topics at the Great Bend Senior Center; providing a drop-off and pick-up site for the Kansas Food Bank; and a donation to the Hungry Heart soup kitchen.
“These examples illustrate the variety of ways St. Rose can help our neighbors,” Jacobs said. “We understand the challenges and hardships some people face and are dedicated to improving lives in any way we can.
“We are aligned with Hays Medical Center and The University of Kansas Health System to provide high-quality and compassionate care,” she continued. “Simultaneously, St. Rose supports the community and provides education.”
Senior Center speakers
In the next few months, St. Rose providers will offer information on three topics.
Dr. James McReynolds will discuss end-of-life care at 1 p.m. Friday, March 2; Haley Gleason, advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), will offer information about female health at any age at 1 p.m. Friday, April 13; and Kristin Babcock and Jeanne Habash, both physician assistants (PAs), will share their knowledge about women’s health at 1 p.m. May 4.
“St. Rose providers know it is important to be out in the community, sharing their expertise,” Jacobs said. “Their presentations help the community understand the importance of early detection, screenings and prevention. They will encourage questions and we hope folks take advantage of these great educational opportunities.”
Previously, two other St. Rose providers spoke at the Senior Center. Alisha Stinemetz, APRN, discussed diabetes in January and Ed Habash, PA, talked about prostate cancer this month.
Kansas Food Bank
St. Rose stepped up to provide a site for the Senior Food Box Program in Barton County. This is a U.S. Department of Agriculture project that provides monthly food boxes to low-income seniors; its formal name is Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
The first pick-up for those who applied and qualified for the program will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 9 at the St. Rose Maintenance Building.
Janel Rose, Central Kansas Partnership public health educator, was “instrumental in starting this program here. It wouldn’t have happened without her,” Jacobs said. “We also commend the Kansas Food Bank in Wichita for all its efforts. Debi Kreutzman has been extremely helpful.”
Kreutzman, Kansas Food Bank community relations manager, said “we are so thankful that St. Rose offered a location to safely store the food boxes that are packed by volunteers in Wichita. This is a safety net for seniors’ health and dovetails perfectly with St. Rose’s mission.”
She also noted this program doesn’t replace other services. “Seniors may still visit the local food pantry and participate in the commodity food program. This is an additional opportunity to put meals on the table. There are eligibility guidelines and a little bit of paperwork but it offers great boxes of useful food.”
For more information, contact Kreutzman by calling 316-265-3663. There are still openings for the program.
Hungry Heart
In another effort to help people with nutritional needs, St. Rose sponsored a food drive for Hungry Heart Soup Kitchen.
“The soup kitchen is vital to so many of our neighbors,” Jacobs commented. “Even though we donated during the Christmas season, we want to keep them in mind all year round.”
Hungry Heart is part of the Central Kansas Dream Center, 2100 Broadway.
Kimberly Becker, Dream Center director, said the St. Rose donation of dry goods was appreciated. “We have already helped a number of families with the donated items,” Becker said. “May God bless St. Rose for its outreach. We thank St. Rose representatives for blessing the people we serve with their generosity.”
