Page 1

2011

News from the Wellness

Committee

Inside this Edition . . .

Care and Compassion Awards pg1

Wellness Committee pg1

Employee Christmas Party pg2

Who does your voice effect? pg2

New Employees pg3

Position Available pg3

Daily Reflection Books pg3

Trivia pg3

Calendars pg3

Birthdays pg4

Anniversaries pg4

January is . . . pg4

Kansas History pg4

Moon Phases pg4

January volume 5 issue 1

Editor:

Monica M Simpson

First Annual

Care and Compassion Awards

Reaching out to those in need isn’t just a Holi-

day thing, for many people, it’s a way of life.

At Labette Center for Mental Health Services,

we want to recognize those people by sponsor-

ing the first annual Care and Compassion

Awards.

The Care and Compassion Awards will recog-

nize staff of LCMHS and members of the com-

munity who routinely go above and beyond to

show care and compassion to others.

Is there someone in your personal or profes-

sional life that you see going out of their way to

help others in need? Do they routinely donate

their time, treasure, or talent to community

needs and organizations? Do you think they

should be recognized for the work they do day

in and day out? If so, you should nominate

them to receive a Care and Compassion Award.

Nominations are currently being accepted to

determine who will receive the Care and Com-

passion Awards. LCMHS staff and community

members can submit entries by submitting a

two page or less typed essay describing why a

person is being nominated to be a recipient of

the Award.

“Nominees can be anyone in the community,

including employees of LCMHS, who have

gone above and beyond to show care and com-

passion to others,” LCMHS Executive Director

Matthew Atteberry said. “This person does not

necessarily have to be someone who volunteers

for a lot of different things, but someone who is

extraordinarily caring and routinely demon-

strates compassion towards others.”

Entries can be from either LCMHS employees

or community members who would like to

nominate any Labette County resident for an

Award. The deadline for entries is 5 pm Janu-

ary 21, 2010. Entries can be given to Monica

Simpson. Please be sure to place entries in a

sealed envelope with “CCA” on the outside.

For information regarding the guidelines for

nominating individuals, please go to the web-

site at www.lcmhs.com.

Recipients of Levels for the

Wellness Program (If you have reached one of these levels and

your name is not listed, or if you are unsure

how many credits you need to reach one of

these levels please contact Natasha Purcell.

Bronze Silver Gold Cendie Trinette Tara

Nancy Monica

Sandy Asha

Nikki Susan

Mandy Melissa S.

Judy Stephen

Matt Natasha

Babette

Jessica

Shereen

Kenisha

Mark M

Christi

Katee

Jeanne

Sally

Dustin

Beth

LaShawn

Virginia

Cheryl

Misti

Alisha

Tom

Wellness Committee

Members

Tara Fleck Natasha Purcell

Nikkii Rosenstiel LaShawn Taylor

Trinette Craddock Melissa Stephens

Monica Simpson

December Pot Luck

Lunch

Those who participated in the

December Pot Luck Lunch were:

Nikkii Rosenstiel

Sally Pullman

Susan Lynch

Natasha Purcell

Tara Fleck

Asha Patel

Trinette Craddock

Katee martin

Steve House

Monica Simpson

These individuals will receive

wellness credits for participating.

We look forward to seeing eve-

ryone at the January Pot Luck

Lunch which will be held on

January 7th in the multi-purpose

room of the main building.

Don’t forget to come and bring a

healthy dish!!!!

Coming up . . . . .

On February 1st, the Physical Activity Challenge

will begin. This will be an 8 week challenge that

encourages all types of physical activity! Partici-

pants will earn 1 point for completing 10 minutes of

physical activity. (If you do 30 minutes of activity

in a day, you receive 3 points, whether it is continu-

ous or 10 minutes 3 times a day) The goal is to earn

at least 80 points through out the 8 weeks. Stay

tuned for more information and get ready to get

fit!!!!!!

For more information, or questions, about the Wellness Program please contact Tara Fleck, Natasha Purcell or another member of the committee.

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Employee Christmas Party

The annual employee Christmas Party was held on December 17th. Employees gathered in the multi-purpose room of the main building for a

pot luck lunch and gift exchange. As always the white elephant gift exchange, where the right/left poem was read, turned out to be a good

time for all with lots of laughter. Gifts that the Center had acquired throughout the year where given to employees by way of a drawing sys-

tem. There were a total of 26 gifts given to employees through this drawing. There was lots of food to eat, and lots of fun and laughter by all

in attendance!

Who Does Your Voice Effect?

As employees of a company that has a variety of positions,

sometimes we may feel that our presence does not extend to out-

side members of the community. Our job duties can become so

routine that we no longer see the ways that we effect the commu-

nity around us. Regardless of what the position is, we all have

some effect on our community. Every time an employee speaks

to a member of the community by phone, through a face to face

conference, in regards to a client, or even in a personal conversation at the local grocery store, it reflects the image of Labette Center for Men-

tal Health Services. Case managers, whether adult or child, speak with community members on a regular basis through their interactions with

the clients they serve and the help they provide them in the community, such as foster care agencies, schools, places of employment, law en-

forcement, probation/community correction facilities. Therapist speak with parents, foster care agencies, schools, places of employment, law

enforcement, probation/community correction facilities, and many other community organizations on a regular basis. Front office employees

speak with anyone who calls into the Center, they talk with clients regarding scheduling issues and a variety of other things, they speak with

community partners to answer questions and direct them to staff. Accounts payable deal with business within the community in order to pur-

chase the Centers supplies. Accounts receivable deals with insurance companies and clients needing help with billing issues. Medical Re-

cords speaks with doctor’s offices, medical facilities, clients and anyone else who is in need of or requesting medical records. IT speaks with

computer programming companies, internet providers, etc. Attendant care workers deal with schools, parents and other individuals in the

community. Navigator’s aids work with the schools and parents as well. There is no position at LCMHS that does not in some way touch a

community member. All of those interactions provide the opportunity to present our Center in a positive way. This gives us the chance to

show members of the community who LCMHS is and what we are able to do for our clients, community partners, and anyone who comes in

contact with our Center. Thank you to all of our staff for shining a positive light on the Center!!!

Page 3

Visit our Website!

Check out all the changes to the

W e b s i t e ! V i s i t

www.lcmhs.com and see what

the center is doing. Be sure to

let your clients know if they

need any information they can

check our website. There are

also forms available that can be

printed off. Employees can get

on the website, log in and get

employee specific information!

If an employee needs his/her

password, please feel free to

contac t me at msimp-

son@lcmhs.com

Also - Join us on FACE-

BOOK!!! Updates, quotes,

mental health news, etc are

posted on the Center’s FACE-

BOOK page on a regular basis.

Our Vision ~ Provide the highest quality of compre-hensive services to empower the people and com-munities of Labette County. We envision fulfilling and meaningful lives for those we serve. Our Mission ~ Create hope and opportunities for life change by providing education, support, consul-tation and therapeutic behavioral health services to the people and communities of Labette County.

December Answer:

Crossed the Delaware to with

2500. This would later be

known as the “Battle of Tren-

ton”, which was won by Wash-

ington and his troops.

Positions Available

Labette Center for Mental Health

Services, Inc. in Parsons, Kansas, is

seeking to add a Psychosocial Aide

to our staff. The primary function of

the position is to provide support for

children and adolescents. All appli-

cants must be 18 years of age or

older, have a valid driver’s license

and be able to pass a background

check. Applications can be picked

up at 1730 Belmont, Parsons, KS, or

send cover letter and resume to

LCMHS, Inc. Attn: Natasha Purcell,

Human Resource Coordinator, PO

Box 258, Parsons, KS 67357-0258

or you can email your resume to

npurcell@lcmhs.com. Information

about Labette Center for Mental

Health Services, Inc. can be ob-

tained at www.lcmhs.com. EOE.

In December the LCMHS website www.lcmhs.com had 691 hits!

New Employees

Doug Hale joined the LCMHS staff

on December 20th. Doug Gradu-

ated from Columbia College in

Columbia MO. Being originally

from Indiana, and from there at-

tending school and graduating from

High School in San Francisco CA,

Doug has been proud to call Pitts-

burg his home for the past 20 years.

Welcome to our staff Doug!

Melanie Kent joined the staff at

LCMHS on December 13th.

Melanie lives on a small farm in

Galesburg, KS where she is sur-

rounded by lots of animals! Since

receiving her Bachelor's Degree

from Pittsburg State University in

2009, Melanie has continue her

education with Boston University

to obtain her Master's Degree in

Criminal Justice. We welcome

Melanie to our Center!

January Trivia Question: On

January 3rd, 1888, an invention

made of paraffin-covered paper

was patented by Marvin Stone.

Name that invention.

KU Provides CSS Program

with Daily Reflections Books By Misti Mustain, CSS Coordinator

The Trail is the Thing is a book which is the result of almost

two years worth of work from four authors, and more than

twenty individuals from across Kansas, who provided their

ideas, edits and support to bring readers of Pathways to Re-

covery a new tool. This book is about finding the things that

gives passion, purpose and meaning to a persons life. It is

about learning, growing and reclaiming only those parts of

one's past that are needed in order to move on. It is about

taking each day as it comes, living and appreciating this mo-

ment, for we can't change the past and we sure can't predict

the future. But we can find ourselves creative, powerful and

hopeful, especially as we realize that "the trail is the thing,

not the end of the trail." The book is a year of daily reflec-

tions based on Pathways to Recovery, each page offers a

quote for reflection, a brief explanation of how the quote

applies to using strengths for recovery and then an assign-

ment, or thought, to challenge the reader to explore their

recovery trail.

The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare has pub-

lished and begun distributing The Trail is the Thing book to

Community Mental Health Centers across Kansas. The pub-

lished book will also be available for purchase for the public.

The CSS program at LCMHS received 70 books this week

and will be distributing this first batch of books to clients in

the program. Books from the second batch will then be able

to get distributed to those that want to use this tool.

Calendars

The Children’s Artwork calendars are in. There have been

calendars placed in each employees mailbox in the resource

room, however there is always a chance someone has not

received one. If you or someone you know of has not re-

ceived a calendar and would like one, please contact either

Beth Engels, CBS Coordinator or Monica Simpson.

Page 4

January Birthdays

Natasha Purcell January 2nd

HR/Payroll

Jessica Ramsey January 11th

Children’s Case Manager

Lashawn Taylor January 16th

Children’s Case Manager

Matthew Atteberry January 30th

Executive Director

Donald Erskin January 31st

Maintenance

Ashley Heady January 31st

Bus. Office Team Lead/Acts. Rec.

Mary Beth Griggs January 31st

Adult Psychosocial

Correction from December:

Asha Patel December 14th

Accounts Payable

Kansas History in January

January 1st, - 1886 - Twelve carloads of buffalo bones had been shipped from Cimarron since

May, 1885. They sold for $10 a ton and were made into harness ornaments and cutlery han-

dles.

January 2nd, - 1913 - Twenty-one bank robbers had been jailed in the past two years. Box-car

robberies had decreased 75 percent, house robberies 60 percent, and post office robberies 90

percent.

January 3rd, - 1969 - Robert Dole of Russell was sworn into office as United States Senator

from Kansas replaced Senator Frank Carlson of Concordia. He retired in 1996 to run for the

office of president.*

January 4th, - 1876 - The Historical Society library has its beginning in a bookcase in the

Auditor's Office.

January 6th, - 1890 - Antelope saddles sold for 9 cents a pound at Kansas City; bear hams, 35

cents a pound; prairie chickens, $3.25 to $3.75 a dozen; possums, 15 to 25 cents each; fancy

quail, $1.00 a dozen; plover, 75 cents a dozen; cottontails, 25 to 50 cents a dozen; squirrels, 40

to 50 cents a dozen venison, 10 cents a pound, and wild turkey, 5 cents a pound.

January 7th, - 1920 - Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, director of athletics at K.U., began his first

year as basketball coach.

January 9th, - 1912 - One hundred Jetmore citizens with shovels helped clear the Santa Fe

track to Larned. A train loaded with provisions and livestock feed had been snowbound there

for 12 days.

January 10th, - 1906 - Mastodon remains unearthed near Buffalo were sold to the American

Museum, New York.

January 11th, - 1868 - Mrs. [Elizabeth Cady] Stanton publishes an article in the Revolution,

on the woman suffrage campaign in Kansas.

January 18th, - 1867 - The town of Osage Mission is laid out, by George A. Crawford, Chas.

F. Drake and others.

The Insane Asylum at Osawatomie has four inmates.

January 19th, - 1896 - German Baptists at Abilene cut the ice on the Smoky Hill river to im-

merse converts.

January 21st, - 1917 - Butler county produced 6,500,000 barrels of oil in 1916. The total state

output in 1915 was only 4,009,329.

January 27th, - 1934 - Jury found Tom Boyd, former State Treasurer, guilty of allowing

Ronald Finney to illegally withdraw bonds from State treasury. [Ives, Footprints on the Sands

of Time]

January 28th, - 1886 - Two members of a Saratoga raiding party were wounded when Pratt

was attacked during the county-seat fight. The courthouse at Iuka was burned.

January 30th, - 1922 - An exhibit of art by Birger Sandzen, Lindsborg, opened at the Babcock

galleries, New York.

January 31st, - 1940 - The Topeka Harvey House, the first of the famous Harvey System on

the Santa Fe Railway, ceases business.

www.khsorg

January is . . . . . .

Apple and Apricots Month

Bath Safety Month

Cervical Cancer Screening Month

Financial Wellness Month

National Get Organized Month

National Glaucoma Awareness Month

National Hot Tea Month

National Mentoring Month

National Poverty in America Awareness

Month

National Soup Month

Oatmeal Month

Shape up USA Month

National Loose Weight/Feel Great Week

(1-8)

Women’s Self-Empowerment Week (5-9)

Universal Letter Writing Week (8-14)

Bald Eagle Appreciation Days (15-17)

International Printing Week (16-22)

Healthy Weight Week (16-22)

Hunt for Happiness Week (16-22)

World Leprosy Week (23-29)

No Name Calling Week (24-28)

New Year’s Day (1)

J.R.R. Tolkien Day (3)

Tom Thumb Day (4)

World Hypnotism Day (4)

Harlem Globetrotter’s Day (7)

Bubble Bath Day (8)

Fruitcake Toss Day (8)

National Cut Your Energy Cost Day (10)

Miss America Pageant (15)

Appreciate a Dragon Day (16)

Customer Service Day (17)

Martin Luther King Day (17)

Winnie the Pooh Day (18)

Get to Know Your Customers Day (20)

Better Business Communication Day (25)

Holocaust Memorial Day (27)

Free Thinker’s Day (29)

Inane Answering Machine Day (30)

www.brownielocks.com

Moon Phases

New Moon January 4th

First Quarter January 12th

Full Moon January 19th

Last Quarter January 26th

www.brwonielocks.com

January

Anniversaries

Shereen Ellis Jan. 10th 8yrs

Dir. of Clinical/Emerg. Services

Mark Haslett, MD Jan. 17th 16yrs

Psychiatrist

Cendie Shelton Jan. 18th 6yrs

Therapist

Tara Fleck Jan. 20th 2yrs

Therapist

Babette Collins Jan. 20th 17yrs

Children’s Case Manager

Matthew Atteberry Jan. 29th 21yrs

Executive Director