Day: October 14, 2022

Butler Bears defeat the Forsyth Panthers 62 – 36. Making the Bears 6 wins 2 losses. Adrian Blackhawks shutout the Cole Camp Bluebirds 36 – 0.

Join Bates County Memorial Hospital for the 2022 CHNA Town Hall Event

Bates County Memorial Hospital (BCMH) located in Butler, Missouri will be hosting a Town Hall meeting for the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment on November, 10th at BCMH Community Room from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. During this meeting, we will review the community health indicators and gather feedback opinions on key community needs for Bates County, Mo.

In order for us to adequately prepare for this Town Hall event, it is imperative that all those who wish to attend  please RSVP. Please visit the BCMH website, www.bcmhospital.com, or the BCMH Facebook page to obtain the link to complete your RSVP. For convenience, you may also utilize the QR code below that will take you directly to the RSVP site. We hope that you find the time to join us for this important event on November 10th. Thanks in advance for your time and support!

If you have questions regarding these CHNA activities, please call 660-200-7313.

Key Ingredients: A Story of Diabetes and Determination

BCMH Patient Story: Chantelle Mumma

Chantelle Mumma made a goal for herself when she learned she had Type 2 diabetes in August of 2021: to keep her blood glucose levels (or sugars) in check. She has achieved that goal, and as an added benefit, she has lost weight and gained more energy and self-confidence. It wasn’t easy, but with her family history, she was highly motivated to get control of the disease.

Chantelle sought the help of her health care team at High Street Family Care Clinic right away. With the help of her nurse practitioner, Lori King, and other BCMH services and providers, Chantelle felt she was given the key ingredients that put her on a path to better health.

Nutrition Counseling

In the early days of any diagnosis, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed, and with diabetes in particular, there is a lot of information to digest. One of Chantelle’s first steps, on Lori King’s recommendation, was to get nutrition counseling, which she was able to schedule at BCMH with Jennifer Lindquist, RDN/LDN. Even with just one consultation, Chantelle felt she learned so much. One tip in particular laid the groundwork for her: count the carbs and the calories will fall into place.

“I went in thinking; I don’t know how I’m going to do this. And when I left, I was like wait a minute, I think I can do this,” Chantelle said.

“I think prior to coming to see me, there’s a lot of fear about being put on a restrictive diet,” said Jennifer. “I’m always upfront that we’re going to take a non-diet approach to this, they just need to look at food differently. The real hero in this is Chantelle. I provided the tools, and she figured out how to make it sustainable for her lifestyle, and that’s the key.”

Free Foods

One of these tools was a list of free foods that sparked an “aha” moment for Chantelle. Jennifer told her all foods are okay in moderation, but free foods have very low/no carbs or calories, which allows you to eat enough to feel full.

“The fun part is creating new recipes by using my free foods,” Chantelle said. “It became a challenge to see what I could cook and how low-carb I could get it.”

Cauliflower became a favorite free food, as it readily picks up flavors in a recipe. One winning combination was a potato salad using cooked cauliflower instead of potatoes. This recipe, among many others, has been a hit with friends and family.   

Making it All Work Together

Chantelle’s focus was to follow her provider’s and dietitian’s guidelines, including testing her blood glucose levels twice a day, every day, and staying within recommended carb counts per meal. Within three months of keeping her sugars in check, Chantelle realized she was losing weight and had more energy. When she started walking, she noticed that exercise helped decrease her sugar levels, compared to days she didn’t exercise but ate the same foods.

“I wasn’t focused on weight loss, but it’s been a silver lining for keeping my sugars where they need to be,” she said. “When you see it all work together, it’s easier to stay motivated.”

Motivation

Chantelle’s dedication to improving her health has been notable.

“Chantelle was determined right from the beginning and I was so proud of her for what she has accomplished,” said Lori King. “As a provider I know it takes discipline, drive, and perseverance to accomplish the goals Chantelle has obtained, and I am so proud of her for taking such great care of her health.”

Chantelle says her motivation has little to do with willpower. She points to the death of her mother, who passed away in 2020 due to complications of diabetes.

“If I hadn’t watched my mom struggle so much, I don’t know if I would have been as motivated,” she said. “It’s that nagging picture of what my mom went through – amputations, dialysis, a triple bypass – and I just don’t feel like I have a choice. It’s either do this, or end up like my mother did. If giving up something now means I’m going to give up dialysis later, then it’s worth it.

“It’s not easy, but it’s doable,” Chantelle added. “I have had the best support system, and that makes a difference, too.”

BCMH offers outpatient services for people living with diabetes, including nutrition counseling, free nutrition classes every first and third Tuesday of the month, and endocrinology specialty clinics. Learn more at www.bcmhospital.com.

Dear Citizens:  Students enrolling for college for the 2023 academic year now have the opportunity to complete their application for student financial aid. October 1 officially kicked off the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Frenzy in Missouri. The FAFSA is used by colleges and universities, the state, and federal government to award grants, scholarships, work-study, and student loans. Students should submit a FAFSA every year they plan to attend college.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD), in conjunction with schools and college access groups around the state, will be hosting FAFSA Frenzy events to help students and families file the FAFSA. Public and private FAFSA Frenzy events will be held October 2022 through March 2023. Financial aid professionals, high school counselors, and other volunteers provide free assistance and answer questions during FAFSA Frenzy events.

Students can receive help at any public FAFSA Frenzy event, no matter where they live, go to school, or plan to attend college. The public events – held at high schools, college campuses, and community facilities – are open to all high school seniors, current college students, and adults interested in attending college.

Missouri students attending a FAFSA Frenzy event can apply online for one of 20 $500 Journey to College Scholarships through Scholarship Central at https://myscholarshipcentral.org/.

A list of public FAFSA Frenzy sites can be viewed at https://journeytocollege.mo.gov/fafsa-frenzy/. So far, more than 30 public events are scheduled, and more than 60 Missouri high schools are also hosting private events to assist their students.

When attending an event, FAFSA Frenzy participants should bring:

• 2021 W-2 forms
• Copies of their 2021 tax forms
• Social Security number
• Student and parent FSA IDs (Students and parents should create separate usernames and passwords at studentaid.gov before attending a FAFSA Frenzy event.) 

The launch of the new FAFSA also kicks off the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge, an initiative now in its third year to help encourage and incentivize high schools to host FAFSA events and help their high school seniors complete the application.

Public high schools throughout the state will compete with each other for scholarship prizes, which will be awarded to one student at each of the winning schools. Schools will be sorted into three groups based on school size. Each group will compete for prizes in four categories, including highest completion rate, most improved completion rate, greatest percentage of lowest income students filed, and most innovative strategy.

The Show-Me FAFSA Challenge ends on April 1, 2023, the final Access Missouri Grant deadline. The Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation and the Missouri College Access Network are sponsoring the scholarship prizes.

For more information about the competition and to see the FAFSA tracker from last year, visit the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge webpage at https://dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/fafsachallenge.php. The tracker will be updated with this year’s information once data from the new FAFSA becomes available.

For more information, contact Representative Patricia Pike at Patricia.Pike@house.mo.gov or call 573-751-5388.