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Cottonwood Extension District to seek funding for community health worker; district asks county to monitor roadside trees
Summary
The Cottonwood Extension District updated commissioners on plans to add a community health worker (pending funding), participation in an Extension disaster education network, staff levels, and a resident request to trim trees on 200th Avenue south of Highway 40.
Jay Harris, director of the Cottonwood Extension District (which serves Ellis and Barton counties), briefed commissioners on several programs and staffing updates and asked the commission to consider future support if grants or other funding sources are insufficient.
Harris described the district's plan to add a community health worker principally assigned to Ellis County, a position that could provide outreach on mental health, aging services and benefits enrollment. He said the agent in Barton County who currently performs similar work is resigning and that last year in Barton County the agent helped residents save “over a hundred and $20,000” through Medicare/Medicaid signups. Harris said he was not asking for county funding at the meeting but that the district board will continue to explore K-State grants and other avenues; he said the district hopes the community health worker could start as early as June if funding is secured.
Harris also described the district’s interest in the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) and asked the commission to consider listing extension on the county’s disaster plan; he said his review showed the extension is not currently listed and that EDEN delegates could assist in disaster preparedness. He described local programming — a summer gardening camp and partnership with Harvest Hays (high-tunnel greenhouses run by the Arc of the Central Plains) — and summarized staffing: seven agents district-wide, two full-time office professionals, and one program assistant; the Hays office includes an office professional, program assistant, the director and three agents.
Harris raised a roadside maintenance concern about trees overhanging 200th Avenue south of U.S. Highway 40 where horse trailers use a single-lane stretch of road; he asked county staff to inspect the location. Commissioners and county staff acknowledged the road was on a maintenance list and committed to follow up.
No funding decision was made at the meeting. Harris said the district's board will meet in the next week to continue planning and that the district will return to commissioners if it seeks county assistance in the future.
