Local Church is Good for your Mental Health
Time flies like an Arrow. Soon, 2021 will be a memory and we will focus on the next thing on the calendar. But this week as we celebrate Christmas, and next week when we start chewing on 2022, perhaps this is a good opportunity to consider more than just the miraculous incarnation of the messiah.
Throughout the Christmas season, we get bombarded with commercialization that can displace the true meaning of Christmas. I am glad that I have a great church to make Christmas special this year as they focus all of us of the real reason for this glorious season.
If you are not involved in a local church, perhaps this is a good time to change that. One of the hottest county topics revolves around the exploding mental health crises. Sedgwick County has many churches ready to help us and more on the horizon.
Our family has attended Calvary Baptist Church for many years. In fact, we loved our church so much, we decided to move closer to it just so that we could be more involved. Since then, we have raised our family and I have witnessed the positive influence our church has had on my family.
The truth is, the church has helped each member of our family and we are all better for it. We committed thirty years ago to participate personally and attend faithfully. Our kids grew up thinking this is normal as they learned the scriptures through children’s programs such as AWANA and Sunday School.
Over the years, we have had a few situations develop where we were discouraged or needed help. The church family jumped in to help us with sincere encouragement and physical supports. We too reach out to those in the church that are hurting and those with physical needs. The network of support from our church family is similar to an actual family. Several of our kids were married there and we celebrated our loved ones as they have graduated from this world.
If you do not have a church family, let me encourage you check out the options. We have so many great churches in Sedgwick County and they make our lives better. You will make true friends and you will find comfort when life gets difficult. People may assume the church needs us but I contend, we need the church. Being part of a church family is good for our overall mental and spiritual health.
Stay safe as you Celebrate.
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Upcoming Events with Commissioner Howell
District 5 Citizen's Advisory Board
- Friday, Jan. 14 (a week later than usual) - 4-6 p.m.
- Bread of Life Building located at 1301 E Galena St, Wichita, 67216
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Come and go informal discussion on Sedgwick County issues with Commissioner Howell. Coffee provided.
- Monday, Jan. 28 - 7-9 a.m.
- Calvary Baptist Church Gymnasium. Enter at the glass doors on east side at 1636 E Patriot, Derby 67037.
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Come and go informal discussion on Sedgwick County issues with Commissioner Howell. Coffee & Soda provided.
- Monday, Jan. 17 (a week later than usual) - 4-5:30 p.m.
- Range 54, 5725 E Kellogg Dr., Wichita, 67218
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Projects in District 5
Bridge replacement on Oliver between 63rd South and 69th South.
- Closed to traffic during construction
- Work to begin in early January 2022.
- Expected to re-open to traffic in March 2022.
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Board of County Commissioners District Map Approved |
The Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has completed its redistricting process. Sedgwick County typically adjusts its commission district boundaries every ten years. Each commission district should be roughly equivalent in population with borders that are as compact as possible. To begin the process, the Sedgwick County Department of Geographic Information Systems used modern mapping software along with data from the 2020 U.S. Census to create eight redistricting scenarios. Next, the eight scenarios were analyzed by the County Counselor’s office to ensure each complied with state and Federal law. Finally, the scenarios were presented to the BOCC.
After the presentation, the BOCC obtained public input on the scenarios thought its citizen advisory boards and a town hall meeting. The BOCC also implemented an Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee to review the maps and present a single preferred map for their review. On Dec. 15, 2021, The BOCC unanimously approved a resolution adopting the new commission district boundary map at its regular meeting.
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COVID-19 Report for December 27 2021 |
Showing case information from December 13 to December 27 with 14-day change:
- The USA case count increased from 50,009,507 to 52,360,341 (+4.70%)
- The Kansas case count increased from 489,354 to 512,461 (+4.72%)
- The Sedgwick County case count increased from 73,987 to 77,145 (+4.27%)
The Sedgwick County Health Department (SCHD) operates a no-cost testing site located at 4115 E. Harry St. Testing is available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The County Testing Site will be closed Friday, Jan. 31, 2021.
Text "SC COVID TEST" to 316-215-8313 to get in line for a COVID-19 test through SCHD. For additional no-cost testing sites in Wichita, go here.
SCHD conducts PCR testing using nasal, oral or saliva samples; results are generally available by the next weekday afternoon.
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COVID-19 Vaccination Update |
SCHD provides no-cost Pfizer vaccine for people 5 and older and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine for people 18 and older. No appointments are necessary to get vaccinated at any SCHD vaccine clinic.
- The primary vaccination series consists of:
- One dose of J&J vaccine
- Two doses of Pfizer vaccine
- An additional Pfizer dose is authorized for people who are immunocompromised or have other qualifying conditions
- For people over 18, a booster dose is encouraged at 6 months after the second Pfizer dose or at 2 months after a J&J dose. People ages 16-17 who received Pfizer for their primary vaccination series are eligible for a Pfizer booster at 6 months.
- The CDC has stated a preference for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and boosters over J&J (12/16/21)
SCHD operates the following no-cost vaccine clinic options:
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Community Vaccine Clinic at the former Wichita Public Library | 223 S. Main, Wichita, KS 67202 (Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
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Mobile Clinics are offered by SCHD staff (hours vary)
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Partner Clinics are offered by community partners and assisted by SCHD staff. Appointments preferred but walk-ins are welcome (hours vary)
The Community Vaccine Clinic will be closed Friday, Dec. 31, 2021 & Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022.
Proof of prior vaccination(s) expedites registration.
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Christmas Boxes from Public Safety |
Each December, the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office and other Sedgwick County Public Safety employees work hard at packing Christmas boxes with food items at the Dillons Distribution Center in Goddard. Money raised by the Sheriff’s Office Benefit Fund allowed them to purchase food from Dillon’s, pack the boxes and distribute them to families in need in Sedgwick County.
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E2P (EMT to Paramedic) Program holds First Signing Day Event |
Sedgwick County EMS hosted its first annual EMT Signing Day on Wednesday, Dec. 22. The E2P (EMT to Paramedic) Program was implemented to allow the agency to support currently employed EMTs to complete the paramedic certification.
"This program represents the first time since paramedic training became a college education process in the 1980s that Sedgwick County EMS has been able to employ EMTs while they complete the education requirements,” says Paul Misasi, Deputy Director of Operations.
SCEMS selected nine EMTs who will begin classes at a program of their choosing in January.
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The best way to reduce your risk from seasonal flu and its potentially serious complications is to get vaccinated every year. To learn more about and find resources to help answer your questions about the flu, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/index.html
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Educating yourself and others on the warning signs can play a crucial role in saving someone else's life. You are not alone. Please call the Community Crisis Center (CCC) today at (316) 660-7500. |
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The Kansas Department of Transportation is seeking feedback to learn what Kansans think about how highways and bridges are funded. Your response will help KDOT better understand statewide priorities and explore potential ways to pay for the state’s roads and bridges in the future. Click here to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MidwestRUC
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American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding Opportunities |
As recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Sedgwick County, we are continuing to communicate opportunities from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that may be of help to you. ARPA became law on March 11, 2021 to provide $1.9 trillion in economic stimulus with the intent to speed up the United States' recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below are ARPA Funding Opportunities that have recently been made available:
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316-660-9300
525 N. Main, Ste 320, Wichita, KS 67203
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Connect with Sedgwick County |
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