LYNDON, Kan. – Members of the Lyndon Lions Club, along with their friends and families, will walk in the 5k Strides: Lions for Diabetes Awareness event, scheduled during Lyndon’s annual fall festival, Oct. 7, 2023.

The walk will begin at 10 a.m. on the Osage County Courthouse lawn and travel to the finish line at the same place the walk started. Total distance covered will be three miles. Health screenings and information from local companies will be available to the public free of charge along the walk.

“There’s still time to gather your family, friends and neighbors to walk in the Strides event,” said Lyndon Lions Club President Barb Schattak. “This is an enjoyable way for the community to join together in the fight against diabetes.”

Lyndon Mayor Steve Morrison recently proclaimed the day of the walk as Lyndon Lions Club Community Event Day for Diabetes. See proclamation here.

Registration will be at the Lions booth on the courthouse lawn starting at 9:30 a.m.: entry is $5, payable on the day of the event.

Lions all over the world organize Strides events in their communities to heighten awareness of diabetes and its complications and to provide information on preventing and managing the disease. These events promote regular, healthy exercise and include participants of all ages.

For more information about the walk and run, contact Schattak at 785-221-7994 or ksyorkies@gmail.com. For more information about Lions Clubs International, see www.lionsclubs.org.

Update: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded a boil water advisory for Osage County Rural Water District 8 public water supply system located in Osage County, effective Aug. 24, 2023. The advisory was issued Aug. 22, because of a loss of pressure in the system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Laboratory testing samples collected from the Osage County Rural Water District 8 indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

OSAGE COUNTY, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for the Osage County Rural Water District No. 8 public water supply system located in Osage County, Kan. The advisory took effect Aug. 22, 2023, and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a loss of pressure. Failure to maintain adequate pressure can result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Water users should observe the following precautions until further notice:

• Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
• Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
• If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
• Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
• Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

Osage County RWD No. 8 covers an area north of Burlingame, west to around Harveyville, north into Shawnee County, and east to near Scranton and Carbondale.

Only KDHE can rescind the boil water advisory following testing at a certified laboratory.

Update: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded a boil water advisory for the Lyon County Rural Water District 1 water supply as of 1:38 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. Laboratory testing samples collected from the Lyon County Rural Water District 1 indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

Santa Fe School District is starting its summer meal program on May 30, 2023, served at the schools in the district. Free meals are offered to all children ages 1 to 18; meals must be consumed on site.

Meals will be served at:

• Carbondale Attendance Center, May 30-Aug 4; breakfast 7:30-8:30 a.m.; lunch 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. No meals July 3-4.
• Overbrook Attendance Center, May 30-Aug 4; breakfast 7:30-8:30 a.m.; lunch 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. No meals July 3-4.
• Scranton Attendance Center, May 30-Aug 4; breakfast 8 -9 a.m.; lunch 11 a.m.-12 p.m. No meals July 3-4.
• Santa Fe Trail High School, May 30-July 27; breakfast only, 7:30-9:30 a.m. No meals July 3-7.

In case of severe weather and the site is closed for meal service, the public will be notified through the district’s social media. For more information, contact Tosha Smith, USD 434 registrar and food service representative, at 800-836-9525 ext. 1126.

TOPEKA, Kan. – This year, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is celebrating 20 years of helping Kansans achieve a tobacco-free life. Since 2003, the Kansas Tobacco Quitline has provided free, one-on-one coaching for Kansans ready to quit using any form of tobacco, including vaping. Professional counseling is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in multiple languages.

Participants are matched with tailored programs designed for youth, pregnant women, American Indians, and individuals with behavioral health or substance use conditions. The Quitline can be easily reached by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visiting ksquit.org.

“Individuals who use any form of tobacco, including vaping, often try to quit multiple times before succeeding, but proven treatments, including counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, are available to improve your chances to quit for good,” said Matthew Schrock, cessation coordinator. “Quitline participants can choose a lozenge, gum, or patch that will be mailed directly to their home at no cost to help combat nicotine cravings. The Quitline will distribute the nicotine replacement therapy in two-week doses after completion of the first and second phone coaching calls.”

The Quitline’s Pregnancy and Postpartum Program offers participants a $30 Mastercard gift card for every phone coaching call completed. This program offers up to five coaching sessions during pregnancy and four sessions postpartum with the same female coach each time. Participants can also receive free text message support.

The Quitline is a proven treatment option to help Kansans stay tobacco-free. The Kansas Tobacco Quitline is available anytime and can be accessed by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or visiting https://kansas.quitlogix.org/. For more resources and information about tobacco use in Kansas, see kdhe.ks.gov/823.

TOPEKA, Kan. – For the first time in the 20-year history of the Kansas Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, is offering all phone coaching enrollees eight weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy while supplies last.

Participants who are 18 years and older that want to quit smoking, vaping or chewing tobacco, and enroll in the phone coaching program, can choose a lozenge, gum, or patch that will be mailed directly to their home if they enroll by midnight on Sunday, April 30.

“We want all tobacco users to know that although quitting is hard, they can do it,” said Matthew Schrock, cessation coordinator. “Individuals who smoke often try to quit several times before succeeding, but proven treatments and services are available that can improve your chances to quit for good. We encourage all Kansans to try to quit, and if they want free help, take advantage of this opportunity.”

The Kansas Tobacco Quitline is a free, 24/7 resource available to Kansas residents to help them quit smoking. The Quitline provides help such as counseling, a personalized Quit Plan, and quitting support by phone and through online services. A survey of Quitline users highlighted that 90 percent of participants were satisfied with the Quitline coaches and counselors. The Quitline can be reached by calling 800-QUIT-NOW or 800-784-8669.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office will participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. This bi-annual event offers free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office, 131 W. 14th St., Lyndon, Kan., will serve as a drop off point on Drug Take Back Day. Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells reminds citizens that medications are also accepted at the sheriff’s office any time during business hours.

“Disposing of unneeded medications can help prevent drugs from being misused,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “Overdose deaths continue to hit tragic record highs. I encourage everyone to dispose of unneeded prescription medications now.”

A report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend. For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications – those that are old, unwanted, or no longer needed – that too often become a gateway to addiction. Working in close partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 15 million pounds of medication from circulation since its inception. These efforts are directly in line with DEA’s priority to combat the overdose epidemic in the United States.

DEA and its law enforcement partners collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illicit drugs will not be accepted. DEA will accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed.