THE SUPERIOR EXPRESS

Central Community College announced Tuesday a ballot issue that, if passed, would provide the college with additional funding for construction and other capital improvements.
Former College President LaVern Franzen described the ballot issue during a press conference Tuesday morning at the college administration building in Grand Island.
At the Nov. 4 general election, voters in the college's 25-county service area will be asked to approve an additional tax levy of three cents per $100 of taxable valuation per year for five years. This equates to $30 per $100,000 taxable valuation. The levy would begin in 2010 and end in 2014.
Franzen said this is the first time since the college began in 1966 that it has asked taxpayers to approve an additional levy for capital construction and renovation. The current capital levy is limited by statute to one cent per $100 of assessed valuation. He said funding provided by the levy is not adequate to maintain buildings at CCC's campuses in Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings and centers in Holdrege, Kearney and Lexington. Franzen said many of the buildings on the Hastings Campus were built in the 1940s as part of the Hastings Naval Ammunition Depot. The original Columbus Campus buildings are about 40 years old and parts of the Grand Island Campus are 30 years old.
College officials have recognized the need for additional capital funding for several years and had hoped that increased taxing authority might be provided through legislation, Franzen said. Because that hasn't happened, the college decided to seek the additional taxing authority through a ballot issue. Franzen said two key considerations for voters regarding the ballot issue are that it avoids interest costs that would have been incurred through a bond issue, and that the additional taxing authority ends after five years.
Franzen noted in 1966, 83 percent of the voters in 17 counties voted to establish the Hastings Campus as Nebraska's first area vocational-technical college. A year later, 83 percent of the voters in Platte County approved a measure to establish the Columbus Campus, the state's first county-supported community college.
It was evident then that people in central Nebraska put a high value on education, and the college is asking residents to support the college again with their votes, Franzen said.
A survey conducted in July was encouraging Franzen said, with 64 percent of voters surveyed indicating they were in favor of the ballot issue. Two-thirds of those answering the survey indicated they or a family member had taken at least one course from CCC.
"Central Community College has been a vital resource for a high quality education, outstanding faculty and affordable tuition," Franzen said. Today, 95 percent of CCC graduates stay in Nebraska and 77 percent remain in the CCC 25-county area.
If approved by voters, the tax levy would begin in 2010 and end in 2014. It would provide approximately $36,423,736 in funding for the following projects:
­ Furnas Building (transportation technology) expansion - Hastings
­ Academic Education Building - Hastings
­ Health and Science expansion - Columbus
­ Residence Hall - Columbus
­ Physical Education Center remodel - Columbus
­ Health and Science Building debt service - Grand Island

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Diabetes program at Brodstone has new coordinator

The diabetes education program at Brodstone Memorial Hospital has a new coordinator. Carla Ost has taken over responsibility of the outpatient program, replacing Lynette Hunt-singer, according to Karen Tinkham, public relations director at the hospital. Ost, a registered nurse and director of cardiac rehabilitation at the hospital, has been at Brodstone for 13 years.
Huntsinger, also a registered nurse, has worked at Brodstone for 18 years and has been coordinator of the diabetes education program since 2000. In 2004, Huntsinger received her Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) credentials from the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. In mid-2003, Huntsinger, with the hospital's support, began a monthly diabetes support group as a community service.
Tinkham described the change as a win-win situation for the hospital, the diabetes program and the people it serves. In 2000, there were about 15 million diabetics in the nation. Now there are 23.6 million, about eight percent of the population. There are also about 57 million prediabetics, those at high risk for developing diabetes. Huntsinger said the program has worked with about 190 patients in the eight years she has been coordinator.
"With those numbers expanding like that, there are a lot more people needing the program than when we started," Huntsinger said. "The program now requires more time than I can provide with my other duties at the hospital."
Huntsinger said she will be spending more time in nursing management and in the emergency room at Brodstone, but will remain available as a resource for the diabetes education program.
"Carla is a great choice to continue with the program and build on its foundation," Huntsinger said. "And with the close relationship between diabetes and heart disease, cardiac rehab is a perfect fit as a department in which to headquarter the diabetes education program."
As it has in the past, the program will concentrate on five areas ­­ ongoing education, exercise, monitoring, meal planning and (for some, but not all diabetics) medication. The program makes available to patients a consortium of health care professionals at Brodstone: a registered dietician, pharmacist, social worker, physical therapist and occupational therapist. The dietician, an integral component in the success of the program, has remained the same. Rhonda Burkhart is a registered dietician as well as a medical nutrition therapist (MNT).
"It's great to be handed a program that's been so successful, that has such a wonderful foundation established," Ost said. "The overall focus of the program will be the same, but more diabetics mean a greater need for services. And with the growing number of prediabetics means we should be trying to educate them and maybe catch a few before they develop full-blown diabetes and risk the complications associated with that, like heart disease, blindness and kidney problems."
Many people are not aware that education is a covered medical service with most insurance carriers, including Medicare. Proper diabetes management, and education is a big part of that, can delay and even prevent the onset of serious complications ­­ heart and kidney disease, eye problems and other conditions related to poor circulation and vascular disorder.
Ost said the major renovation and remodel of the hospital in 2007 greatly expanded the exercise area in the cardiac rehabilitation department. In order to use the facility, Ost said patients must have a medical need for exercise, be referred by a physician and make an appointment. Ost is credited with initiating the hospital's "healthy living program."
"Because the cardiac rehab department is open Monday through Friday, the diabetes education program will actually be more accessible to patients who need it than it was before," Ost said.
The diabetes support group meets the third Thursday of every other month. There is no fee and it is open to anyone with diabetes. A steady increase in the number of people attending the meetings suggests the need for it and the diabetes education program is growing.
Ost said part of her job as coordinator is to arrange for guest speakers and educators for the support group. The next meeting will be Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Superior Vision. Dr. Jeremy McMeen will speak about prevention and detection of eye disease in diabetics.
Ost said this change in the outpatient diabetes education program provides an excellent opportunity to remind those people who are at high risk for developing diabetes to visit with their physicians and have a checkup. Included in that group are people who are over 40, overweight, mothers who had babies that weighed more than nine pounds at birth, those who have a sedentary life-style, and members of the native American, African American or Hispanic ethnic groups.
"It's also absolutely alarming how many people under the age of 20 are at risk for developing diabetes," Ost said. "Two million adolescents in this country, one out of six, have been diagnosed as prediabetic."

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SHS will participate in seat belt safety program

Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy joined Nebraska public safety and school officials to announce a new program designed to encourage teens to use their safety belts. The "Come Home Safe" campaign will include unannounced checks of students at school events to determine safety belt usage.
The special program is being funded by the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety. Approximately 225 public and private high schools across Nebraska have signed up to support the Come Home Safe program.
Lt. Governor Sheehy said highway safety statistics reveal the importance of young people buckling up before riding in a car or truck.
"As an emergency responder, I saw firsthand that seat belts save lives. Teenagers represent only seven percent of the licensed drivers in Nebraska, yet teen drivers account for 24 percent of reported crashes in Nebraska," Lt. Governor Sheehy said. "Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 are among the lowest group for safety belt usage, and the more we can convince students to buckle up, the greater the chance we can reduce serious injuries."
Superior High School has signed up to support the Come Home Safe program. School officials plan to hold two unannounced safety belt checks at school events this fall and report safety belt usage to Nebraska Safety Belt Honor Roll officials. Schools with an 80 percent or more buckled rate at two checks will earn a place on the Nebraska Safety Belt Honor Roll.
Kay Farrell, head of the National Safety Council Greater Omaha Chapter, said recent tragic auto accidents involving teens demonstrate the importance of greater safety belt use.
"There are many reasons why teens account for so many crashes in Nebraska ­­ excessive speed, cell phone distraction, unfamiliar road conditions and use of alcohol," Farrell said. "What makes many of these accidents all the more tragic is that serious injuries might have been prevented if the driver and passengers would have been wearing safety belts. We are thrilled so many Nebraska high schools are actively supporting the Come Home Safe campaign because it will remind our young people of the importance of buckling up."
Fred Zwonechek, Nebraska Highway Safety administrator, said the Come Home Safe campaign hopes to create additional promotions geared to remind students about the importance of wearing a safety belt. He said participating schools have been encouraged to create programs to reinforce the goals of the campaign.

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County Board approves contract for audit

The Nuckolls County Board at Tuesday's meeting approved a contract with Contryman Associates, Hastings, for the fiscal year 2007-2008 audit. The audit will cost $6,700.
The commissioners met Tuesday at 9 a.m. because of the Labor Day holiday Monday. All three commissioners and the county clerk were present.
The board also discussed having aerial photography of the county done for assessment purposes. GIS Workshops, Lincoln, the company recently hired to install the new Geographic Information System (GIS) in the county assessor's office, owns and operates an airplane for that purpose. Marcus Tooze, GIS Workshop president, informed them he is currently scheduling the airplane for work in the upcoming months. No action was taken, however it will placed on the agenda for Monday's regular meeting.
Chad McDaniel, the new salesman for the area including Nuckolls County at Nebraska Machinery Company (NMC), Doniphan, introduced himself to the commissioners and invited them to a demonstration of the new Caterpillar140M motor grader to be held at the county shop in Nelson on Sept. 15. Following the demonstration, the county road crew will have the opportunity to use the machine for about a week. An interesting feature of the machine is that is has joystick steering rather than a steering wheel.
It was decided the board will not meet on the last Mondays of September and October, Sept. 29 and Oct. 27.
After approving monthly claims, the board recessed at about 11:30 a.m.

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