New Community Health Educator Jennifer Ebert presented to the Riley County Commission for the first time on Thursday.
Ebert is presently working through goals she set when accepting the position working for the Riley County Health Department. Some of these include communicating with every school district in the wildcat region, which also includes Geary and Pottawatomie counties, scheduling town hall meetings and researching and retrieving information about fentanyl poisoning in the region.
Ebert says she is working with school districts to schedule a First Day movie in each community. The health educator position is a grant funded position through a Kansas Fights Addiction grant.
Riley County Commissioners received an update on the North County EMS station Thursday.
EMS/Ambulance Director David Adams says the facility is still expected to be complete by Monday, with a hand-over on or around next Thursday.
Adams says the front door arrived damaged, and a new one has been ordered.
There are still a smaller number of upcoming items to complete, including some IT work, new counter tops, and to begin moving in for the ribbon cutting. The new station should be operational on or around October 16.
The total cost to date is approximately $709,964.79
In other business Thursday, Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo informed the county commission Thursday that due to overcrowding in the Riley County Jail, a second nurse is being requested by the Riley County Police Department.
Last month, it was reported that the jail averaged around 124 inmates in August, the highest average on record. That figure is now approximately 140 inmates. Vargo says funds would have to come out of the Riley County budget as it contracts with a third party to provide nursing services.
Riley County is statutorily required to provide those costs as its not an expense outlined in the RCPD budget.
