Changes at
health center
Dr. Crystal Hill is now serving as acting medical director for the Flint Hills Community Health Center-Lyon County Health Department. Dr. Ronald Carson, who has been medical director since Aug. 1, 2005, has resigned, effective in early October, to become a staff physician for the Shawnee County Health Agency.
Dr. Hill, who has been at the center since Sept. 1, 2005, earned her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Her undergraduate degree is also from KU.
The center’s medical practice provided outpatient and inpatient medical care, dental care and behavior health services to more than 8,000 patients in 2006. In the same year, a satellite practice as established at the Osage County Health Department in Lyndon and the center’s physicians assumed responsibility for medical supervision of Emporia State University’s Student Health Services.
New job at state
TOPEKA — Emporia native Cindy Hermes is serving as director of the Government and Public Affairs Division in the Kansas Insurance Department. She previously worked as the division’s public affairs liaison.
In her new job, Hermes is responsible for monitoring state and legislative activities regarding insurance and working with consumer-education programs, including the Long-Term Care Partnership Program.
Hermes joined the insurance department in May 2003 as a consumer representative for health and life insurance. She represented the 51st District in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and was the campaign manager for Sandy Praeger’s successful re-election campaign for insurance commissioner in 2006.
She is the daughter of Glen and Norma Gilpin of Emporia.
Praeger’s office also announced the appointment of Bob Hanson, who will be the department’s public information officer. Hanson has five years’ experience managing newspapers in Kansas, most recently as managing editor of the Osage County Herald-Chronicle in Osage City.
Years of safety
Ricky Pock, a package car driver for UPS, has covered a lot of miles in 25 years on the job – without an accident. The company recently recognized that achievement by presenting an award to Pock, who works out of the UPS center at 3204 W. Sixth Ave.
Pock, who serves the Burlington area, lives in Emporia.
UPS reports in a news release that its drivers log more than 2 billion miles a year, averaging less than one accident for every million miles driven.
Call for inventors
Inventors who have products suitable for mass marketing could win the opportunity to have their products marketed and sold at retail. Daystar Manufacturing of Emporia is inviting inventors to submit their products or prototypes through Tuesday.
Garden Weasel will review the U.S. Patented or Patent Pending inventions for consumer products. Submissions must include the contact information, patent or patent pending application number, a brief description of the product with anticipated uses and up to two pictures: .jpg, .tif, .png or drawings.
Materials should be sent to leealderman@cableone.net or dropped by at 3701 W. Sixth Ave. in Emporia. People with questions may call Lee Alderman at 342-4440.
Daystar is an inventor-assistance company; information is on the Web at www.DaystarManufacturing.com.
Name change
As Commerce Bank & Trust expands, its new branches will bear a new name: CoreFirst Bank & Trust.
The banking firm, which has been operating in Topeka and Emporia, plans to open a branch in Shawnee in December and will begin construction later this year in Lenexa. The bank says it plans to open more branch locations as far west as Manhattan.
To avoid confusion with other Commerce Banks in the new areas, the bank plans to change its name to CoreFirst. Some banking branches, those in Wal-Mart stores, retain the Commerce Bank name.
The bank’s Web site, www.cbtks.com, will remain unchanged.
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