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Kenneth W. Winter James A. Klausman Leonard R. Hernandez Rick C. Jackson HERNANDEZ ELECTED CHAIRMAN, FOUR KANSANS EARN NEW TERMS ON THE BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF KANSAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Leonard R. Hernandez, New Strawn, was elect- ed to a one-year term as Chair of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Board of Directors at its annual meeting May 9 in Topeka. James A. Klausman, Topeka, was elected to a one-year term as Vice Chair. Hernandez, CEO of Coffey Health System, joined the Blue Cross board in 2012, and recently completed three years as Vice Chair. Klausman, President/CEO of Midwest Health, has served on the board since 2015. Hernandez and Klausman were among four directors who were re-elected to new, four- year terms at the meeting. Also re-elected to new terms were Rick C. Jackson, Topeka, and Kenneth W. Winter, Dodge City. Jackson is Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Capitol Federal and has served on the board since 2015. Winter joined the board in 2007 and is General Manager of Lariat Feeders LLC. Other members of the board are Matthew D. All, Lawrence; Carolyn R. Banning, CPA/ PFS, Dodge City; Gregory V. Binns, Hutchinson; Jennifer L. Brull, MD, Plainville; Megan L. Jones, Topeka; Diane L. Lee, CPA, CSEP, Hutchinson; Jena K. Lysen, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Wichita; Jeff D. Mullen, Wichita; Steve W. Sloan, Pittsburg; Cathy Mih Taylor, MD, Chanute; Jeffrey R. Thompson, Salina; and Angela N. Wilson, DDS, Lawrence. KING LEADS ASCENSION VIA CHRISTI Don King is leading Ascension Via Christi as its Senior Vice President and Kansas Ministry Market Executive. King, who took on the new role April 15, has nearly 20 years of healthcare leadership experience with Ascension, Lee's Summit (Missouri) Medical Center and a re - search center in Kansas City. King was the Chief Operating Officer for Ascension Alabama before taking his new position in Kansas. King grew up in the Kansas City area and earned both his undergraduate and master's degree in physical therapy from Loma Linda University in southern California. CLINICS RETURNING TO 2 KANSAS COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY CLOSURES Two communities that lost their clinics and hospitals because of financial issues experienced with their former management company, EmpowerHMS, are regaining hometown medical clinics. The Labette Health Oswego Clinic and Express Care opened a tem - porary clinic at 608 Commercial Oswego in April, with plans to build a permanent location at 515 Commercial. Amy Smith, APRN-C, and Cindi Major, APRN-C, are the providers. The community had been without healthcare options following the Feb. 14 closure of Oswego Community Hospital and its Oswego and Chetopa clinics. The new clinic is part of the Labette Health, which operates a hospital in Parsons and several clinics and express care locations in southeastern Kansas. In Horton, Kansas, hospital officials and community members are working to tentatively reopen the Horton Rural Health Clinic by July 1 and the hospital by August, according to a Topeka TV news re - port. The Horton hospital closed its doors March 15. The Oswego, Horton and Hillsboro hospitals in Kansas had all been managed by EmpowerHMS and had financial issues, including not pay - ing its employees and vendors. The Horton and Hillsboro hospitals filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March. In January, a Marion County judge appointed a receiver to manage the Hillsboro Community Hospital when it faced a bank fore - closure lawsuit. According to a Hillsboro Free Press report, the hospital was placed fully into the hands of the receiver, Cohesive Healthcare Management, in early March. POPULAR STORYTELLING NEWSCASTER WINS SWEET HUMANITARIAN AWARD Larry Hatteberg, a longtime popular storytelling newscaster in Wichita, was awarded the 14th annual Sweet Humanitarian Award in May. The award was created in 2005 by Donna Sweet, MD, a world-renowned HIV/AIDS expert with the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita Internal Medicine Department, to recognize those who contribute to the community through philanthropic and selfless actions. The award gala raises mon - ey to benefit the Sweet Emergency Fund, which helps HIV/AIDS patients with their healthcare needs when other resources are not available. Hatteberg is known for his national award-winning "Hatteberg's People" segment that features ordinary Kansans doing interesting and extraordinary things. The segment now airs on the Wichita public television station KPTS. Continued from page 05. NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE 2 0❱❱❱❱❱ H O S P I T A L R O U N D S