February 14th - February 2022 No. 452 - Cottonwood, Inc.
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February 2022 No. 452 February 14th
years years
Bryan Woerner Ettie Brightwell 5
25
Sara Filbert 22 Daniela Garcia 5
Corinna Wood 20 Michelle Dusang 3
Jean Knight 20 Tonna Blankenship 1
Katherine KH Harris 12 Bryan Vandegrift 1
Tammy Faughn 7 Chandler Guffey 1
Lyndsee McLin 6 1
Allie Faughn
Rose Neuhaus 5
Emily Castro—February 6th
Forrest Neibarger—February 8th
Stephanie Maytubby—February 10th
Drew Diedel—February 12th
Hugh Murphy—February 13th
David Phung—February 16th
Koree Bell—February 21st
Tammy Faughn—February 21st
Chase Buck—February 25th
Happy Birthday Consumers
Mark W—February 1st
Janelle M—February 5th
Renae J—February 8th
Katie D—February 10th
Shelley S—February 12th
Ralph L—February 16th
Kenny S—February 18th
Lynn L—February 18th
Tina D— February 25th
Laura B—February 26th
Carter M—February 28th
Have you ever heard your co-workers talk about ERT? Would you know what to do if a disaster
struck Cottonwood? The following information will give you an idea of the structure and
processes which are built into Cottonwood’s Business Survival Plan.
Cottonwood, Inc. management has recognized the need for a plan to cover a wide range
of disasters and business interruptions that could cause personal injuries and disrupt our
normal business operations. A plan was developed in 2002 to insure the safety of our staff and
consumers and to get the business back in operation as quickly as possible after a tornado, fire,
flood, power or communications blackout, or other disaster.
A Team structure was adopted consisting of four levels of responsibilities. The Emergency
Response Team (ERT) consists of a Site Emergency Director (SED) who reports to the CEO and
is responsible for overseeing all aspects of preparing for and responding to an immediate safety
threat. Our SED is Mike Taylor, who co-chairs the Safety Committee with Heather Thies.
The Section Emergency Coordinators (SEC) are responsible for coordinating the implementation
of all necessary tasks for their buildings during an actual emergency or disaster. Our SECs are
Kara Walters for Building I, Duane Turnbull for Building II North, Heather Thies for Building II
South, and Kristi Pollington for Building III. They report to the SED.
The Unit Emergency Coordinators (UEC) are responsible for ensuring that the protective actions
for a certain work area are carried out. Each UEC will designate and train a person to serve
as an Alternate in the event the UEC is off-site at the time of the drill or actual emergency.
Cottonwood has six UECs and six Alternates for Building I, five UECs and 5 Alternates for
Building II North, two UECs and two Alternates for Building II South, and one UEC and one
Alternate for Building III. They report to their SECs. Retirement Services and the residential
homes have their own emergency procedures and reporting mechanisms which they follow.
Other information contained in the Business Continuity Plan Book consists of:
• Emergency contact numbers, such as phone numbers for fire, police, poison, electrical,
plumbing or natural gas companies
• All utility account numbers for all Cottonwood owned properties
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• Location of all supplies which might be required in the event of an emergency, such as
water, blankets, flashlights, battery-powered radio, pandemic supplies, etc.
• Home addresses and telephone numbers for management, coordinators and any other
staff which has been identified as key to basic business operations
• Organizational chart
• A table listing the location of onsite staff who are certified in First Aid and CPR
• The location of the AED (Automated External Defibrillator)
• A table containing the type and location of data which is key to business operations, such
as payroll information, computer back up tapes, contracts, leases, vehicle titles and keys,
staff training records, etc.
• Cottonwood’s policies and procedures which relate to emergencies, such as tornado,
fire, bomb threats, power failure, natural gas leak, hazardous materials spill, and violence
in the workplace
• Schematics for Buildings I, II and III displaying emergency exits and tornado sheltering
locations
• A partner facility agreement, in the event Cottonwood has to be immediately evacuated.
Transportation of consumers to their homes will be coordinated from the partner facility.
• A communications partner agreement with a sister agency in Topeka to serve as
Cottonwood’s communications checkpoint in the event all communications in Lawrence
are knocked out. The agreement is reciprocal.
• A defense contract continuity plan
• Declaration pages for all insurance policies as well as the disaster recovery plan for
Kindred CPA, Cottonwood’s payroll database contractor.
• A table listing Cottonwood-owned vehicles, the vehicle number, year, make & model and
VIN
• A Pandemic Plan
• Group home contact information
Cottonwood regularly communicates to staff about the EDNA paging procedure (Emergency
Developing Need Assistance) through the Thumbprint. Memos on inclement weather
procedures and ways in which staff can obtain information about facility closings through our
own Cottonwood Connection emails and texts, and other avenues are shared seasonally.
If you have any question about emergency procedures, disaster planning or would like to
make suggestions, please contact a member of the Safety Committee or the Emergency
Response Team. Stay safe!
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The Cottonwood Emergency Response Team (ERT) has developed a Business Continuation Plan to address any potential emergencies that may confront Cottonwood, Inc. One of our policies, Policy # 03-037, outlines a procedure to help protect against potentially violent situations that may occur with staff or visitors. In the event of an escalating situation, immediate help can be directed to any area by utilizing the paging feature available on all phone sets. To prevent general alarm and panic, the name EDNA has been chosen as the code to be used when assistance is needed. EDNA is an acronym for Emergency Developing Needs Assistance. For example, to page for assistance, a person would access the paging system via their telephone and say, “EDNA to the reception desk”, or “EDNA to the clinic”, etc. When staff hear a page for EDNA to a certain location, they can respond and assist, as long as supervision of consumers is not jeopardized. The types of situations for which this procedure would be appropriate are escalating threat, actual physical threat, medical emergency, or intruders. If a weapon is involved, do not page for EDNA! Exit the area if at all possible, call 911 immediately and alert the receptionist. First and foremost, take immediate precautions to protect yourself and consumers. Inevitably, there will be times when paging for help will not be possible as some incidents happen quickly and are short-lived, but for other situations where additional assistance is warranted, the EDNA paging procedure should prove to be helpful. Also, since most consumers who have behavioral issues have behavior management plans in place, typically the EDNA procedure would not be part of the protocol for consumers.
What you don’t know about high blood pressure could hurt you.
High blood pressure affects nearly half of the adult population
in the United States,1 yet many people who have the condition
don’t know they have it.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure raises the risk for heart disease
and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States.
5 Surprising Facts About High Fortunately, high blood pressure is treatable and preventable.
Blood Pressure
https://www.cdc.gov To lower your risk, get your blood pressure checked regularly
and take action to control your blood pressure if it is high.
1. High blood pressure may be linked to dementia. 4. Many people who have high blood pressure don’t know it.
Recent studies show that high blood pressure is linked to a higher About 1 in 3 U.S. adults with high blood pressure aren’t even aware they
risk for dementia, a loss of cognitive function.2 Timing seems to have it and are not being treated to control their blood pressure.6
matter. Evidence suggests that having uncontrolled high blood
pressure during midlife (ages 44 to 66) creates a higher risk for Even though most people with uncontrolled high blood pressure have
dementia later in life.3 The takeaway? It’s never too early to start health insurance and visit a health care team member at least twice a
thinking about your blood pressure and taking steps to manage year, the condition is often not diagnosed.7 CDC is working with health
your high blood pressure. care professionals to find patients with high blood pressure who are
“hiding in plain sightexternal icon.”
2. Young people can have high blood pressure, too. Ask your health care team what your blood pressure numbers mean
and if they are too high. Stick to your treatment plan and follow your
High blood pressure doesn’t just happen to older adults. Nearly 1 in provider’s advice if you are diagnosed with high blood pressure.
4 adults aged 20 to 44 have high blood pressure.4
5. Women and African Americans face unique risks when it comes
High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke, a condition that is
on the rise among younger people. Experts think the increased risk
for stroke in this age group is a direct result of the rising rates of to high blood pressure.
obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes—conditions that
are preventable and treatable.5 Women with high blood pressure who become pregnant are more likely
to have complications during pregnancy than those with normal blood
Ask your health care team how often you should check your blood pressure. High blood pressure during pregnancy can harm a mother’s
pressure. You can get your blood pressure checked at a doctor’s kidneys and other organs, and it can lead to premature delivery and low
office or pharmacy, and you can check it at home if you have a home birth weight babies.
blood pressure monitor.
Some types of birth control can also raise a woman’s risk for high
3. High blood pressure usually doesn’t have any symptoms. blood pressure. Women with high blood pressure who want to become
pregnant should work with their health care team to lower their blood
High blood pressure is sometimes called the “silent killer.” Most pressure before becoming pregnant.8,9
people with high blood pressure don’t have any symptoms. Because
many people feel fine, they don’t think they need to get their blood African American men and women have higher rates of high blood
pressure checked. pressure than any other racial or ethnic group.4 These individuals are
also more likely to be hospitalized for high blood pressure.10 Experts
Even if you feel normal, your health may be at risk. Talk to your think these health disparities are tied to higher rates of obesity and
doctor about your risk for high blood pressure. diabetes.
By living a healthy lifestyle, you can help keep your • Eating a healthy diet - low sodium • Reduce stress
blood pressure in a healthy range and lower your • Maintaining a healthy weight • Not smoking
risk for heart disease and stroke. A healthy lifestyle • Getting enough physical activity • Limiting alcohol use
includes:
COTTONWOOD Swag ORDER FORM Page 1 of 2
If you are interested in purchasing an item
ORDER DUE FEBRUARY 18th
please put order form in Kari Bentzinger’s
box. NAME_____________________________________Dept__________________________
Questions? Call Kari at ext 1604
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2 XL 3XL
*Price is an estimate—does not include tax and shipping. If more than one of the same item is ordered the price could be lower.
SAMPLES ONLY—logos could look slightly different
1 of 2COTTONWOOD Swag ORDER FORM Page 2 of 2
EXTENDED SIZES
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L XL 2XL 3XL 4XL 5XL If you are interested in purchasing an item
Color-circle one please put order form in Kari Bentzinger’s box.
Questions? Call Kari at ext 1604
Logo can be small on left
chest
ORDER DUE FEBRUARY 18th
NAME_____________________________________
DEPT______________________________________
*
I’d like this one
*Price is an estimate—does not include tax
and shipping. If more than one of the same
Size-circle one item is ordered the price could be lower.
S M L XL 2XL 3XL 4XL
SAMPLES ONLY— logos
Color-circle one could look slightly different
Logo can be bigger in middle
*
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*
2 of 2CONGRATULATIONS! How/why did you opt to hire someone with a disability, and how has this benefited your company? We believe businesses are here to serve our community by offering safe, quality goods and services and providing great jobs for all. We know and value the importance of diverse representation and inclusion. How has JobLink been helpful in supporting you in your hiring decision? Over the years, JobLink referred excellent candidates and provided wonderful coaching and training to support our entire team. How would you describe Seagan as an employee? Seagan is an outstanding employee. Extremely reliable, observant, helpful and honest. We appreciate the great qualities and hard work Seagan brings to our team. What would you like to share with other organizations regarding supported employment and hiring individuals with disabilities? Throughout the last 7 years, we have benefitted so much from our partnership with JobLink. Not only great employees, but fantastic support and resources. We love what JobLink does for the Lawrence community and we will always partner with this program.
Kenny Yvette Pennie Bea
12 years -Chili’s 9 years -On The Rocks 3 years- Chick-fil-A 6 years - 6 Mile Chophouse
Browne, Cole Chili’sThis new button makes
our websites more
accessible.
Check it out!
This is the pop up box
you see when you
click onDa Bombs
BY MORGAN TIBBENS
Chelsea DeSoto, Health
Support Nurse, learned
about this amazing girl
and was so inspired by her
story that she wanted to
share it with everyone.
“When I was in Mississippi for
Christmas, one of the gifts I got was
a foot scrub made by a girl with
Down Syndrome. She has her own
little business and even notes on her
business card that she hopes to have
a store one day so she can help other
special needs people get jobs. It
seemed to go along with our line of
work perfect and I felt so proud of
her just from reading her business
card. I wanted to share this with
everyone in hopes of helping her be
successful. I checked out her website
and its super cute. I got Susan 2 of
her hot chocolate bombs and she
said they were great. “
ChelseaOn June1, Cottonwood, Inc. moved into its new 8,000 sq. ft. office/shop building at 2801 W 31st St in Lawrence, Kansas. Cottonwood’s predecessor, the Bess Stone Activity Center, was converted to a group home. Services are provided for 30 people. Gary Condra is hired as the first Executive Director. 1974....Gold House was purchased for Group Living 1976...White House was purchased for Group Living
Koree and John making Peanut Butter
Pie!
Wade, Melissa, and Walter
putting together a new
puzzle.
Welcome
back, Jon! He
got to open
his stocking
from last
month after
returning
from vacation.
Birthdays!Congratulations De’Antay !!!
Lylah Rachelle Bourn was
born on January 6, 2022. She
weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz. and
was 22 inches long.
Proud parents are
De’Antay Bourn (Records
Management Specialist) and
Natacha Wright.You can also read
