Booked for Lunch highlights LiveWell’s work across northwest Kansas

Wellness involves more than exercise, nutrition and trips to the doctor. It also means having access to child care, mental health services, household necessities and people who can help when a family does not know where to turn.

That broader view of wellness was the focus of the second installment of Pioneer Memorial Library’s “Booked for Lunch” series, held during the lunch hour Nov. 4.

A couple dozen patrons attended the program, which featured LiveWell Northwest Kansas Executive Director Travis Rickford. Guests were served classic ground beef bierocks, a cauliflower, broccoli and carrot medley, potato chips and no-bake pumpkin cheesecake, along with water and iced tea. The meal was offered for freewill donations.

Before Rickford’s presentation, library Director Melany Wilks introduced members of the library staff and highlighted the work they do throughout Thomas County. Chelsea, the library’s children’s librarian, also reviewed upcoming programs and encouraged residents to take advantage of the activities and services supported by local tax dollars.

Wilks described the library as fortunate to have an experienced team bringing new energy and ideas to its programming. The staff’s message to patrons was simple: The library wants people to come through its doors, enjoy its services and share ideas for future programs.

Rickford began by thanking the library staff for the services they provide to Thomas County and surrounding communities.

“Some of my earliest memories are going to the library for story hour,” he said. “I was always a bookworm.”

Originally from the Leoti area in Wichita County, Rickford now lives in Atwood with his wife, Melissa, who’s the Director of the Colby Community College Endowment Foundation. The couple returned to northwest Kansas in 2018 to be closer to family and raise their children in the region. Rickford became LiveWell’s executive director that year after previously working for the Kansas Health Foundation and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

LiveWell’s mission, he explained, is to make northwest Kansas a healthier place for all people to live, work and play. He emphasized the word “all,” noting that the organization has adapted programs and added staff and translation support to better serve the region’s growing Hispanic population.

Rickford described LiveWell as a “gap-filling agency.” Instead of duplicating services already offered by another organization, its staff works to connect residents with the appropriate provider and make sure referrals are completed.

“When someone calls our office asking for a resource, we want to make sure we’re getting families where they need to go,” he said. “We want to close the loop.”

Home visiting and behavioral health services are among LiveWell’s leading initiatives. Its early childhood programs include Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up, Play and Learning Strategies and Nurturing Parenting.

Rickford said the programs are designed to strengthen relationships between caregivers and children while providing parents with additional support. He shared his own family’s positive experience with a home visitor when his children were young and said LiveWell wants to erase the stigma sometimes associated with asking for that kind of assistance.

Having another person available to discuss parenting concerns, developmental milestones or family stress can make a significant difference, he said. Home visitors approach families with empathy and can also connect them with additional services when needed.

LiveWell also supports childcare and preschool providers throughout the region. The organization manages the Kids Port 1 and Kids Port 2 group childcare facilities and provides technical assistance in other early learning environments.

That assistance can include classroom observations, feedback for providers, assessments of children’s literacy and numeracy development, curriculum recommendations and referrals for social-emotional services. Rickford said the purpose is not punitive, but to help providers create environments that prepare children for kindergarten and beyond.

Another major initiative is LiveWell’s Family Resource Center, which helps residents meet basic household needs and connect with other organizations.

At its Colby office, families may visit once a week and receive as many as five items from what Rickford calls a “concrete goods display.” Available products can include laundry detergent, shampoo, toothpaste, blankets, pillows and over-the-counter medication.

Although those products may not always be viewed as health services, Rickford said access to necessities can have a substantial effect on a family’s well-being. Demand has increased as household costs have risen.

LiveWell plans to work with community foundations and other partners to establish similar displays in additional northwest Kansas communities.

Rickford also discussed the organization’s maternal and child health work, community health worker services and insurance navigation. LiveWell assists residents enrolling in Marketplace health plans and can connect those seeking Medicare assistance with appropriate resources.

Through the Thomas County Coalition, the organization supports food security efforts, the Copeland Community Garden, the Thomas County Farmers Market and youth prevention programs.

LiveWell is also exploring new approaches to mental health care. Rickford described a planned youth mental health pilot involving an app-based service and a partnership with High Plains Mental Health Center. The organization is additionally working with High Plains on a mobile unit designed to provide mental health services and connect residents with other community resources.

Other efforts include a University of Pennsylvania initiative focused on community conversations surrounding substance-use prevention and a health and community vibrancy competition that introduces LiveWell to startup companies and new service models.

Rickford said LiveWell has nine employees and three contractors, with staff members often filling multiple roles because approximately 90% of the nonprofit’s work is supported by grants.

During a question-and-answer period, he said community members can help by increasing awareness of available services, participating in the Thomas County Coalition and helping local organizations improve their referral systems.

The goal, he said, is not for one organization to take ownership of every issue. It is for agencies to recognize what each does well and work together to fill the remaining gaps.

Residents seeking assistance or additional information may contact Rickford at travisr@nwksprevention.com or 785-460-8177. LiveWell’s Colby Family Resource Center is located at 990 S. Range Ave.