Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Put 60 community leaders and county health care officials in an air-conditioned bus and you have a sophisticated field trip -- or the Kosciusko Community Hospital's annual Community Plunge.
The theme of this year's event, which took place Wednesday was, "Access to Care in Our Community." Participants were taken on a tour of some of the area's health and community organizations to provide an overview of the services available to the residents of the county.
The tour began at the new MedStat facility, which provides urgent care services and occupational health case management in the Warsaw area.
"MedStat grew out of a desire from area businesses for a better, simpler approach to occupational medicine and workman's compensation," said David Haines, MedStat director.
Established as a partnership between area doctors and KCH, MedStat provides complete occupational health services for area employers, including pre-employment physicals and drug screenings, coordination of post-injury therapy and follow-up care once an employee returns to work.
Plunge participants were also shown what is available for the less fortunate in the community with tour of Our Father's House, on East Center Street in Warsaw. The relief organization, founded last year, provides temporary food and clothing assistance to those in need, and operates a homeless shelter in Winona Lake, according to director Roz Morgan.
"We're not the agency that keeps you alive when you need help, we just help get you through until the next job or paycheck comes along," she said.
According to Morgan, Our Father's House has provided more than 6,000 meals since its inception. Clients are allowed to receive meals for up to three people, once a week. The food is provided by local restaurants and the meals are gathered and frozen for distribution.
"We believe in recycling," she said. "We take the food that restaurants would just be throwing away. So we happily call ourselves `garbagemen.'"
No one is turned away, Morgan added. If a person is hungry, a way will be found to feed them, even if it means Morgan will go home and make a bologna sandwich.
"One of our major philosophies is that Jesus Christ never asked for two pieces of ID and to have any forms filled out before he'd feed them," she said.
Other stops along the tour included the Pierceton EMS and the Warsaw Salvation Army. Informational sessions were also given by The Teens 'N Tots Parenting Center, the Early Start Prenatal Clinic, the Child Care Steering Committee, the Healthy Families program and the Faith and Families organization.
In concluding the tour, Wayne Hendrix, KCH chief executive officer, praised the service organizations and the people involved with them for the value they bring to the community.
"I think today we have walked with giants," he said. "It is people and groups like these that makes Kosciusko County a wonderful place to live."
