Kansas City’s Metropolitan Community College Hosts The Juncture

The Juncture
Image: mcckc.edu

Kathy Walter-Mack serves as the chief of staff to the chancellor and associate vice chancellor of human resources at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Kansas City, Missouri. In that position, Kathy Walter-Mack has helped advance several of the college’s programs and initiatives. Recently, her office was the primary sponsor of The Juncture, an annual professional development symposium she helped launch in 2015.

Hosted by MCC’s Office of Inclusion and Engagement, The Juncture is an interactive event that focuses on helping women in higher education improve their professional practice and meet the needs of students. The symposium features panel discussions and small-group activities that explore professional ethics, mentoring, networking, and collaboration. The Juncture also highlights the different journeys and paths women take on their way to careers in higher education and features presentations from MCC faculty members and local business leaders.

The most recent Juncture symposium took place October 14, 2016, at Metropolitan Community College. Over 100 women participated in the event, which focused on changing student demographics, professional growth, and the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The symposium program featured presentations from speakers such as Dr. Andrea Hendricks, the assistant vice president of human resources at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and Ellen Heffernan, a partner at The Spelman & Johnson Group.

A number of faculty and staff members from all five MCC campuses also participated in discussions at The Juncture in 2016. For more information about the event, visit www.blogs.mcckc.edu.

Kansas City Hospice’s Supportive or Palliative Care Program

Kansas City Hospice Palliative Care
Image: kchospice.org

As the principal staff person to a five campus community college system, Kathy Walter-Mack attends to various functions in support of the chancellor’s objectives for the schools. Outside of her professional work, Kathy Walter-Mack pursues community work which has included such activities as volunteering to support Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care (KHPC).

KHPC, a nonprofit, was founded in 1980 as the result of a meeting among hospital administrators and several physicians regarding Kansas City’s need for enhanced end-of-life-care. Today, KHPC serves Kansas City’s 10 counties with an award-winning staff and over 400 dedicated volunteers.

One of KHPC’s programs is Supportive or Palliative Care. Individuals who are being treated for serious illnesses may require extra support at home. Studies have revealed that palliative care or supportive care at home can help patients avoid visits to the emergency room and lessen time in the hospital.

Depending on the type of situation, palliative home care services range from one consultation to ongoing, regular visits. The services include making patients more comfortable through some of the following means: assistance with pain control, tiredness, shortness of breath and other symptoms; development of strategies for coping with uncertainty through a 24/7 questions and concerns lifeline; dedication to keeping patient independence through in-home services; and education of family members to help them understand how best to care for a patient.

KHPC also provides help in dealing with anxiety and fear through spiritual and emotional support to patients and family members. The service may also include handling the details of a patient’s case by coordinating care with the patient’s doctor and arranging for such needs as medical equipment.

In accordance with the program, an assigned registered nurse will coordinate the needed care. The majority of private insurance plans, Medicaid, and Medicare pay for palliative care.