Community Health Ministry began in Wamego, Kansas, in 2001, when the First Presbyterian Church gave the use of a two-story house across the street, at 6th and Elm. With the church's assistance and in partnership with the United Methodist, UCC, Episcopal, Baptist, and Catholic area churches, the century-old house was completely renovated for office space for staff and volunteers, a dental office, medical treatment room, interviews, and a storage room for donated food, clothing and household goods.
This ministry provides for people in Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties (about 18,000) including the town of Wamego. Donations from the churches and the City of Wamego help support the work as do funds received from grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Northern Kansas Presbytery, United Methodist Foundation, State designated funds for diabetic patient study, and from Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved. The grants provide salaries for the staff, which includes three registered nurses. Two local dentists offer their services every other Friday and a dental hygienist volunteers a day per month in the well-furnished dental office, which was provided by a local dentist.
The Wamego Presbyterian Church continues to provide maintenance, weekly volunteers, and liberal donations of cash, food and supplies, and direct fund raising events. In 2006, Community Health Ministry provided rent, utility assistance, and gas vouchers to 722 families (nearly $11,000). Food was given to 559 families, and 1404 people were transported to appointments both in and out of town. More than 500 people were treated in the medical clinic, 178 received dental care, with 156 receiving other medical-related services. Doctors, dentists, and nurses provided the equivalent of $51,000 of care plus $4,700 of medication assistance.
Wamego First Presbyterian, along other area churches, also supports Project Rescue of Amazon Youth (P.R.A.Y.), in Jacunda, Para, Brazil. It is a Christian charitable organization, headquartered in Wamego, dedicated to serving children who are abandoned, abused, neglected, orphaned, or homeless. Four women from Wamego have served in Jacunda either in the children's shelter or in the medical clinic, including one who served for a housemother for a portion of this year.
Rev. July, 2007
