Have you got the 2-1-1?

The United Way of the Plains has a telephone line which facilitates critical connections between individuals and families seeking services, volunteer opportunities, or both, and appropriate human services agencies, including community-based and faith-based organizations and government agencies. To access this number, all you have to do is dial 2-1-1 on your phone or cell phone.

You can also access the 2-1-1 service online at:
http://www.211kansas.org/211findhelp/Program/Search.aspx

When she was a Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton introduced Senate Bill 211Congress that, if passed, would allow for grants that would encourage expansion of the 2-1-1 service. The full text of Senate Bill 211 and its related House Bill 211 , aptly numbered, may be found at:
http://thomas.loc.gov (type in sb 211 in the field provided to bring up the text)

Your Kansas State Government agencies also have various directories available online:

The Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) department has a similar search service to that of 2-1-1 which helps connect Kansans to the various programs it provides:
http://www.srskansas.org/services.htm

SRS also has an alphabetical list of Kansas area phone number hotlines for various services at:
http://www.srskansas.org/800list/A_800_list.htm

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has a list of phone numbers for their available services:
http://www.kdheks.gov/contact.html

A partnership of state agencies has an alphabetical directory of the services and programs available from several state agencies at:
http://services.ks.gov/

The Dykes Library at the University of Kansas Medical Center teamed up with libraries statewide to provide Kansans with Go Local- a free directory of health facilities, providers and services available in Kansas:
http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/local/kansas/homepage.cfm?areaid=45

Check out the Kansas Mentoring Program directory of volunteer opportunities listed by county:
http://kansasmentors.kansas.gov/Pages/FindaProgram.aspx

Article Contact: Kim Harp

Gov. Sebelius nominated to U.S. Cabinet Post

On March 2, 2009, President Obama nominated Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to be a member of his Cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Governor Sebelius accepted the nomination and will await approval by the U.S. Senate before officially taking office.

The nation recently went through a smoothe transition from one presidential administration to another and now Kansas will prepare for the possibility of a change in governors under the laws that govern our state.

Below are online resources on Governor Sebelius and our Lieutenant Governor, Mark Parkinson who will assume the governorship pending Sebelius' departure. Also included are links to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and sites proving information on the processes that will take place as our state and federal governments move through changes in leadership.

Kathleen Sebelius

Information from the Governor's website
http://www.governor.ks.gov/about/default.htm

Biographical information from Wikipedia with references
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius

Mark Parkinson

Lieutenant Governor's web page at governor.ks.gov
http://www.governor.ks.gov/LtGov/

Biographical information from Wikipedia with references
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Parkinson

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
http://www.hhs.gov/
“The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America". In 2004 the Department had 67,000 employees.

The department was created when President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act (PL 96-88) into law on October 17, 1979. It split the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, (HEW), which included the Social Security Administration, agencies constituting the Public Health Service, Family Support Administration, and the Office of Education into the Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Education. Both began operation on May 4, 1980.” (Wikipedia.org)

Vacancies in Kansas Executive Offices
From Article 1 of the Kansas State Constitution:
http://www.kslib.info/constitution/art1.html

“11. Vacancies in executive offices. When the office of governor is vacant, the lieutenant governor shall become governor. In the event of the disability of the governor, the lieutenant governor shall assume the powers and duties of governor until the disability is removed. The legislature shall provide by law for the succession to the office of governor should the offices of governor and lieutenant governor be vacant, and for the assumption of the powers and duties of governor during the disability of the governor, should the office of lieutenant governor be vacant or the lieutenant governor be disabled. When the office of secretary of state or attorney general is vacant, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointment for the remainder of the term. If the secretary of state or attorney general is disabled, the governor shall name a person to assume the powers and duties of the office until the disability is removed. The procedure for determining disability and the removal thereof shall be provided by law.”

United States Cabinet

Official site of U.S. Presidential Cabinet
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet/

Track the Confirmation of President Obama's Cabinet Nominees
http://innovation.cq.com/projects/cabinet_nominee
(From CQ Politics)

United States Cabinet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Cabinet
(Information from Wikipedia)

Sebelius on the White House Blog
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/03/02/Sebelius-at-HHS/