Are you aware of the services provided by Johnson County health and human service agencies and departments? How convenient would it be to call one number and speak to an individual who can direct you to the various services you might need?

Johnson County Government launched OneAssist, a single telephone number for callers seeking assistance from county health and human service agencies and departments. One call to 913-715-8989 now connects residents to resources and services from the departments of health and environment, human services, mental health and the county’s developmental supports agency.

“OneAssist means callers needing help from one or more of our health and human service agencies can connect with an individual who will get them to the correct resources they might need,” said assistant county manager Maury Thompson, who oversees human services departments. “This is the result of more than 18 months of research and conversations with clients and community partners designed to improve the delivery of health and human services.”

County residents needing services should call 913-715-8989 during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday). The calls will be assessed based on the needs of the resident calling and directed to the appropriate agency or department.

“In the past, our residents may have called one agency or department seeking help, not realizing they might need assistance from other programs in the county,” Thompson said. “By centralizing our calls, we can address this and provide much better access to our various services.”

There are many different services these agencies and departments offer to county residents. Some of the most common requested services include:

• Department of Health and Environment — family planning, prenatal, STD/HIV testing, outreach nurse, immunizations, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), child care licensing and education, and targeted case management for pregnant and parenting teens;
• Human Services — aging services, utility assistance, food pantry and housing;
• Johnson County Developmental Supports — determines eligibility for those seeking intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) services, maintains the county’s network of I/DD service providers, provides quality assurance of network and conducts annual assessments for individuals in services;
• Mental Health — case management, medication management and therapy.

The creation of Johnson County OneAssist addresses the county commission’s strategic priority to “promote the self-sufficiency of persons who are part of the county’s vulnerable populations, including those struggling with issues related to poverty.”

Look for the new issue of The Best Times, the county’s publication informing and supporting Johnson County’s 60+ adults. This month’s cover story is about preventing falls, the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. Other articles include topics such as the Veterans Treatment Court, improved access to health and human services and preparing for severe weather season. The Best Times Magazine is a printed publication created by Johnson County Government, mailed six times per year to Johnson County residents who are 60 plus.  

The March/April 2017 issue, as well as past issues, can be viewed on The Best Times Magazine page of our website.

In case you haven't heard, the Johnson County Library (JCL) in Lenexa — currently known as "Lackman Library" and located at 15345 W 87th St Pkwy — will be closing and reopening at a larger location in the new Lenexa City Center! 

The Lackman Library was identified in JCL's 20-year comprehensive master plan as a location in need of expanded capacity. In 2015, the Board of County Commissioners adopted the county's first mill levy increase in a decade (3.3 mills total), of which .75 mills was dedicated to implementation of JCL's comprehensive master plan. The plan includes building a new location in Western Shawnee, relocating the Lackman branch in Lenexa, modernizing other facilitlies and creating a new Operations Center to increase circulation efficiency and helping fund future improvements in southern Johnson County as population increases occur.

Johnson County Library wants to hear input from residents about what features or services you want included in the new library's design. There's a public input session on Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Lackman Library so swing by if you can. If you can't make it in person, submit your feedback on JCL's website, jocolibrary.org.

Today marks the start of the spring semester for students at the University of Kansas and Johnson County Community College. If you don’t have access to a vehicle, consider using RideKC to make it to your classes. Transit riders can find RideKC’s maps and schedules online including routes for service from Lawrence. The K-10 Connector serves as a bridge between Lawrence and Johnson County, connecting students to the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park. All routes for Johnson County can be found on RideKC’s website.