March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!
Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon or rectum. This year, more than 135,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and more than 50,200 will die of the disease.
With certain types of screening, this cancer can be prevented by removing polyps (grape-like growths on the wall of the intestine) before they become cancerous. Several screening tests detect colorectal cancer early, when it can be easily and successfully treated.

Early stages of colorectal cancer don't usually have symptoms. Later on, people may have these symptoms:
  • Bleeding from the rectum or blood in or on the stool
  • Change in bowel habits
  • Stools that are more narrow than usual
  • General problems in the abdomen, such as bloating, fullness or cramps
  • Diarrhea, constipation or a feeling in the rectum that the bowel movement isn't quite complete
  • Weight loss for no apparent reason
  • Being tired all the time
  • Vomiting
HCC General Membership Meeting
Just a quick reminder of our General Membership meeting on Tuesday,  March 14, 12 p.m. at the Lexington United Methodist Church, 1211 South Business Highway 13. Our guest speaker is Jeffery Payne, Veteran's Representative, with the MO Dept. of Economic Development, Division of Workforce Development.
 
Flyer download: University of Missouri Extension class on Chronic Disease Self Management Class at the Higginsville Senior Center.
 
Hope to see you there!



Live Well Carrollton, McCoy Samples Mattingly Partner to Expand
Access to Dental Care

Health care, especially rural health care, thrives when practitioners partner to provide comprehensive care. To this end, the Health Care Collaborative (HCC) of Rural Missouri is partnering with Carrollton, Missouri-based McCoy Samples MattinglyDental Clinic to expand dental care services in the area.  Live Well Community Health Center - Carrollton, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) owned and operated by HCC, is working with Kyle Samples, DDS of McCoy Samples Mattingly Dental Clinic, to make oral health care more accessible to the community and surrounding areas. Dr. Samples will continue to practice at McCoy Samples Mattingly Dental Clinic, at 1411 N. Jefferson Street #A which is just a rock throw away from Live Well Carrollton at 1413 N. Jefferson Street.

"Rural health care works best when providers blur the dividing lines and simply work together," said HCC's CEO Toniann Richard. "McCoy Samples Mattingly Dental Clinic and our Live Well clinics share the mindset that when we collaborate to improve and expand access to quality health care, those we serve benefit. That's the bottom line."

About Dr. Kyle Samples
Dr. Kyle Samples is the son of Maggie and James Samples, DDS, and brother to Stuart Samples, DDS (who practices in the Chillicothe location for McCoy Samples Mattingly Dental) , are all natives of Carrollton. Dr. Kyle Samples practices full-time at McCoy Samples Mattingly's Carrollton location.

After graduating from Carrollton High School, Dr. Samples completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Central Missouri. He then received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry in 2011. Dr. Samples was practicing in a large general dental practice, Katy Trail Community Health, in Sedalia, Missouri. He and his wife, Krystal, son, Parker and daughter, Penelope, are glad to be back in their hometown with family and friends. Dr. Samples enjoys music, hunting, and spending time with his family. "I feel blessed to have the opportunity to return to Carrollton, where I was raised, to practice dentistry, give back to the community, and raise my family," he said.

Clinic hours:

Monday            
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Tuesday            
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday       
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday          
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday               
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
 
McCoy Samples Mattingly Dental Clinic, is closed on Saturday and Sunday. For an appointment call 660.542.6066. To learn more about HCC, a rural health network, and its Live Well Clinics in Buckner, Carrollton, Concordia and Waverly, visit: HCCNetwork.org.
 
HCC & Partners Work to Increase Training in the Allied Health Professions
HCC is collaborating with M.U. and the Missouri Health Professions Consortium to:
  • Increase the capacity of training sites in rural counties for Allied Health Professionals (specifically OTA's).
  • Recruit and train rural health care providers to serve as clinical fieldwork educators. 
  • Strengthen the employ-ability of students upon graduation and keep them retained at the rural sites.
We are hopeful to create a model that can be duplicated in other areas. To achieve these goals, we need fieldwork educators to participate in our training, and take students next fall. 

Participants will receive a certificate for four hours of free CCC'S/CEU's upon completion of the training.   We also have funding available for stipends for those who participate in the training, complete an electronic survey and then take students in the fall of 2017.  

Our second training for the 2017 season is Friday, May 5 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  We will be using the MHPC Parkade classroom for those in the Columbia/Moberly area and will be broadcasting out to Three Rivers College classroom in Poplar Bluff area. However, if you wish to attend and are from other areas within the Consortium or HCC Network, contact us so that we can make arrangements for you to have access to the training. 
   
For more information, and to RSVP, please contact our Rural Allied Health Training Manager, Stephanie Gang at stephanie.gang@hccnetwork.org: or call   ( 707) 548-6436 . Thank you.

HCC Launches Rural Job Site -- Members Post Jobs Free!
Nonmembers pay very nominal fee.
 
A letter to our HCC Network Members: 
Members of the HCC Rural Health Network post career opportunities at no charge! Please take advantage of this job site. Collectively, we can attract more qualified candidates to work in our rural communities. Here is how the job site works:

Employers who are also members of the HCC Rural Health Network can post non-featured jobs on the site at no cost. Nonmembers pay $50 for a job post that will run 30 days, a fee significantly lower than most other job sites. Both job seekers and employers are required to register on the site and create profiles. All employers pay only $15 to feature a job post on the site's homepage. You also have the option of uploading paid ads to promote career opportunities. We can help with that, too!

Job seekers who have registered on the site can easily search for jobs by keyword or location. Currently, there are several health-related job posts on the site. However, employers of all industries are welcomed to use the site.

Here's how to get started:

  •  Visit Careers.HCCNetwork.org.
  • Click the Employer link at the top of the site.
  • Click the orange button to register as an employer.
  • Complete the fields and be sure to select membership status as this will ensure members post for free.
  • From there, you create an employer profile.
Have questions or need support, call 660.259.2440.