Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Hi folks. As you might or might not remember, the Crook County Cattlewomen started a pilot program “Beef for the Hulett School” in the spring of 2018. The program was mirrored after a similar program in Montana and was well received by the Crook County School District, who was very much in favor of the program.

The program has been a huge success and has expanded to all three schools – Hulett, Moorcroft and Sundance. The school cooks receive far more compliments from both staff and students when they’re served the home-grown beef for lunch.

Supersizing is when students go back for seconds and has more than doubled since the kids are no longer eating the soy-based meat previously served. And, the lunch count has increased, with older students staying at school for their meals.

In order to keep the program running we will continually need donations, so please consider donating. You may specify the school of your choice for a donation.

A rancher needs to arrange a time and date with Sturgis Meat Service (USDA Certified) for processing. Please keep in mind they are backed up so please plan ahead.

When processing is complete, the beef is transported to the Central Office in Sundance, where it is stored due to limited freezer space in the smaller schools. As the lunch program for each school needs beef, a representative from each school picks up what they need from Sundance.

Market steers, open heifers, cull cows and cull bulls are the types of beef requested for donation. The steers and heifers are processed for ground beef, roasts and select cuts, while the cull cows and bulls are mostly used for hamburger. The roasts will be used for shredded beef recipes for special school functions.

Please keep in mind, in order to continue the program, we will always need more donations! Anyone wishing to donate can contact Cattlewomen Criss Neiman (467-5245) or Tracy Bush (467-5352).

Tracy W. Bush

Dear Editor,

The Crook County Medical Foundation (CCMF) Board of Hulett would like to preface this letter with a bit of history. The CCMF Board is a separate non-profit entity apart from the Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) and Trustees in Sundance.

Money was earmarked several years ago for a new medical facility in Hulett. It was money donated explicitly for this purpose.

Due to the needs of CCMSD, the donations were used for hospital improvements in Sundance, and payroll for the hospital and the nursing home staff. When we requested the money be returned, we were told CCMSD could not do that, but did agree to buy a new x-ray machine and equipment, which they have now declined to do.

CCMF took tentative plans to the CCMSD board meetings to share and ask if they had any suggestions. Our plans were disregarded as they wanted no part of this endeavor.

Throughout the year, CCMF attended hospital board meetings, gave reports on the progress of the new medical center and still we received no support. We attempted to negotiate with CCMSD, but to no avail.

In a letter from the lawyer representing CCMSD was the following statement: “The lease shall specify that as soon as all debt associated with the real property is repaid, the Foundation shall gift the real property to CCMSD”. This was a show stopper for us.

The Mission of CCMF is to provide funding and services for the medical needs of Crook County as well as all of the surrounding counties. We are a service-driven organization to meet these needs.

Often times when a patient is transported to Sundance, they are sent on to Spearfish or Rapid City, South Dakota. Therefore, the CCMF Board made a decision to keep our patients in Wyoming.

The new Red Bluff Medical Center in Hulett has been built with new donations from donors, who want to see this community grow and prosper. These donations have stayed with CCMF.

We have received no tax funds from the county, and are very proud to have been a part of seeing this Medical Center built, and will see it occupied soon. We hope that we can continue to raise funds for the medical needs of this county, and work with those involved to benefit everyone’s needs when and where required.

We want Crook County and surrounding counties to know the new Red Bluff Medical Center is here to serve you all. That being said, we have been in contact with Campbell County Health in Gillette.

The CCMF board met with the heads of Campbell County Health. During the meeting they requested to see the facility.

When they arrived, they were amazed at all the clinic had to offer. They spoke of several different doctors who would be interested in working here.

They are the most comprehensive healthcare provider in the state of Wyoming. Their hospital and clinics are open, and they are scheduling appointments for elective surgical cases, radiology and lab services, as well as other in-office primary care visits.

Campbell County Health is nationally recognized for exceptional clinical quality, patient safety and service. They are also affiliated with the University of Colorado.

Their website contains numerous awards they have received, to mention just a few – American College of Cardiology NCDR ACTION Registry Silver Award, American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Bronze Level Recognition Award, Becker’s Healthcare: One of the Top 150 Places to Work in Healthcare, and National Rural Health Association. Visit their website for many more.

The Campbell County Health Mission Statement is: Serving our community by providing a lifetime of care with dedication, skill and compassion.

The Campbell County Vision is: Campbell County Health will be the first choice for healthcare and wellness in Wyoming by providing Excellence Every Day.

Tracy W. Bush

CCMF Vice President