Members present: Amy Falcon, Dawn Trent, Juan Baez, Debbie Snapp and Larissa Craig.
 
Members present by phone: Meeting conducted through Google Meet.
 
Call to order and approve agenda: Amy Falcon.
 
Review and Approval of Minutes: The August 2020 minutes were distributed and approved.   
 
Fiscal agent Financial Report: The financial report was not available and will be reviewed at the October 2020 meeting.  
 
Agenda Item 1: Public Awareness: Amy led a discussion about the advertising contracts that have been renewed this fiscal year. Those include the B&B Movie Theater in Dodge City as well as the YMCA in both Dodge City and Garden City. These were put on hold during Covid. The YMCAs have reopened and the movie theater is getting ready to reopen.    
 
Agenda Item 2: Membership: There are no new members at this time. Amy had recruitment packets available for task force members to take with them.
 
Agenda Item 3: Education: Juan reported that there was a survey sent out regarding the National Problem Gambling Conference. They are going to make a decision this month on whether to continue with the in person conference or make it virtual.   
 
Agenda Item 4: Data Collection: Amy reported that the paper community surveys will be delivered to Shannon sometime next week so he can make his final analysis.
 
Agenda Item 5: KDADS update: Juan reported the following from KDADS:

• Responsible Gaming Education Week is next week. The theme is “have a game plan”. There are materials on the American Gaming website. The casino will also be displaying information.
• The South Central Kansas Task Force is having a mini conference on September 24-25, 2020. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
• If the task force wants to have some sort of workshop/conference, the process of using an online platform is still being worked on and that the coordination and details need to go through Carol.

 
Old Business: See public awareness section for old business.  
 
New Business: 2021 Grant Deliverables: The new deliverables were received by Amy.
 
Next Meeting Reminder: October 8, 2020
 
Time of Adjournment: 2:30 p.m.

​PROBLEM GAMBLING TASK FORCE MEETING MINUTES
August 13, 2020
 
 
Members present: Amy Falcon, Dawn Trent, Amanda Boles, Shannon Dick, Juan Baez and Christa Roy.
 
Members present by phone: Meeting conducted through Google Meet.
 
Call to order and approve agenda: Amy Falcon.
 
Review and Approval of Minutes: The June 2020 minutes were distributed and approved.   
 
Fiscal agent Financial Report: The financial report was not available and will be reviewed at the September 2020 meeting.  
 
Agenda Item 1: Public Awareness: Amy led a discussion about the giveaway items that have been ordered and received. The notepads and antimicrobial pens have been received but the spray hand sanitizers and smaller sticky notepads won’t be available until November. Amy led a discussion regarding renewing the advertising with the movie theaters and the YMCA. The task force agreed to move forwards with renewing those accounts since the YMCA has re-opened in both Dodge City and Garden City. Shannon reported that the theater in Dodge City was getting ready to reopen and the theater in Garden City has already reopened.    
 
Agenda Item 2: Membership: There are no new members at this time. Amy had recruitment packets available for task force members to take with them.
 
Agenda Item 3: Education: Amy led a discussion regarding the National Problem Gambling Conference and reported that Debbie Snapp attended one day and Amy Falcon attended a different day. There will be an in person conference in Washington D.C. from November 4-6, 2020 as long as it is safe to do so regarding the Covid 19 situation.  
 
Agenda Item 4: Data Collection: Shannon Dick led a discussion regarding his analysis of the data collected through the community surveys. He discovered some significant findings, which he explained during his presentation. He would like to confirm some information prior to concluding his analysis. It was agreed that the information will be very beneficial in guiding goal setting for the task force.    
 
Agenda Item 5: KDADS update: Juan reported the following from KDADS:
*The Kansas Prevention Collaborative has lots of trainings available. These are not mandated but are available, free of charge, for the task forces.
*The National conference on problem gambling is questionable at this time due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
*The Kansas Prevention Conference will be held virtually from October 14-16, 2020. Juan will be presenting at this conference.
*There is a Kansas Opioid Conference November 11-12, 2020
*Responsible gaming education week is the week of September 13-19, 2020. The theme this year is, “Have a game plan – bet responsibly”. There will be materials available to promote this.
*Recordings of the NCPG virtual symposium will be available to those who were registered through August 28, 2020.
*The task force’s initial payments should be coming soon if they have not arrived already.
*There have been increases in calls to the helpline.
*Since Covid 19, there has been a 40% increase in time spent online, which might indicate the task force look at more ways to advertise online.
 
Old Business: See public awareness section for old business.  
 
New Business: 2020 Grant Deliverables: The new grant year began July 1, 2020. Amy and Debbie will continue to work on grant deliverables.   
 
Next Meeting Reminder: September 10, 2020
 
Time of Adjournment: 2:30 p.m.
 

Members present: Amy Falcon, Richard Falcon, Larissa Craig, Dawn Trent, Amanda Boles and Christa Roy.
 
Members present by phone: Meeting conducted through Google Meet.
 
Call to order and approve agenda: Amy Falcon.
 
Review and Approval of Minutes: The May 2020 minutes were distributed and approved.   
 
Fiscal agent Financial Report: Amy reviewed the financial report.  
 
Agenda Item 1: Public Awareness: Amy led a discussion about the give away items to be ordered. The only decision left was the color of the item. The task force did not have a preference on the color of the pens. Amy will place the order with EmbroidMe. Amy will have all of the advertising renewed by the end of the month.   
 
Agenda Item 2: Membership: There are no new members at this time. Amy had recruitment packets available for task force members to take with them.
 
Agenda Item 3: Education: The National Problem Gambling Conference will be divided into two separate formats. The first is a digital symposium from July 20-23, 2020. Amy and Debbie are each attending one day of the symposium. There will be an in person conference in Washington D.C. from November 4-6, 2020 as long as it is safe to do so regarding the Covid 19 situation.  
 
Agenda Item 4: Data Collection: Shannon Dick is in the process of analyzing the community survey data.   
 
Agenda Item 5: KDADS update: There was no update from KDADS as Juan was unable to attend this month’s meeting.
 
Old Business: See public awareness section for old business.  
 
New Business: 2020 Grant Deliverables: Amy continues to work on completing the grant deliverables to close out this fiscal year.  
 
The task force members provided updates regarding their agencies. Richard Falcon with Compass Behavioral Health reported they are very busy with crisis calls. There has been one suicide in Ford County this year. If it continues this way until December, it will be the lowest number of suicides in a year since 2012. They are expecting a second wave of crisis calls in October-November. They will open their doors for in person appointments on July 1, 2020.
 
Dawn Trent with Boothill Casino and Resort reported they are using thermal imaging and masks when a distance of six feet isn’t possible. They have been consistently busy. The café moved to the restaurant area and is open from 11:00-3:00 pm and the restaurant is open from 5:00-10:00 pm with a smaller menu.
 
Christa Roy at Western Kansas Broadcasting is working from the office. She reported that people are trying to get opened back up. There is a Spanish dance scheduled for July 2020.
 
Amanda Boles at SWKAAA reported that they are seeing people by appointment only.
 
Amy Falcon at Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas reported that they are seeing people by appointment only. The Behavioral Health department is conducting appointments primarily through telehealth with a few in person. They continue to process applications for people in need due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
 
 
Next Meeting Reminder: August 13, 2020 (there will be no July meeting)
 
Time of Adjournment: 2:30 p.m.

Members present: Amy Falcon, Debbie Snapp, Juan Baez, Christa Roy, Larissa Craig, Ethel Schneweis, Dawn Trent, Amanda Boles, Richard Falcon, Shannon Dick and Abbey Martin.
 
Members present by phone: This was a “Google meet” meeting.
 
Call to order and approve agenda: Amy Falcon.
 
Review and Approval of Minutes: The April 2020 minutes were distributed.     
 
Fiscal agent Financial Report: Amy and Debbie reviewed the financial report. Juan will send the form to reallocate money to Debbie, Melissa and Amy.
 
Agenda Item 1: Public Awareness: Amy led a discussion about give-away items that need to be purchased. The task force would like to see examples of 6 x 4 notepads and sticky notes. It was agreed that we will order the spray hand sanitizers and pens. Amy will send examples of the notepads and sticky notes to the task force through email so a final decision can be made.  
 
Agenda Item 2: Membership: There were no new members at the meeting. Amy had recruitment packets available for task force members to take with them.  
 
Agenda Item 3: Education: NA.
 
Agenda Item 4: Data Collection: Shannon reported that he does not have the spreadsheet with the data for the community surveys. Debbie will make sure he gets that.
 
Agenda Item 5: KDADS update: Juan Baez with KDADS gave the following report:
*Task force contracts are in the approval process, which is about a month ahead of usual. He requested the action plan be updated and sent to him.
*He reminded the task force to submit the fiscal report by the 10th of e ach month and the supporting documents in July.
*He reminded the task force to spend their money down by June 30, 2020.
*He reported that the task force can spend an extra 1000-1500.00 on giveaways this year.
*There are problem gambling trainings and educational webinars available.
*The Midwest conference is cancelled for this year and will be held beginning 6-16-21.
*The National conference is online in July and then in person in November in Washington DC.
*There has been a decrease in calls to the helpline and those in treatment.  
 
Old Business: See public awareness section for old business. 
 
New Business: 2020 Grant Deliverables: Work continues to be done related to the grant deliverables. Amy will send the updated action plan to Juan.
 
Agency reports regarding continued operations during pandemic:
Larissa reported that the casino has a tentative opening date of 5-18-20. There will be no table games at this time and the employees will wear masks and have their temperatures checked. People playing the slots will be required to be six feet apart. Firesides restaurant will open, and the customers will be seated six feet apart as well.
 
Shannon reported about the work he is doing with the southwest Kansas Covid 19 resource group. They are sewing masks and using 3D printers to make items needed for healthcare workers in southwest Kansas.
 
Amy and Debbie talked about Catholic Charities helpline/email and the Covid 19 resource page, which Amy will send out to the task force through email.
 
Richard reported that Compass Behavioral Health has seen a rise in crisis calls and more domestic abuse. He has been communicating with the state about the yellow ribbon program. He reported there has been an 80% increase of gun sales in Kansas this year; 70% Feb-Mar. The concern is that most suicides are completed with guns. Compass does not have a reopen date at this time. The therapists have continued to have regular numbers of appointments, but Richard’s department has seen a decrease in children’s visits.
 
Debbie reported about the crisis counseling money from CARES and she will send that information to Richard and Vicki Broz.
 
Ethel reported that the Ford County Extension office is open, but the public has to call from the main floor in order to be seen. She is working partially from home and partially from the office. They are restricted until at last July 4, 2020 by Kansas State University.
 
Next Meeting Reminder: June 11, 2020
 
Time of Adjournment: 2:30 p.m.

Members present: Amy Falcon, Debbie Snapp, Juan Baez, Christa Roy, Larissa Craig, Ethel Schneweis, Dawn Trent and Abbey Martin.
 
Members present by phone: This was a Zoom meeting.
 
Call to order and approve agenda: Amy Falcon.
 
Review and Approval of Minutes: The March 2020 minutes were distributed.     
 
Fiscal agent Financial Report: Debbie reviewed the financial report. 
 
Agenda Item 1: Public Awareness: Amy reported that the conference scheduled for April 6, 2020, has been cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The United Wireless Conference center is refunding our deposit.  Juan reported that the task force may be able to increase the spending for give aways to 3,000.00. He asked that the items ordered be items that can be used more than once such as hand sanitizer or face coverings. Juan showed the task force an example of a face covering he received. Amy will research these items and the cost. A vote can be made by email.
 
Agenda Item 2: Membership: There were no new members at the meeting. Amy had recruitment packets available for task force members to take with them.  
 
Agenda Item 3: Education: NA.
 
Agenda Item 4: Data Collection: Amy has been in contact with Shannon Dick regarding the analysis of the survey.  
 
Agenda Item 5: KDADS update: Juan Baez with KDADS gave the following report:
*The state was on administrative leave the last couple of weeks and are now working from home; travel is not allowed at this time.
*The contracts are still in force and fiscal support is still running.
*Reminded the task force to submit fiscal report.
*Problem gambling treatment is still being paid for and telehealth use has been expanded.
*Reminded task force that funds need to be spent.
*The Midwest Conference may be cancelled this year due to Covid 19.
*There may be a possibility that the task force can use some of their funding next year.
*A task force meeting is being planned soon.
*Sports betting is not essential so it will be pushed to the next year.
*Task force money for next year is available.
 
Old Business: See public awareness section for old business. 
 
New Business: 2020 Grant Deliverables: Work continues to be done related to the grant deliverables.  Debbie asked Juan about the numbers from the helpline since the Kansas Coalition call was cancelled. There was also a question about how many providers have transitioned to telehealth. Juan will inquire about these items and let the task force know.
 
Agency reports regarding continued operations during pandemic:
The Boothill Casino is completely closed, and employees continued to be paid. Only very limited essential staff are there. They do not know when they will be opening again.
 
The Ford Count Extension office has cancelled all camps and are not having any one on one meetings or volunteers until July 4, 2020.
 
Southwind Broadcasting: The DJ’s are working from home except for the morning show and the Spanish station. The sales people have been working from home since a week before the stay at home order. Some businesses are thriving and some are not doing well.
 
 
Next Meeting Reminder: May 14, 2020
 
Time of Adjournment: 2:30 p.m.

As of Wednesday, 3/18, 2020, Gamblers Anonymous will have an accommodation for all Gamblers Anonymous members who have been told that their regular meeting facilities have been closed due to the current health emergency.

The Board of Trustees Telephone Conference Call Committee has been operating a weekly Telephone Conference Call meeting for the last 6 years. With the approval of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the committee has volunteered to hold daily meetings. Accordingly, there will be a telephone conference call meeting every day of the week at 9:00 PM New York Time, which is GMT -4, lasting for 2 hours. These will meetings are designated as approved Gamblers Anonymous meetings. These meetings are scheduled to continue for a 2-week period, but may be extended additional weeks, if required.

Below are the details to call in for all the meetings.

The telephone conference call platform we are using has local access telephone numbers for 74 different countries. If you are going to call from a foreign country, please use the appropriate email address to request the local calling numbers.

Members present: Amy Falcon, Debbie Snapp, Larissa Craig, Ethel Schneweis, Dawn Trent and Amanda Boles.
 
Members present by phone: None.
 
Call to order and approve agenda: Amy Falcon.
 
Review and Approval of Minutes: The January and February 2020 minutes were distributed.     
 
Fiscal agent Financial Report: Debbie reviewed the financial report. 
 
Agenda Item 1: Public Awareness: Amy led a discussion about the conference that will be held for Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Amy is working on the objectives for the CEUs. Marketing for the conference has begun. KWCH will be running ads as well. Helpers are needed for the following duties regarding the conference: sign in/hand out packets; possible set up and tear down; directing people/questions; and handing out CEUs at the end. We will look at the registration list to see who may be available to help. We will also have the community surveys available for people to complete. Amy will ask Juan to check with Dan Trolaro about his ability/willingness to come to Dodge City due to the COVID 19 pandemic that is taking place, especially in his area of the country.
 
Other activities ongoing for Problem Gambling Awareness month include social media posts, radio ads and the new ads on KWCH.
 
Agenda Item 2: Membership: There was one new member at the meeting, Amanda Boles with Southwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging. She is replacing Rick Schaffer at the task force meetings. Amy had recruitment packets available for task force members to take with them. Amy gave a packet to Amanda to orient her to the task force.
 
Agenda Item 3: Education: NA.
 
Agenda Item 4: Data Collection: Most of the data from the community surveys has been entered into the spreadsheet. Amy will check with Shannon Dick on the next steps.
 
Agenda Item 5: KDADS update: An update from KDADS was not available for this meeting.   
 
Old Business: See public awareness section for old business. 
 
New Business: 2020 Grant Deliverables: Work continues to be done related to the grant deliverables.  
 
Next Meeting Reminder: April 9, 2020
 
Time of Adjournment: 2:30 p.m.

The Dis-EASE of Disordered Gambling: Pain, Fear & Vulnerability
​
[Dodge City, Kansas] - Daniel J Trolaro, Assistant Executive Director of the Council of Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey will present a professional workshop and community event entitled “The Dis-Ease of Disordered Gambling: Pain, Fear & Vulnerability” at the United Wireless Center in Dodge City on April 6th. CEUs are available for those attending the professional workshop from 1 to 4 pm; anyone may attend the community event from 7 to 8 pm. Click here to RSVP for both events  or call 620-227-1562 by March 13th.

Using elements from his own life and journey, Trolaro will examine the '"DIS"ease' of gambling addiction as well as the importance of community and connection in the recovery process. "For those who struggle with problem and disordered gambling," Trolaro explains, "their drug of choice is a process—-rather than a substance—-which serves as a solution to a deeper problem that includes varying degrees of pain including physical, psychological, emotional, and for most financial. Pain resulting from trauma, PTSD, abuse, adverse childhood experiences and neglect that goes unresolved will continue to manifest itself in the downward spiral of gambling addiction." A comprehensive, holistic approach that treats the whole person from deep within can lead to a sustained and meaningful long-term recovery.

The workshop and community event are being hosted by the Southwest Kansas Problem Gambling Taskforce as part of this year's Problem Gambling Awareness Month campaign that is being held throughout the month of March. The campaign theme “Awareness + Action” is all about taking action and having conversations about problem gambling issues and directing people to the help they may need. Approximately 2 million U.S. adults (1% of the population) are estimated to meet criteria for gambling disorder. Another 4-6 million (2-3%) are considered to meet criteria for problem gambling. And yet for many residents of the US, gambling remains a hidden addiction.

Using the tagline #AwarenessPlusAction, Problem Gambling Awareness Month (#PGAM) is designed to help raise awareness of the prevention, treatment and recovery services available for those adversely affected by gambling. This grassroots campaign brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including public health organizations, treatment providers, advocacy groups and gambling operators. They work collaboratively to let people know that hope and help exist.

About Daniel J Trolaro
Daniel Trolaro graduated from The College of New Jersey with a BS in Finance and a concentration in Economics. He also holds his MS in Psychology from California Coast University. Dan has spoken at dozens of events around the country about internet and mobile device gambling as well as emerging trends in sports gambling Whether speaking on prevention strategies, treatment resources, responsible gaming or recovery resources, Dan discusses the concept of gambling, addiction switching, co-occurrence, and behaviors associated with this devastating addiction.

About the Southwest Kansas Problem Gambling Taskforce
Founded in 2008, the mission of the Southwest Kansas Problem Gambling Task Force is to raise awareness and provide education to individuals, families, and communities to reduce the harmful effects of problem gambling. The Task Force is neither for nor against gambling but concentrates on efforts to help those affected by problem gambling through public awareness, prevention, and education programs and ensuring resources are available to problem gamblers and their families.

For more information, contact Amy Falcon at 620-227-1590, or by email at afalcon@CatholicCharitiesSWKS.org

​Members present: Amy Falcon, Debbie Snapp, Larissa Craig, Juan Baez and Ethel Schneweis.  
 
Members present by phone: None.
 
Call to order and approve agenda: Amy Falcon. 
 
Review and Approval of Minutes: Amy passed out the minutes for September 2019 and they were approved.  
 
Fiscal agent Financial Report: The new budget has not been completed yet therefore the financial reports were not available today.  
 
Agenda Item 1: Public Awareness: Amy led a discussion about holding a conference in March, which is Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Juan reported that he talked to Dan Trolaro and he has agreed to speak at our event on Monday, March 30, 2020. He will do a 3 hour professional workshop in the afternoon and a 1 hour community presentation in the evening. He lowered his cost to 1500.00 plus expenses. Amy and Juan are working on a budget for the conference. There was a discussion about where to hold the conference. The task force agreed that the United Wireless Conference Center would be the best choice. Amy will talk with Christa Roy about obtaining sponsorships for the conference. Debbie suggested that we set up an online registration process in order to know how many attendees to expect. We will also be able to provide CEUs to those who need them.  
 
Amy reported that the school district responded to the request to send the fliers home with students. Since they have a large number of requests, they would like to add the flier to their online resources for parents. They also shared the Flier distribution policy. 
 
Debbie will talk with Sacred Heart Cathedral School about sending the fliers home with students. 
 
Agenda Item 2: Membership: There are no new members at this time. Amy had recruitment packets available for task force members to take with them. 
 
Agenda Item 3: Education: NA.
 
Agenda Item 4: Data Collection: Amy led a discussion about the community surveys. There have been 413 completed at this time, with 58 of those being done online. 
Amy will talk with Shannon to find out if we have reached our targets or if we need to reach out to more people. 
 
Agenda Item 5: KDADS update: The following was reported by Juan Baez: Once the budget is completed, we will get the new reporting form; they have created and distributed a new action plan form, which is due on November 1, 2019; the southeast task force has an event scheduled for 3-16-20; DCCCA is creating information around gaming for youth, young adults and parents; everyone needs to be entering data into the Community Check Box as well as completing the progress reports; the south central task force presented at the Prevention Conference along with Juan; Juan reached out to Liberal to share the community survey; Joy sent the community survey links to the Pratt Coalition and the Meade Coalition; Stephanie and Joann, providers in Wichita, will be providing some training to Beacon; we need to update our providers on the flier as Peggy Cecil is no longer at new Chance and there is a new provider in Liberal, we also need to add that Brenda Alarcon is bilingual.  
 
Old Business: See public awareness section for old business.  
 
New Business: 2020 Grant Deliverables: Amy is working on completing the new action plan that is due to KDADS on November 1, 2019. Debbie is working on completing the budget. Amy reported that there were 108 people reached on the Facebook page and it had 53 engagements this week. 
 
Amy provided the new helpline report completed by Shannon Dick and Debbie led a discussion about the data, which continues to show the high numbers of calls in Ford county. 
 
Next Meeting Reminder: November 14, 2019 
 
Time of Adjournment: 2:30 p.m. 

Members present: Amy Falcon, Debbie Snapp, Christa Roy, Larissa Craig, Cindy Jacobs and Abbey Martin.  
 
Members present by phone: None.
 
Call to order and approve agenda: Amy Falcon. 
 
Review and Approval of Minutes: Amy passed out the minutes for August 2019 and they were approved.  
 
Fiscal agent Financial Report: The new budget has not been completed yet therefore the July and August reports are not available.  
 
Agenda Item 1: Public Awareness: Amy led a discussion about holding a conference in March, which is Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The task force would like to move forward with this. Amy will ask Juan to contact the potential speakers identified by the task force, in order to inquire about their costs and dates available. Christa suggested getting sponsorships from businesses to help with the costs associated with the event as well as working with the Chamber and Economic Development. Abbey will talk with the Young Professionals group about the possibility of their participation as well. Cindy asked if this can be a regular line item in our budget each year. The task force agreed that this is something that can be listed as an awareness event as a line item. 
 
Amy had fliers available for the task force members to take with them. Abbey took some to post in the city offices. Amy will contact with school to inquire about sending the fliers home with the students. Amy will send an electronic copy to Abbey to put in the community newsletter. 
 
Larissa reported that the Golden Mesa Casino opened last month in Guymon, OK. 
 
Agenda Item 2: Membership: There are no new members at this time. Amy had recruitment packets available for task force members to take with them. 
 
Agenda Item 3: Education: NA.
 
Agenda Item 4: Data Collection: Amy led a discussion about the community surveys. There have been 252 completed at this time. Amy received the Survey Monkey links in both English and Spanish from Shannon and will send those out this week. Amy and another staff member from Catholic Charities are going to have a booth at the Latina Outreach and Leadership Conference on October 5, 2019, where surveys will be collected. 
 
Agenda Item 5: KDADS update: This update was not available. 
 
Old Business: No old business. 
 
New Business: 2020 Grant Deliverables: Amy led a discussion about the annual meeting with KDADS, the other task forces and the coalition, held in Wichita, KS on August 30, 2019. Debbie discussed the new format for financial reporting that will be more user friendly. Amy also discussed the action plan that is due to KDADS November 1, 2019. She is in the process of updating the strategies and will have this available at the October meeting for approval by the task force. The budget packet is due to KDADS by October 9, 2019. 
 
Debbie has sent the final helpline numbers to Shannon for his analysis. Once this is completed, it will be available to the task force. 
 
Next Meeting Reminder: October 10, 2019 
 
Time of Adjournment: 2:30 p.m.