Latest news with #Koehn
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
CareSource announces John Koehn as Massachusetts market president following its recent affiliation with Commonwealth Care Alliance
John Koehn DAYTON, Ohio and BOSTON, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CareSource, a nationally recognized nonprofit managed care organization, announced the appointment of John Koehn as the Massachusetts market president, effective today. This announcement follows CareSource's recent affiliation with Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA), a nonprofit organization committed to providing innovative health plans and care delivery programs for individuals with significant health needs. Koehn brings extensive and proven health care experience in integrated Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) to his role at CCA. His prior experience includes serving as market president for AmeriHealth Caritas's LTSS program in Pennsylvania, where, under his leadership, the organization saw its first profitable year which enabled reinvestments in members and communities. Additionally, as health plan president at Amerigroup New Jersey, Koehn implemented strategies that helped the organization achieve the highest quality scores in the state. Most recently, he served as senior vice president of external affairs at InnovAge, where he led government relations efforts at both state and federal levels. "John's health care and leadership expertise are exactly what we need to ensure residents of Massachusetts with complex health needs continue to have access to person-centered, high-quality health care," said Erhardt Preitauer, CEO of CareSource. "His commitment to operational excellence and the member and caregiver experience will help to ensure CCA's long-term sustainability and strong commitment to our members, patients and the Commonwealth.' CareSource, through its affiliation with CCA, serves nearly 50,000 Massachusetts residents, many of whom face significant health challenges and social barriers. The organization also provides specialized primary care and innovative clinical programs, including a respite care unit for individuals experiencing acute behavioral health crises. In his new role, Koehn will work closely with CareSource leadership and the executive team of CCA to ensure a seamless integration of services and operations to bolster the services and supports available to individuals with complex health needs in Massachusetts. "Joining CareSource at this pivotal time is an honor," said Koehn. "I look forward to working alongside our talented CCA team to strengthen partnerships and ensure that everyone in Massachusetts has access to coordinated care that can genuinely enhance their quality of life.' Koehn holds a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Connecticut. He will be based in Massachusetts as he steps into his new role. About CareSourceCareSource is a nonprofit, nationally recognized managed care organization with over two million members. CareSource administers one of the largest Medicaid managed care plans in the U.S. The organization offers health insurance, including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicare products. As a mission-driven organization, CareSource is transforming health care with innovative programs that address the social determinants of health, prevention and access to care. For more information, visit us at or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. About Commonwealth Care Alliance Commonwealth Care Alliance® (CCA) is a mission-driven healthcare services organization that offers innovative health plans and care delivery programs designed for individuals with the most significant needs. Through our flagship Senior Care Options (SCO) and One Care plans in Massachusetts, CCA delivers comprehensive, integrated, and person-centered care by coordinating the services of local staff, provider partners, and community-based organizations to meet the unique needs of each individual we serve. Attachment John Koehn CONTACT: Vicki McDonald CareSource 216.502.6395 Sarah Magazine Commonwealth Care Alliance 617.470.6755 mediainquiries@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Adapt or die': Western Kansas farmers consider alternative crops to save water
In dry western Kansas, the sound of artificial rain spraying from center pivot irrigation sprinklers fills the spaces between the small towns. Irrigation has turned this region into a productive agricultural powerhouse, churning out millions of bushels of grain. Heath Koehn farms with his dad near Montezuma over the Ogallala aquifer that supplies farmers with irrigation and communities with drinking water. He knows that changes are coming to the way they farm. 'Changes are going to have to be made with that aquifer. It's like adapt or die,' Koehn said. A lot of farmers in the area feel the same way. The underground water supply that used to be plentiful is running dry fast. Some areas might only have a couple of decades left at current pumping rates. In order to maintain life in western Kansas, farmers are contemplating pivoting to crops that use less water. Koehn decided for the first time to grow something he's never grown before: canola. He grew this instead of wheat due to wheat prices being so low. 'I've got some limited irrigation. I wanted to diversify and not just have all my eggs in one basket,' Koehn said. That change might sound minor, but it's a herculean task. The major systems that make up the complicated agriculture web are all built around irrigated commodity crops like corn, wheat and soybeans. Growing anything else is rare because it comes with more risk and no guaranteed crop insurance or local buyers. Koehn's farm is an example of southwest Kansas farmers looking to the future and trying new crops to save water and prepare for western Kansas to become more parched. The main problem lies within the crops that farmers grow. Traditional crops like corn and soybeans require a lot of water. The Kansas Geological Survey, which monitors the underground water in the state, estimates that 70% of the aquifer will be gone in 50 years. Statewide, the amount of water pumped from underground and sprayed onto crops averages out to more than 2 billion gallons per day. But Kansas State University has studied different crops that require less water and could be viable options in western Kansas. Logan Simon, agronomist for K-State Research and Extension, said the western Kansas environment requires greater creativity from those in agriculture. 'All of the crops that we're looking at here are going to be providing some sort of benefit in the form of a reduction in the water required,' Simon said. Earlier this year, Simon hosted alternative-crop schools around western Kansas, offering information on what options farmers have. The standout choices are canola, cotton, camelina and cowpeas, which include black-eyed peas. These crops not only require less water, but they can be harvested with equipment farmers already have and fit the same uses. Almost all commodities grown in western Kansas are for cattle feed or biofuels. 'The idea is not necessarily to replace all of these things, but provide alternatives to just build a more robust system,' Simon said. A canola crushing plant opened last year in northwest Kansas giving a new market to farmers. Canola compared to a crop like corn needs about 40% less water. Not only does this save dwindling water supplies but it diversifies how farmers make their money. Instead of just one industry like livestock feed, a farmer can sell their products to multiple industries. The crops can be used for human consumption, biofuels or making textiles. Alternative crops sound like they can solve all the water problems on the frontier. But so far, farmers aren't giving up their acres of corn and wheat for peas and canola. That's because farming at the end of the day is a business. Farmers need to plant what will turn a profit. 'Imagine that you just couldn't make a salary this year,' ag economist for Iowa State University Chad Hart said. In the current agricultural system, commodity crops like corn and soybeans are the most economically efficient, despite their water inefficiencies. Farmers really don't have much of a choice if they want to make money. 'You have to be willing to accept more risk to establish that alternative crop, because there aren't these built in mechanisms that we usually have,' Hart said. The agriculture system is built to avoid risk. Crop insurance, government subsidies and bank loans are all built around corn and other traditional commodity crops, not the possible alternatives. Southwest Kansas is one of the most profitable regions in the state because of irrigated agriculture from the aquifer. Corn profits can range to $160 per acre, while canola in a good year can hit $150 per acre. But corn has a stable market and is heavily supported by crop insurance. With a crop like corn, a farmer in southwest Kansas might lose more water, but at least they can guarantee some income if there's a drought or hailstorm. And they know that the local feedlots, grain elevators and ethanol plants will gladly buy their corn. The same cannot be said for a cowpeas or canola. 'Just because you grow it doesn't mean you'll have customers,' Hart said. 'Farmers have to spend more time thinking about how to market that crop.' And local communities do not want to stop irrigating altogether. Irrigation brings in more money to farms, and to all the things the farm touches. The local grain elevators, the feedlots, the truck drivers and the meatpacking plants. Congress first authorized federal crop insurance in the 1930s to help agriculture recover from the Dust Bowl. It started as a way to compensate farmers if a natural disaster struck and ruined their crop yields, which farmers still need today. But it also makes it harder for farmers to practice water-efficient farming. For example, if for whatever reason an irrigated crop fails, farmers aren't allowed to stop irrigating the failed crop because they need to prove they weren't at fault for the crop failure. These 'Good farming practices' are standards that guide crop insurance payments. And crop insurance and subsidies are no small thing. In 2025, government payments are projected to make up 23% of the total net farm income, a significant increase from 8-9% annually between 2022 and 2024. According to Iowa State Research Extension, approximately 90% of acres growing corn and soybeans were insured using federal Revenue Protection programs. Not only does this protect the farm's physical crops, but also all but guarantees a farmer will be paid even if the price for these commodities dip. In 2024, the U.S. paid farmers over $2 billion to grow corn through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program. But farmers don't want to only depend on crop insurance, they want to grow successful crops. Alex Millershaski, a farmer in Gray County, has seen a massive change over the years when it comes to how much water his land can produce. 'We used to have twenty-something wells on the farm, and we're only pumping four now,' Millershaski said. Millershaski is still skeptical of growing alternative crops, but having less water available is making him consider trying something different. He has seen some neighbors try canola and cotton. And he thinks next year he will give canola a try in place of his usual wheat crop. Canola doubled in acres planted last year in Kansas to 3,000. And while cotton is expected to see a decline across the U.S., Kansas is expected to see almost a 13% increase. Processors in western Kansas, like 21st Century Bean, make cowpeas more viable. They buy and process wholesale beans for human consumption. All those factors make Millershaski open to look at the options. 'Do you want to try something different? And it's sometimes just that simple,' Millershaski said. Calen Moore covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can email him at cmoore@ . This story was originally published by KMUW.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Drivers asked to take precautions in road work zones
Apr. 2—OTHELLO — Washington Department of Transportation officials are asking Washingtonians and visitors to exercise extra caution and follow traffic laws in work zones. Mike Koehn, Washington Department of Transportation supervisor for the Moses Lake and Othello maintenance crews, said he was reminded of that recently when he went out to a work zone on Interstate 90. "You forget how fast people just still go right by you," he said. "The crew just (said), 'Whatever.' And I (said), 'You saw how close that car was, right?' And they (said), 'If we stopped work every time somebody got close to the cone, we wouldn't be working,'" April is "work zone awareness month" for WSDOT, and Koehn was one of the Department of Transportation employees who got together at the Othello maintenance facility Tuesday to talk about the rules of the road in a work zone. The Othello crew is responsible for State Route 26 from the Vantage Bridge to the junction with U.S. Highway 395, and State Route 24 from Othello to the Vernita Bridge. The crews also maintain State Route 17 from Connell to West Providence Road, south of Moses Lake. Work zone crashes are more frequent i places with more traffic, but there were 14 in Grant County in 2024. There was one in Adams County. From what the road crews see, people do need to slow down in a work zone. Omar Valdez, who has eight years on the crew, had some additional advice. "Put your phone down. It's incredible how many people you see go through our work zone not even looking at us and they're looking at their phone," Valdez said. Washington State Patrol trooper Daniel Mosqueda asked for the crew's estimate of the scope of the problem. "One in every 10 cars, you think? Or more?" Mosqueda asked. Valdez said he felt it was easily more than one in 10 vehicles. Because drivers aren't always paying attention, the road crews have to. "We always have someone that's out there on watch," Valdez said. "We're communicating, but we know that when we're out there, we have to be (watching). Everyone knows that when you're out there working in a work zone, you have to have your head on a swivel." On a few occasions people have driven through the work zone, Valdez said. That happened to Chris Keifenheim, the North Central regional administrator, and he'll never forget it. He was the project inspector on a job on State Route 28 near Ephrata, a job that required closing one lane. The driver, who was trying to avoid law enforcement, ignored the barriers. "He got into our work zone, on the side that was closed, and went flying — they estimated 70 or 80 miles an hour — through the work zone, missed me by five or 10 feet," Keifenheim said. "Didn't hit anyone, fortunately, but it was a close call for a lot of people." The crews are always talking with each other, Koehn said, keeping everybody informed of what's coming. There are also daily safety briefings, going back over the conditions, looking at what worked and what needs to be improved. The road crews work to fit their schedule to the traffic conditions, Valdez said. "A lot of us are real familiar with the areas that we work with, and we know when the high traffic is, so sometimes we take our time in the morning to let traffic go through. If it's a holiday or something and we're out there working, or during school times, we usually wait until all the traffic is gone," he said. Grant and Adams counties are growing, and traffic has increased as a result. "Especially during harvest season. We're out there working during harvest, and the traffic is non-stop," Valdez said. "You go to stop traffic for two minutes, and you got a line a mile or two miles long." Drivers should slow down, of course, but there are other rules of the road to follow. There are warning signs posted well before the work zone and drivers should heed the warning to slow down, Koehn said. Eduardo Baltazar, who's part of the road crew, said not all drivers understand the English signs, but that an orange sign should be a signal to slow down regardless. PJ Suarez, who's also on the road crew, said the goal is simple. "At the end of the day, we want everybody to go home," he said.
