Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 24, we interview Becca Graves, executive director at Perigee Fund. The Perigee Fund is a philanthropy that focuses on increasing support for families impacted by trauma. It invests in systems change to ensure that during pregnancy and early childhood, more families receive healing programs, services and resources that protect and nurture their unfolding relationships.
In this episode, Becca discusses her economic mindset and a twist of fate that led to her working in philanthropy.
She discusses how in a previous role she was part of many conversations where people discussed the long-term impact of childhood trauma on adults or how to support high school students who had experienced early trauma.
“I was always in the room thinking, why are we not doing something earlier?” Becca said.
“Mental health begins before birth, and the well-being of parents as they expect a child is incredibly important.”
– Becca Graves
Becca discusses the importance of this and how it’s critical to address mental health during pregnancy, as it’s not only important for the parents, but it’s also where mental health for a child begins.
“Mental health begins before birth, and the well-being of parents as they expect a child is incredibly important,” she said. “Maternal mental health complications during pregnancy and postpartum are incredibly common. Maternal depression is the one of the original ACEs. And, largely, maternal mental health complications are preventable and treatable.”
ACEs refers to Adverse Childhood Experience score, which is derived from a questionnaire that measures exposure to different types of adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse, neglect or household dysfunction.
“Addressing the well-being of children absolutely starts with their caregivers,” Becca said.
Perinatal mental health specialists are few and far between, she said, so she said they’ve invested in perinatal psychiatry around the country for physicians.
She also discussed Perigee’s efforts to affect policies and system change, which often centers on efforts to treat the baby and caregiver as a family unit instead of as individuals. At this stage of life, the relationship between the two is critically important.
“They should receive care that is connected,” she said. “There is a phrase in the infant mental health world that there’s no such thing as a baby on its own. It’s always a baby and a caregiver together. So, a lot of the policy innovation can be very, very specific to changing practice to serve the family as a unit.”
In this episode, she also discusses:
Her journey to working at the Perigee Fund
Perigee’s approach to mental health
How addressing the well-being of children starts with addressing the caregivers’ well-being; she mentions the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up home-visiting program, a model the Health Fund supported to determine its efficacy in Kansas
How health insurance, including the public health insurance program Medicaid, is critical for helping mothers and babies
The importance of nurturing the bond between parents and their child
The Health Fund commissioned a report by KU School of Nursing, who worked in collaboration with the Kansas Center for Rural Health, to conduct research on access to maternity care in Kansas. The report was released May 8, 2025. This story below announcing the reportoriginally appeared on KU Medical Center’s website.
Report describes the state’s maternity care desert and provides detailed information on the critical resources needed to ensure healthy mothers and babies
May 8, 2025 | Kristi Birch, KU Medical Center
Access to quality care during pregnancy and after birth, often difficult to access in rural areas, is critical to the health of newborn babies and their mothers.
The growing maternal-care desert in Kansas is causing more women in the state to drive long distances for care and 59% do not have local access to inpatient maternity services, according to a report released today by the University of Kansas School of Nursing.
Over the last 10 years, many rural hospitals across the country have closed or have stopped offering maternity care services altogether. This includes in Kansas, which is second only to Texas in terms of the number of counties considered rural. Rural hospitals are at an increased risk of closure due to declining occupancy rates, high fixed costs and market pressures.
“Kansas legislators, health care systems, foundations, professional organizations and educational institutions are all working hard to address the concerns of access to care and the health care workforce,” said Karen Weis, Ph.D., FAAN, dean of KU School of Nursing-Salina and lead author of the report. “Sound data is needed to support these efforts. The Access to Maternal Care in Kansas report is a first step in gathering that data in one central source.”
Access to quality perinatal care, which includes care during pregnancy and after the birth, is critical to the health of newborn babies and their mothers. Closures of hospitals and cessation of maternity services are correlated with more babies being born early, more infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units and more women dying during pregnancy or in childbirth.
The report outlines, by county and ZIP code when possible, the numbers of women of reproductive age in the area, the facilities offering prenatal care or inpatient maternity care; the availability of referral and high-risk services; and the providers accepting patients and offering prenatal or full perinatal services, nursing, anesthesia, behavioral health, lactation, and doula support services. It also provides the distances to facilities with delivery capabilities.
Karen Weis, Ph.D., FAAN, dean of KU School of Nursing-Salina
Key findings in the report, which is based on data from 2022-2024, include:
An increasing number of Kansans travel up to 60 miles for low-risk prenatal and postpartum and labor and delivery care, particularly in the central and southwest parts of the state.
Fifty-nine percent of Kansans do not have local access to inpatient maternity care.
The availability of services for women with high-risk pregnancies is extremely limited. Close to 30% of ZIP codes in Kansas are more than 100 miles away from tertiary, high-risk services.
Forty-two counties in Kansas are without any documented anesthesia providers, and most of those are on the western side of the state.
The report also found that the counties with the highest birth rates are the ones losing access to maternity care services. And rural counties had higher birth rates than urban ones: 67 versus 61 live births per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
“To me, the biggest surprise in the report are the two counties in western Kansas with the highest birth rates,” said Weis. Neither of these counties, Wallace and Grant, have a health care system offering maternity care. The distance to inpatient maternity care for those residing in each county is approximately 50 miles and 24 miles, respectively.
The report also provides information clarifying the unrecognized costs of providing maternal health care, which requires the presence of multidisciplinary teams of providers and nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The vast majority of rural hospitals are reimbursed through a Medicare-reimbursement model, which does not cover the high cost of providing maternity care.
“These data paint a stark picture of the current landscape of access to maternal health. The data also emphasize the critical importance of addressing this challenge before it gets worse, as well as recognizing that the location of services is one piece of the puzzle,” said David Jordan, MPA, president and chief executive officer of United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, which is based in Hutchinson, Kansas. “We need to figure out solutions to complete the puzzle in order to provide women, children and families across the state with better access to the services they need to thrive.”
Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 23, we interview Brenda Sharpe, president and CEO, of REACH Healthcare Foundation. REACH is a charitable organization based in Overland Park, Kansas, that focuses on improving health coverage and access to quality, affordable care for uninsured and medically underserved communities. Brenda has overseen the organization since its inception more than 20 years ago.
In this episode, she discusses the evolution of her career and what led her to working for a mission-driven organization.
“I am not sure if my career chose me, or I chose my career,” she said. “I have always had a heart for service to other people, and I’ve only ever worked in the nonprofit sector.”
At REACH, her team focuses on a six-county service area in Kansas and Missouri. They provide grants to organizations and governmental agencies to advance REACH’s mission of health equity. She highlighted their efforts to help people enroll in publicly available health programs in order to reduce the number of uninsured residents.
She also discusses REACH’s commitment to racial equity. In 2019, they launched an initiative called Centering Black Voices to learn more about how they could better serve Black-and-Brown led and/or serving organizations. She shared lessons they’ve learned and changes they’ve made to their grantmaking processes as a result of this initiative.
She also discusses in depth the importance of Medicaid, which is a public health insurance program that provides the state’s lowest-income parents, children, seniors and people with disabilities health coverage. Congress is currently considering $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid in order to help fund more than $4 trillion in tax cuts sought by the presidential administration.
The report and modeling, conducted by Manatt Health, showed the state would lose millions in the first year and billions over 10 years, as well as how thousands — including children — could lose their health insurance.
“I was so deeply alarmed when I heard about the proposed cuts that were starting to be discussed in Congress around Medicaid, as if it’s just some kind of a small, one-off program rife with abuse and fraud and doesn’t really have a lot of use in practical society, when absolutely the opposite is true,” Brenda said. “It’s such a critical program for Kansans.”
The report highlights how the cuts could hurt Kansas hospitals, which already are struggling financially and rely on Medicaid reimbursement dollars to help keep their doors open. Kansas already has more hospitals at immediate risk of closure than any other state in the nation.
She said it’s important for state and federal lawmakers to understand what damage could happen to Kansas should these cuts get approved.
“They are getting ready to vote on something that is potentially going to do tremendous harm to their constituents and to their state,” Brenda said, “and they’re going to have to decide if funding tax cuts to the extent that’s being proposed is worth it to do that on the backs of their own constituents and hospitals and the health care system and safety net that we have in the state of Kansas.”
She also discusses:
The history and mission of REACH Healthcare Foundation
The importance of access to health insurance
The impact significant cuts to Medicaid could have on Kansas
How Medicaid cuts could impact hospitals
How budgets are impacted by Medicaid cuts and what may happen if cities decide to raise or use tax dollars to keep their local hospitals open
Access to health care, including mental health care, especially in rural Kansas
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Breanda is an innovative leader improving the health of Kansans.
Listen now
Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode!
Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.
Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
He is a strong advocate for the profession and finding new ways to bring innovative therapies into the pre-hospital setting.
In this episode, he discusses the role of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. He also discusses the differences between the two and misconceptions that exist about the industry as a whole, such as that most states don’t recognize them as essential services — despite the fact the public does.
“There’s a common misconception across the majority of human beings that when they call 911, they are guaranteed to have a resource show up to their doorstep,” he said. “That’s just quite simply not the case.”
He also discussed that while many states don’t recognize EMTs and paramedics as health care providers, about 80-85% of the calls they respond to are for routine primary care — not emergency care. People often call 911 for blood pressure checks, pain from toothaches, running out of medications or wanting mental health care but not sure where to start.
In response to this, he said his ambulance district expanded to adopt a new service line to address these types of calls without transporting patients to a hospital emergency room. The new “wing” of care utilizes mobile integrated healthcare and community paramedicine to leverage the skills of EMTs, paramedics and other health care providers to provide primary care in a person’s home.
Not only can they provide certain levels of medical care, but they can also make assessments, help connect patients with appropriate resources and providers, and reduce the number of unnecessary visits to emergency departments. The goal is to ensure patients receive the “right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Justin said.
“If you have a toothache, an emergency ambulance response and transport to the emergency department is not the right care and in the right place,” he said.
This model of care is helping fill gaps in the current health care system, especially when it comes to maternal health care in rural communities. Nearly 46% of Kansas counties are defined as maternity care deserts, which means there are no obstetric providers or hospitals or birth centers that offer obstetric care.
There’s a misconception that people aren’t delivering babies in rural communities anymore, he said, but that’s not true.
“We might not have a delivering facility, we may not have a hospital with an OB department anymore, but we deliver babies all the time in our rural communities,” Justin said. “It just so happens they’re in people’s living rooms, in the back of the ambulance or on the side of the highway.”
He discusses how his mobile integrated healthcare team is helping fill the gaps in maternal health for these rural communities. There are misconceptions that mobile integrated health care and community paramedicine teams are going to take away home health and hospice jobs. Justin said that’s simply not true.
“I always come back and say ‘Nope, I get more referrals, and we work closer with them than I ever dreamed of,'” he said. “I promise you there is plenty enough work to go around. We’re not looking to take anyone’s jobs. We’re here to fill gaps.”
He also discusses:
His journey into becoming an EMT and then paramedic
The roles of EMTs and paramedics and the differences between the two
How these professions are categorized and reimbursed at the federal level
How most states do not recognize emergency medical services as an essential service, though most people assume it is and expect services to arrive upon calling 9-1-1
How mobile integrated health and community paramedicine and are helping fill gaps in care
Developing relationships with local community health centers, or Federally Qualified Health Centers, and other partners to provide the best patient care when and where it’s needed
How state and federal policies, which also impact reimbursements, are currently the largest barriers to community paramedicine and mobile integrated healthcare programs
How care changed during the pandemic, allowing paramedics to provide care at home in order to limit visits to the hospital
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Justin is an innovative leader in health care.
Listen now
Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode!
Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.
Earlier this month, Kansas was awarded a $17-million, 10-year grant to participate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model.
This model has the potential to revolutionize the way maternal health care is provided in Kansas — a necessary action at a time when more than 45% of Kansas counties qualify as maternal health care deserts. Many women must travel more than 30 minutes — and sometimes 60 minutes — to reach their nearest birthing hospital.
We applaud Gov. Laura Kelly, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the state Medicaid agency for their leadership and for successfully securing this substantial grant that will prioritize the health and wellness of Kansas mothers and families.
“It’s critical we find ways to expand access to maternal health care in Kansas,” said David Jordan, Health Fund president. “Mothers across the state — and especially in our rural communities where services are disappearing — need and deserve this. The TMaH model will provide the funding and support necessary to make substantial steps forward in addressing this issue so that Kansas can create sustainable solutions to improve the lives of mothers, babies and families.”
The TMaH model focuses on improving maternal health care for people enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The goal is to reduce disparities in access and treatment, improve birth outcomes and experiences for mothers and their newborns, and reduce overall program expenditures.
1. Access to care, infrastructure and workforce capacity This includes addressing gaps in maternal care by improving access to valuable resources like midwives, doulas and community health workers. These care team members can reduce the number of c-sections for low-risk pregnancies, shorten labor time, lower the use of pain medication during birth and lower the rates of postpartum anxiety and depression.
2. Quality improvement and safety This includes implementing quality initiatives and protocols to make childbirth safer while improving the mother and baby’s overall experience. When implemented together consistently, these protocols have been shown to improve health outcomes.
3. Whole-person care and delivery This includes working with mothers to develop a unique birth plan that will support their physical, social and mental health needs. This may even include remote monitoring of conditions like hypertension and diabetes to reduce the burden of traveling to and from a doctor’s office. It could also include connecting a mother with community organizations or a community health worker.
As part of the participation in the model, Kansas will also be required to develop and implement a health equity plan that addresses disparities among underserved populations.
These are all significant steps in the right direction, as we work to find solutions that will improve access to care for our state’s mothers.
“This was a monumental win for maternal health care in our state,” Jordan said. “Thanks to this funding, the state will be able to expand its workforce and improve the health of mothers and children. We look forward to seeing the impact this will make throughout Kansas.”
Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
Prior to joining CCF, Anne served as senior health counsel for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee leading the Medicaid, CHIP and women’s health portfolio.
During her time with the committee, she was directly involved in major health legislation that included the reauthorization of CHIP, passage of the American Rescue Plan, and multiple year-end bills advancing Medicaid and children’s health.
Anne holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and a Masters of Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Some policy experts predict President-elect Donald Trump will enact deep cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
Anne, whose work is non-partisan, said any reductions to Medicaid at the federal or state level would impact many people.
“You’re really talking about changes to people’s health care, because so many individuals across the country through different parts of their life span really rely on the program,” she said. “That’s what it’s there for — for when you need it.”
In addition to affecting people’s health care, any cuts at the federal level also would negatively impact state budgets, she said, as state and federal dollars both support the program.
“It can have really devastating consequences for state budgets when they are trying to figure out, ‘OK, we have this population, we have children, we have low-income parents, we have people with disabilities, we have seniors in nursing homes, how are we going to cover their care if that financing isn’t there from the federal government?'” she said. “It makes it incredibly difficult for the state to meet the needs of their residents.”
She also discusses:
How cuts may be structured and their potential impact to the program
What legislative actions are being discussed to enact these potential cuts
The importance of educating people — and quickly — about the role Medicaid plays in helping to keep people healthy through all stages of life
And much more! Enjoy these additional facts and resources below regarding Medicaid in Kansas, and then listen to the episode to learn even more about Anne’s expertise and the role of Medicaid in health care.
JUST ADDED! Webinar: “Access to Maternity Care in Kansas” 11-12 p.m. Thursday, June 12, 2025
The growing maternal-care desert in Kansas is causing more women in the state to drive long distances for care, with 59% not having any local access to inpatient maternity services.
The KU School of Nursing recently released a report detailing the availability of maternity care across Kansas. The report, “Access to Maternity Care in Kansas,” was produced in collaboration with the Kansas Center for Rural Health with funding from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.
Over the last 10 years, many rural hospitals across the country have closed or have stopped offering maternity care services altogether. This includes in Kansas, which is second only to Texas in terms of the number of counties considered rural. Rural hospitals are at an increased risk of closure due to declining occupancy rates, high fixed costs and market pressures.
Access to quality perinatal care, which includes care during pregnancy and after the birth, is critical to the health of newborn babies and their mothers. Closures of hospitals and cessation of maternity services are correlated with more babies being born early, more infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units and more women dying during pregnancy or in childbirth.
The report outlines, by county and ZIP code when possible, the numbers of women of reproductive age in the area, the facilities offering prenatal care or inpatient maternity care; the availability of referral and high-risk services; and the providers accepting patients and offering prenatal or full perinatal services, nursing, anesthesia, behavioral health, lactation, and doula support services. It also provides the distances to facilities with delivery capabilities.
Learn more about the findings from this report during a special webinar from 11-12 p.m. Thursday, June 12, via Zoom. Speakers will include the report’s lead author, Karen Weis, Ph.D., FAAN, dean of KU School ofNursing-Salina, followed by a panel discussion with maternal and rural health experts.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families’ child care subsidy program is one of the most important tools used to address child care affordability in the state.
However, just 12% of eligible families are participating in the program. Family participation in the program is tied to provider availability and provider participation in the program.
To gain insight as to why providers participate or not, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund partnered with Kansas State University to survey Kansas child care providers to better understand their perception and experience with DCF’s child care subsidy program.
Join this webinar to discuss key findings from this important survey, “Child Care Providers: Perception of Child Care Subsidies in Kansas.”
Leveraging the CCBHC Model to Enhance Childhood Mental Health 1-2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024
The years from birth to age five are critical for a child’s development, with rapid brain growth and increased neural connections laying the groundwork for cognitive, emotional and social skills that last into adulthood.
In Kansas, there has been progress in recognizing the importance of infant and early childhood mental health and expanding access to services for young children and their families.
However, challenges remain.
The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model presents a framework to address these gaps — emphasizing comprehensive, person-centered care through strategic partnerships, workforce development and targeted interventions.
Kansas has an opportunity to strengthen its system for delivering infant and early childhood mental health services, leveraging the model’s services and payment structure to ensure that all children and families can benefit from timely and effective support.
The Health Fund recently partnered with the Kansas Health Institute to research this opportunity. Learn more about this during our upcoming webinar, “Leveraging the CCBHC Model to Enhance Childhood Mental Health.”
Social-emotional development in young children is a critical factor related to later-life outcomes, such as school success, social interactions and mental health.
A growing body of research demonstrates that investing in science-based, short-term early interventions pays off over both the short and long term, delivering lasting results that not only change lives for the better but also produce substantial returns on that investment.
The Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) program is an evidence-based, home visiting intervention for caregivers of infants and toddlers who have experienced early adversity. It is designed to buffer the harmful effects of toxic stress and help support normal early childhood development.
To explore the effectiveness of ABC with Kansas families, the KU School of Social Welfare (supported by multiple Kansas philanthropies, including the Health Fund) worked with several early childhood and mental health organizations across the state to research this program.
Now, seven years later, the Kansas ABC Early Childhood Initiative has concluded.
This webinar discussed the promising results from Phase II of this project, which continued researching the program’s effectiveness with infants and expanded to include toddlers with their caregivers.
The registration form is now closed – thank you for your interest. Please contact David Jordan david@healthfund.org for waiting list or future events.
Stay tuned, as we will be adding additional webinars to this series! Subscribe to our emails or follow us on social media to find out the latest topics added.
Here, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders working to improve health. We bring you guests from our state, from our nation and from your backyard to tell their stories of how they broke new ground and changed the landscape of health care.
In episode eight, we interview Krista Postai and Jason Wesco, of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHK/SEK) based in Pittsburg, Kansas. Krista serves as CEO, and Jason serves as President and Chief Strategy Officer.
These two innovative leaders have worked to improve the health of individuals and communities in southeast Kansas for more than 20 years. Their work has not only addressed primary, behavioral and oral health care, but it’s also addressed the social factors that make a greater impact on health than what happens in the doctor’s office.
In this episode, they discuss how they evolved from providing services out of a trailer to now serving more than 80,000 patients this year and employing more than 1,000 with multiple sites in multiple states.
During the last five years, they said much growth has been from preserving access to health care where other health systems have left rural communities.
“We believe rural communities matter, and that means you step up and do some hard things when you need to,” Jason said. “And we believe we can improve health in our part of the world.”
Developing residency programs for family medicine doctors, dentists and nurse practioners with the intention to cultivate a new generation of health care professionals dedicated to serving rural communities
Expanding services to meet specific needs, such as mammography
Creating a new, comprehensive hospice program, Mount Carmel Hospice, after a local hospice service closed
Developing an education center and the Inspire Health Foundation, which provides hands-on learning to K-12 students through camps and activities aimed at sparking an interest in a health care career
And so much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Krista and Jason are true pioneering leaders in health care.
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Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode!
Episode 8 features Krista Postai & Jason Wesco, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas
Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.
Thrive Allen County awarded $11.9 million to help Kansans enroll in health coverage
Thrive Allen County will continue to help underserved communities, consumers and small businesses find and enroll in affordable health care coverage thanks to a recent $11.9-million federal grant.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is awarding the grant in advance of this year’s Nov. 1 open enrollment date for the Health Insurance Marketplace, or HealthCare.gov. Grants were awarded to 44 Navigator programs across the nation.
The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund provided funding support to help Thrive Allen County apply for the federal grant. Thrive Allen County is a non-profit organization that exists to strengthen Kansas’ rural communities through advocacy, programs, community outreach and communication.
Thrive Allen County’s Navigator program, called Kansas CARES, works with partners across the state to provide free assistance to people exploring health care coverage through HealthCare.gov. The five-year, $11.9-million grant will help them continue providing this important service.
Navigators are federally trained, vetted and certified individuals who help consumers find and apply for Marketplace health insurance. They help with everything from reviewing available plans to assisting with eligibility and enrollment forms to providing post-enrollment services, such as using coverage to get care.
Navigators also can assist people with enrolling in or renewing coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
“As trusted community partners, their mission focuses on assisting the uninsured and other underserved communities. Navigators serve an important role in connecting communities that historically have experienced lower access to health coverage and greater disparities in health outcomes to health coverage,” according to CMS.
Visit KansasCARES.org for more information or to find a Navigator near you.
To learn more about this year’s Navigator grantees, visit In-Person Assistance in the Health Insurance Marketplaces | CMS. Consumers in any state can access Navigators by visiting Find Local Help for assistance with their application and more. For additional details on Marketplace Open Enrollment, which will run from Nov. 1 to at least Jan. 15, 2025 (and longer in some states), visit HealthCare.gov.
In 2023, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund awarded 117 grants, convened 14 public meetings, conducted three training series and secured $4 million in federal grant money for Kansas.
And that’s not all.
We continued to work closely with our existing partners and forged new relationships, as well, that will help us advance our goal of improving the health of all Kansans.
In our 2023 Year in Review report, which we just released, you can learn in greater detail about these efforts as we kicked off the first year of our new strategic plan.
Partnered with the Kansas Hospital Association to transition two traditional hospitals that were at risk of closure into Rural Emergency Hospitals.
THRIVING CHILDREN
Worked with partners to improve early childhood policies and services. We also launched research on the child care assistance program and family economic security issues, including child care.
Served on the Early Childhood Transition Task force. Health Fund President David Jordan was nominated by Governor Kelly to serve on this important task force to help recommend how the state can improve its early childhood services.
Helped increase access to early childhood mental health services by funding Parent Child Interaction Therapy training in several areas across the state.
Partnered with breastfeeding coalitions and health leaders to make significant gains in helping mothers initiate and maintain breastfeeding. Our funding also helped form coalitions led by women of color to support their communities in breastfeeding; it also increased access to lactation support services by helping certify more than 50 consultants and counselors.
Helped address food insecurity in Salina by providing grant funding for a three-month Summer Food Service Program. Our funding helped to purchase necessary equipment, including shelving and freezers, and signage for an onsite grab-and-go distribution point.
Reignited the annual Healthy Congregations Retreat for the first time since the pandemic in 2020.
Our impact in 2023 was significant, and our efforts continue. We look forward to furthering our mission in 2024 to help create a healthier Kansas.
