Category: Uncategorized

Four Kansas community mental health centers awarded transformative grant funding

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

Access to behavioral health is a top concern for all Kansans. We all benefit when behavioral health services are better integrated into our health care system.

For more than 30 years, Kansas has ensured that each county received safety net mental health services provided by a community mental health center. Community mental health centers have faced increased demand for services coupled with workforce shortages.

To better meet demand and serve their communities, community mental health centers will transition to an integrated care approach. The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model was designed so that all individuals can access coordinated comprehensive behavioral health care, such as outpatient mental health and substance use services. CCBHCs also provide care coordination to help patients navigate the health care and social services systems. CCBHCs must provide services regardless of where patients live or their ability to pay.

Transforming from a community mental health center to a CCBHC takes time, planning, and money. That takes capacity in the form of staff, resources, and knowledge. Rural communities typically have less capacity to apply for federal grants than metropolitan areas. Kansas is one of the 10 states with the most limited community capacity—it’s not surprising that Kansas ranks 47th in drawing down federal funds.

To create greater access to behavioral health services, especially in rural and under-served areas in Kansas, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund (Health Fund) provided technical assistance to community mental health centers to bring back federal grant dollars to support their efforts as they seek CCBHC status.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently awarded CCBHC planning, development, and implementation (PDI) grants to 10 Kansas community health centers, including the following four that received technical assistance from the Health Fund:

  • Elizabeth Layton Center (ELC) in Ottawa was awarded $988,841 for its first year of CCBHC PDI funding. ELC serves Franklin and Miami counties in eastern Kansas. The SAMHSA grant will allow the ELC to expand access to comprehensive behavioral health services.
  • Iroquois Center for Human Development in Greensburg was awarded $1,000,000 for its first year of CCBHC PDI funding. Iroquois serves four rural counties in southwest Kansas. Its SAMHSA funding will allow it to increase access to comprehensive mental health services, especially among vulnerable farmers, the elderly, and veterans.
  • Southwest Guidance Center (SWGC) in Liberal was awarded $1,000,000 for its first year of CCBHC PDI funding. SWGC serves four frontier or rural southwest Kansas counties. Its SAMHSA grant will enable more individuals to successfully access comprehensive behavioral health services, especially within the Hispanic and veteran communities.
  • Spring River Mental Health & Wellness, Inc. in Riverton was awarded $955,314 for its first year of CCBHC PDI funding. Spring River serves Cherokee County in southeast Kansas. SAMHSA grant funding will support the expansion of Spring River’s services offered and the use of evidence-based practices.

Over the course of the four-year grants, we expect more than $15 million to return to Kansas to support these four community mental health centers as they transition to the CCBHC model.

“This is a big lift for community mental health centers to increase capacity to meet the new requirements,” said Kyle Kessler, Executive Director of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas. “The grant funding awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides the support they need to recruit and retain staff, complete necessary trainings, and implement new programs. We are thankful to the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund for assisting our members to successfully apply for the grant funding; it is a huge win not only for the centers but most importantly for the communities they serve who will now have easier access to a broader array of behavioral health services.”

The Health Fund has been providing grants in Kansas for more than 35 years, but recently began providing technical assistance and grant writing support to partners working in our strategic areas of interest.  This new strategy leverages resources and expertise to bring crucial federal dollars back to Kansas to improve access to care and early childhood services while making the systems more financially sustainable.

Altogether, the Health’s Fund investments in technical assistance in 2021 and 2022 have helped bring back more than $30 million in federal funding to Kansas to improve access to health insurance and behavioral health services.

“The Health Fund is always working to leverage our resources most effectively to increase access to sustainable health care for Kansans,” said David Jordan, president and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. “These newest grants will strengthen access to behavioral health care and support an innovative delivery model—which represent two major priorities for the Health Fund. I’m proud we’re able to help bring critical funds back to Kansans to strengthen behavioral health care in rural communities and create a healthier future for all Kansans.”

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The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund is a statewide health foundation that facilitates conversation and action to improve the health and wholeness of Kansans—especially those in rural and under-served communities. Through funding programs and ideas, providing hands-on expertise, and convening influencers, the Health Fund advances innovative solutions to improve Kansans’ health for generations to come. Located in Hutchinson, Kansas, the Health Fund has provided more than $75 million in grants and program support since its inception in 1986.

Faith in Vaccines Resources

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund (Health Fund) has launched a “Faith in Vaccines” campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccination and help ensure Kansas families are as prepared and protected as possible against emerging COVID-19 variants.

The campaign has highlighted the efficacy of the current vaccines and has included voices from trusted sources, such as pediatricians, faith leaders and rural community leaders, as well as testimonials from individuals who have been directly impacted by COVID-19.

“The decision to be vaccinated is a personal one,” said David Jordan, Health Fund president and CEO. “We hope this campaign will provide Kansans with the additional information they need from trusted sources to consider if the vaccine is right for them. Ultimately, we want to see more people choose to be vaccinated and limit their chances of severe illness or death due to COVID-19.”

Resources

Faith in Vaccines COVID-19 Sermon Guide and Toolkit
Faith in Vaccines sermon guide and toolkit
Right now is the right time to vaccinate your child against COVID-19
Kansans can play an important role in vaccine acceptance
Faith in Vaccines lay toolkit
Webinar: Navigating Vaccine Hesitancy with Families
Best way to get back to normal? Be fully vaccinated as you engage with the people around you.

Videos

Dr. Bob Kraft discusses COVID-19 vaccines
Elise’s journey with long COVID
Dave’s COVID testimonial
Community Health Worker Suzana Hernandez on COVID-19 vaccination
Fr. Bob Schremmer discusses COVID-19 vaccines
Dr. Gretchen Homan on COVID-19 vaccines
Dave’s COVID testimonial (Spanish)

Expanding KanCare would strengthen rural health care, rural communities

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

This commentary by Health Fund President David Jordan on strengthening rural health care through KanCare expansion originally appeared in the Wichita Eagle on March 9, 2022.

Kansas is a rural state with nearly one-third of the population living in rural communities. As Kansans we take pride in self-reliance and taking care of our own.

Yet Kansans living in rural and frontier areas are more likely to be uninsured than those in more populated communities. Kansans living in frontier communities have the highest uninsured rate in the state (12.9%). When it comes to health care and sustaining rural health systems and communities, we need more than self-reliance. We need health insurance.

Many of our uninsured neighbors are hardworking Kansans who earn too much to qualify for KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program, and too little to qualify for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. In fact, a single parent of two kids earning more than $4.00 an hour earns too much to qualify for KanCare.

These hardworking Kansans are our neighbors. Kansans like Jim, an uninsured farmer who enjoys working with crops and large machinery. He lost his health insurance after a seasonal job ended. Getting insurance now is beyond his means.

He’s dealing with diabetes and an injured foot. The bones were broken, but Jim hasn’t been able to get it addressed. He calls it a “Catch-22.” He was hurt and needs money to get well, but he can’t work to make money because of the injury.

Without health insurance, Jim is scraping by and going without regular care.

Emergency room care is often the only option for uninsured Kansans like Jim. But hospital bottom lines and viability are threatened if uninsured patients can’t pay bills. Currently, 70 rural Kansas hospitals are financially vulnerable and categorized as at-risk of closing, more than in any other state.

Rural and frontier towns rely on hospitals for health care and to anchor communities.

According to the Kansas Hospital Association, in 2020, 12% of Kansas employment was in the health services sector. The health care sector was the fifth largest producer of total income and of total sales.

For health and prosperity, a sustainable health system is crucial to the future of our rural regions and our rural way of life.

Kansas can take an immediate step to strengthen rural health systems and communities by expanding KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program.

Multiple studies show that hospitals, particularly rural ones, are at significantly higher risk of closure in states that have not expanded Medicaid. A 2018 study published in Health Affairs found “Medicaid expansion was associated with improved hospital financial performance and substantially lower likelihoods of closure, especially in rural markets and counties with large numbers of uninsured adults before Medicaid expansion.”

Expanding KanCare would cut our uninsured rate in half. Expansion would boost hospital finances by covering 25% of the uncompensated care in rural hospitals and 44% in frontier hospitals.

Kansans know expanding KanCare is the right thing to do. Expansion has broad support across geography and political party. A new survey finds almost 8 in 10 Kansas voters (78%) support expanding KanCare.

All neighboring states have expanded their Medicaid programs. Expanding KanCare would keep us competitive — adding nearly 23,000 new jobs to the state’s economy and increasing economic output by $17 billion.

Expanding KanCare would strengthen rural health care and help ensure rural Kansans get the health care they need while improving their economies. The time to expand is now.

Kansas criminal justice recommendations

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

How Kansans can address racial equity in their criminal justice system: examining recommendations from the governor’s commission

This commentary originally ran in the Kansas Reflector on March 8, 2022. About the authors: Dr. Tiffany Anderson, superintendent of Topeka USD 501, and Dr. Shannon Portillo, associate dean and professor at the University of Kansas, served as co-chairs of the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice; David Jordan, president and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, chaired the subcommittee on healthcare.

In the summer of 2020, amidst national calls for racial justice and criminal justice reform, Gov. Laura Kelly established the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice.

She brought together 15 Kansans with expertise in law enforcement, education, health advocacy, local and state government, policy, philanthropy, and community organizing.

Given the historic need to review justice-related issues in Kansas, the commission started its work by examining law enforcement and the criminal legal system to identify opportunities to address inequities in Kansas’ system. We also sought to understand how to address systemic issues that affect education attainment, economic opportunity and health. The commission met every other week, hosted learning sessions with relevant professional associations and experts, and held community listening sessions.

The commission issued its first of three reports in December 2020. These recommendations addressing criminal justice aim to prevent disproportionate contact with law enforcement for communities of color and decrease inequities in justice outcomes.

Some recommendations related to law enforcement hiring and training were included in Senate Bill 247, which was introduced in 2021 in Senate Judiciary. This includes prohibiting fired officers from being hired at different law enforcement agencies; mandating review of records during the hiring process; requiring psychological testing of officers be performed by a licensed professional before certification (current standards require psychological tests before certification, but not by an independent, licensed professional); and requiring that officers have completed KLETC training before they are issued a firearm for use in the line of duty. We must engage with our legislators and advocate for this legislation.

Kansas law is more restrictive than military eligibility requirements, prohibiting law enforcement agencies from hiring noncitizens with legal status as officers. Aligning law enforcement eligibility with military eligibility would support hiring goals for agencies and engage immigrant populations to better reflect Kansas’ population.

Law enforcement and leaders agree that access to behavioral health care is a criminal justice issue. It’s estimated that nationally 44% of jail inmates and 37% of prisoners have a mental illness, compared with 18% of the general population. Many law enforcement encounters are the result of substance use or mental health issues, and they cause county jails and prisons to become de facto behavioral health service providers. Increasing access to early intervention options by expanding Medicaid in Kansas would improve policing outcomes and reduce state general fund spending on law enforcement and behavioral health.

Financing mobile crisis response models would provide crucial support to law enforcement in responding to behavioral health calls. Mental health professionals who work alongside law enforcement officers, or respond to mental health calls on their own, can contribute to positive outcomes and promote treatment over incarceration for individuals experiencing mental health crises.

The Johnson County co-responder program boasts positive outcomes — the rate of hospitalization fell dramatically, and the percentage of police calls that ended up in jail fell slightly. Kansas and local communities should implement appropriate co-responder and mental health crisis programs where possible.

More than 85% of Kansans facing a felony charge rely on appointed counsel. We must do more to support the Kansas Board of Indigent Defense Services and expand public defender offices to our largest counties. BIDS recently voted to expand offices in Wyandotte and Douglas Counties. To better serve residents throughout Kansas, BIDS is asking the Legislature for increased funding to open these offices, increase public defenders’ pay throughout Kansas and provide better training for their attorneys. Data demonstrate supporting BIDS offices in Douglas and Wyandotte Counties will save money.

We will not rid the justice system of inequities immediately, so we must ensure Kansans know how to report racial and bias-based policing, and we must have systems that take these reports seriously. In 2011, racial and bias-based policing policies were updated in statute. The commission recommended that the Legislature review the policies to determine if they are serving their intended purpose. The Legislature should address the process for filing a complaint of racial or bias-based policing, what entity is most appropriate to manage the process, and the availability of data related to such complaints and responsive action taken.

There are more than 50 other recommendations in the Commission’s first report. A few recommendations are making their way into legislation, but we must continue to push for them at the statehouse, in local governments and in administrative agencies. For more recommendations to become reality, we urge you to let your legislators and local governmental bodies know that these issues matter and encourage them to act.

About the series

In June 2020, Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order 20-48, forming the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice. The Commission studied issues of racial equity and justice across systems in Kansas, focusing first on policing and law enforcement and then on economic systems, education, and health care. The Commission developed recommendations for state agencies, the Legislature, and local governments. Through the end of 2022, Commissioners will dig deeper into the Commission’s recommendations in a monthly series.

Related resources

Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice reports
Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice webinar series
2022 opinion series on commission recommendations

Advocating for ARPA Funding: A Community Catalyst Webinar on Lessons Learned from Other States

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

Advocacy can inform how American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars transform your community. Learn more in this webinar recorded on Thursday October 14 with experts from Community Catalyst. They presented their toolkit on how advocates can use ARPA funds to spur transformative change and address the unique needs of communities.

Community Catalyst is a leading non-profit national health advocacy organization dedicated to advancing a movement for health equity and justice. They partner with local, state and national advocates to leverage and build power so all people can influence decisions that affect their health.

Webinar Resources

Understanding Kansas Child Care During COVID-19

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

Child Care Providers Have Experienced Additional Strain During Pandemic

View the recorded webinar for a discussion of the survey results and the state of child care in Kansas.

Every Kansas child deserves a strong start.

Prior to the pandemic, Kansas child care was in crisis. Child Care Aware of Kansas reported that only three Kansas counties met or exceeded demand—97% of counties did not meet desired capacity. Low-income communities, rural communities, and communities of color faced persistent child care challenges. It’s gotten worse because of the pandemic.

To understand how child care providers have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Child Care Aware of Kansas and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund (Health Fund) partnered to survey providers from across the state. The timely survey focused on which precautions were being implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as well as what challenges child care providers have faced throughout the pandemic.

28.9% of licensed providers responded. They represented day care homes, group day care homes, and day care centers, as well as 102 counties (97%).

A key finding is that although virtually all Kansas child care providers are taking precautions to reduce the spread of COVID-19, fewer than half are relying on proven public health measures, such as masking, social distancing or vaccinating staff.

Most providers (70%) shared that financial support or incentives would help them implement COVID-19 precautions, while 43% said mandates or requirements would help.

Most programs reported that this time has been extremely stressful and has even caused many to consider closing their centers or home-based programs and seeking other forms of income. Many common themes emerged about the impacts of the pandemic, roadblocks they have faced, and ways they have adapted.

To ensure high-quality child care remains available across Kansas, policymakers and funders can provide financial support tied to specific and proven public health mandates, such as masking, testing or vaccination, in conjunction with educational materials and discussion guides to help maintain positive relationships between providers and families.

We need to work together on an integrated plan encompassing both short-term and long-term outcomes to prevent inequities in access to safe, high-quality child care among people of color, low-income communities, and rural and frontier counties.

Child Care Survey Resources

Social Media Slides

Telehealth is Here to Stay

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

New Health Fund Research Reveals that Kansas Providers See Future for Telehealth

After moving to temporarily expand access to telehealth early in the pandemic, its future is uncertain. A special committee will examine telehealth in preparation for the 2022 legislative session.

As the Legislature begins its discussion of telehealth and its impact on Kansans, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund (Health Fund) is releasing new qualitative research focused on provider experience with telehealth.

To better understand how Kansas providers experienced telehealth, the Health Fund commissioned in-depth interviews with health care providers and administrators throughout Kansas that indicate that telehealth is here to stay—if reimbursements remain equivalent compared to in-person visits.

The interviewees represented a cross-section of urban, rural, and multi-site health care providers. Most of them had not offered telehealth services prior to the pandemic. Providers have since invested in equipment and technology. A key finding, mirroring previous research, is that for telehealth to remain viable, future financial support is needed for system upkeep and visit reimbursement.

Summary of Providers’ Perspectives

A summary of the providers’ perspectives on telehealth includes:

  • Telehealth increases access to care for specific populations such as those who are homebound or without transportation
  • Telehealth provides important access to services from home, cutting down
    patients’ travel time and making it easier for patients to balance work and raising family with accessing care
  • Technology (telehealth platforms, internet connectivity, device availability) is a large barrier to implementation
  • Telehealth is well-suited for many kinds of care, such as chronic care management, patient education and 1-on-1 counseling by mental health or substance use disorder providers
  • Most want to continue reimbursement for telehealth services or other public policies

Kansans want telehealth to continue beyond the pandemic. Kansas providers have invested in infrastructure and training. Our state has an opportunity to sustain telehealth beyond the pandemic. An initial provider survey, a statewide poll of voters, co-funded by the Health Fund and REACH Healthcare Foundation, and this set of in-depth interviews are evidence that telehealth can play a significant role in improving health care access for Kansans.

Telehealth Resources

Unlocking ARPA Requirements: Grant Writing Tips with Julie Assel

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

Is your organization eligible for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds? Is your organization prepared to apply for the ARPA funds and grants? What types of projects qualify for funding? This webinar presented by Julie Assel will help prepare your organization to best utilize ARPA resources. The webinar slides are available here.

Assel covers questions relating to hospitals, units of government, educational organizations, and nonprofits as well as information for new and seasoned grant writers. 

Julie Assel is the President and CEO of Assel Grant Services. Assel is a professional grant writer with more than 15 years of experience. Her expertise is in federal level grants with the Department of Education, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Assel holds a Grant Professional Certification from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute and a Fundraising Certificate from the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership.

Please see information on our follow-up webinar: Advocating for ARPA Funding: A Community Catalyst Toolkit – October 14, 2021 at noon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do you register for the System for Award Management (SAM)?
A: Please view the Quick Start Guide for New Grantee Registration.

Q: Where is ARPA money going in Kansas?
A: Money will be available at the state, county, and local levels. $500 million which was given to the state is expected to be allocated by the end of 2021 with another $834 million expected to be allocated by the state in 2022.

Q: Where can I find contact information about the Kansas USDA office?
A: https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices

Q: There were several trainings referred to in the webinar. How can I learn more about these trainings?
A: Federal Find and Fit and Researching Grant Opportunities

Expanding Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Will Improve Outcomes

Posted on by Lindsey Fields

Testimony presented by Health Fund President David Jordan to the KanCare Oversight Committee on Thursday, September 23, 2021.

Chair Hilderbrand, Vice Chair Landwehr, and Members of the Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to provide public comment regarding maternal and child health issues in Kansas. I want to focus on the importance of extending postpartum coverage for new mothers enrolled in KanCare.

The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund (Health Fund) is a 35-year-old, $70 million health philanthropy located in Hutchinson. Our mission is to improve the health of Kansans. We focus on three strategic areas – access to care, early childhood development, and Healthy Congregations, a program aimed at addressing community health by engaging churches throughout Kansas. Over the last three decades we have provided more than $75 million in funding to improve the health of Kansans.

We support and invest in early childhood initiatives because research shows investing early creates the best health outcomes and the greatest return on investment.

One maternal and child health issue that has emerged during the pandemic that ties together our interests and investments is extending postpartum coverage for Kansas mothers enrolled in KanCare.

In 2018, Medicaid covered 39% of the 36,268 births in Kansas – 14,145 newborns. Prior to the public health emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of new mothers enrolled in KanCare would have lost their coverage 60 days after giving birth.

As a result of the ongoing public health emergency, Kansas cannot discontinue coverage for new mothers after 60 days. Kansas, like other states, has seen the benefits of this temporary policy change. Extending Medicaid coverage postpartum to 12 months enabled mothers to access critical health care and mental health services, ensuring mothers and babies have the healthiest start to life.

Recent federal policy change creates the opportunity for Kansas to extend coverage. Already, other states like Indiana and Tennessee are taking advantage of this opportunity.

Healthy mothers are important to building healthy families, which is why we need to act before the public health emergency ends. Otherwise, new mothers may lose their current health coverage to the detriment of their health, their children’s health, and long-term family stability.

Coverage Ends Too Soon: Maternal Mortality and New Mothers

Before the pandemic, pregnant Kansans were eligible for Medicaid coverage through the duration of their pregnancy and 60 days postpartum if their household income was at 171% or less of the federal poverty level. Although their newborn remained covered by Medicaid through their first year of life, the postpartum mother lost coverage on day 61 unless her household income was at 38% or less of the federal poverty level (FPL). A married woman with a single child would lose coverage on day 61 if her combined household income was above $8,345.

Before coverage was extended during the pandemic, each year in Kansas approximately 9,000 postpartum mothers lost Medicaid coverage 60 days after the end of pregnancy.

The Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee found that between 2016 and 2018 nearly one-quarter of all Kansas pregnancy-related deaths occurred between 43 days and one year postpartum. Nearly half of all pregnancy-associated deaths occurred in the same period.

According to a Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Impact paper on postpartum coverage, “Findings from 2016-2018 cases revealed that women covered by Medicaid during pregnancy and delivery were more than three times as likely to die within one year of pregnancy when compared to women covered by private insurance. Among non-Hispanic Black women in Kansas, a greater proportion of pregnancy-associated deaths occurred during pregnancy (62.5%). Extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months creates opportunities to improve access to quality health care for high-risk populations, before, during, after and between pregnancies, potentially reducing pregnancy-associated deaths and closing the disparity gap . With many of the pregnancy-associated deaths involving health care and occurring months after delivery, these data suggest that a Medicaid postpartum coverage extension will help more women access care necessary to address critical, potentially fatal health concerns. National data published in February 2019 by the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) reveals that extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum is associated with 1.6 fewer maternal deaths per 100,000 women compared to rates for states that only provide coverage for the required 60-day time period.”

Having coverage and access to routine and preventive health care can help prevent these deaths that occur largely after coverage ends. Ending Medicaid eligibility for postpartum mothers after 60 days is too soon. We urge the state to take action to extend access to health care for Kansas mothers to prevent deaths and to reduce disparities.

Expanding Postpartum Coverage to 12 months Will Improve Health Outcomes in Kansas

The emergency extension of postpartum coverage during the pandemic has affirmed the value of extending a mother’s coverage. Mothers have been able to access critical health and behavioral health services.

Extending Medicaid coverage for a continuous 12 months postpartum can improve health outcomes for mothers, children, and families across the state. It is important to note that a child’s health is tied closely to their parent’s health and access to health care. Parental enrollment in Medicaid is associated with a 29% higher probability that a child will receive an annual well-child visit. Therefore, it is important for the health of the mother and child during the critical twelve-month period postpartum that both mother and child can access health care.

Nearly 20% of Kansas women below 200% of the federal poverty level experienced postpartum depression in the year after giving birth. It is vital that mothers have access to mental health and substance use services during this period because the postpartum period is a time when mothers are particularly susceptible to substance use relapse. Recognizing that according to KDHE, between state fiscal years 2012 and 2017, parental substance use was the primary reason that 70% of children under the age of one entered foster care, extending coverage to enable mothers to get substance use services can prevent interaction with the child welfare system.

Beyond improving health outcomes new mothers and children, extended postpartum coverage is also predicted to lead to a decrease in long-term Medicaid costs through the provision of early medical interventions and coordinated care, preventing postpartum complications and worsening chronic conditions due to a delay in early identification and intervention.

Kansans can play an important role in vaccine acceptance

Posted on by Jeff

As the COVID-19 delta variant spreads, many of our communities are unprepared and unprotected. While COVID-19 is trending in the wrong direction in Kansas and our hospitals are once again nearing capacity, as highlighted in a recent Kansas Reflector op-ed, we still have the ability to overcome this pandemic if we increase our vaccination rates.

Faith in Vaccines COVID-19 Sermon Guide and Toolkit

We can all do our part by having open and empathetic conversations with family, friends and neighbors about the vaccine and encouraging them to make a plan to get vaccinated. To help faith leaders do just that, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund created a Faith in Vaccines toolkit and sermon series to help faith leaders support positive conversations about vaccinations.

The guide, informed by conversations with lay faith leaders across Kansas and research conducted by the de Beaumont Foundation and Missouri Foundation for Health, also can help prepare you to have meaningful, impactful and highly personal conversations about the benefits of vaccinations.

During these conversations, it’s normal for questions to arise. Faith leaders and medical professionals are trusted sources who can provide helpful information. Enlist them to help share the message about the importance of vaccines. We did. (Please feel free to use and share the videos linked below or on our YouTube page as resources.)

Bob Kraft, of Salina Family Medicine, reminds Kansans the COVID-19 vaccines are safe, tested, and free – and that vaccines are the best way to get back to normal.
Father Robert Schremmer reminds us that being vaccinated is an act of charity – making of love of neighbors real – and that “vaccines protect life: ours and others’.”

To reduce the spread of the delta variant and to help us get back to life, we all have a part to play. Commit to having open, honest conversations with loved ones about the importance and safety of vaccines. Help address their concerns and encourage them to make a plan to get vaccinated. Your time and these conversations can save lives. Together, we can increase vaccination rates and enjoy a return to normal.

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