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For over thirty years the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund has worked to improve the health and wholeness of Kansas through bringing together people from communities throughout Kansas and more recently, Nebraska. We value partnerships and collaboration and speaking out for the greater good, which is why it’s critical to state that that we do not stand for racism, intolerance, or violence of any kind. We stand for and support our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) friends and neighbors and believe that black lives matter.

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the previous deaths of many more Black Americans unjustly killed illustrate the systemic racism that is pervasive in our country. This structural racism is further underscored by the disproportionately large number of people of color suffering and dying from COVID-19. The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund shares the frustration that many feel and is committed to countering the structural and systemic racism that is deeply rooted in our state and our country.

At the Health Fund, we will work to address racial and health equity through support for policy and systems change as well as efforts to increase participation in our democratic process. We will advocate for policies that address long-standing inequities and support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organizations that are working on these important issues. 

Kansas has one of the largest racial disparities of COVID-19 deaths in the country.  In Kansas, about six percent of the population is African American, but of COVID-19 deaths, African Americans account for 30 percent. That’s five times higher than their share of the state’s population. We will continue to work to better understand that stark disparity and to address it through advocacy, convening and funding.

At the Health Fund, we will faithfully work towards racial and health equity, holding ourselves accountable and encouraging others to do the same.  We stand ready to partner with groups to do just that in Kansas and beyond.

Drawing on conversations with team leaders, surveys of all Healthy Congregations teams last fall, and extensive collaboration between staff and program partners, we’ve been hard at work on improving and streamlining the Healthy Congregations program – and we’re excited to introduce the 2020 program changes. This webinar outlines both the program benefits which will continue, and the new improvements to streamline participation. Delays in program dates due to COVID-19 and updates on special grant opportunities for Healthy Congregations teams are also covered. The webinar was presented live April 28, 2020. A recording and the presentation slides are available below.

You may download the webinar slides here.

The Healthy Congregations program provides training, resources, and financial support to Great Plains United Methodist churches committed to congregational and community health ministry.

As we work to support the needs of our communities, we realize one of our great strengths is to be able to partner with nearly 100 active United Methodist Congregations that participate in our Healthy Congregations Program.  We are excited to work to provide financial and technical assistance to Healthy Congregations members as they respond to COVID-19 in their communities.

In these unprecedented times, our Healthy Congregations teams and their local partners are continuing to work to support families, friends, congregations and communities across the Great Plains Conference. We have heard from many of our teams and are impressed not only with their passion and commitment but also their creativity and resourcefulness in responding to rapidly developing community needs.

Our congregations play an important role in supporting our communities and responding to this crisis. Today, we are announcing a special grant opportunity for current Healthy Congregations teams in good standing to apply for up to $500 in additional funding to support ministry assisting with response to COVID-19. Focusing this opportunity on currently established teams allows us to quickly turn around submissions and keep the application form simple.

In terms of how teams might use the resources, we wanted to share a couple of examples of what we have heard from local teams. Several are working to increase support to local food banks and supporting programs such as the Summer Food Service Program, (another available opportunity for HC teams) to help prevent hunger during the crisis.  Other congregations are making face masks for health care providers in the community. A template for making masks is available here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

While these are just two ideas on how teams can focus their ministry to respond to COVID-19, we hope these resources can provide the flexibility to best help congregations respond to community needs during this time.

Beyond important ministry work, we can also all benefit our communities by being good and supportive neighbors. We asked our friends at the Neighboring Movement to share their thoughts on ways to be a good neighbor in this time of social distancing – available above or via https://youtu.be/rOtySmBzJrc.

Together, we will get through this time.  We look forward to further partnering with our Healthy Congregations teams to support congregation-led work to address community COVID-19 needs. Please apply in the coming weeks and be in touch with questions to Katie katie@healthfund.org. Thank you for your leadership and ministry during these challenging times. 

Happy Census Day! While we are focused on keeping our families, friends, and communities safe during the COVID-19 crisis, I wanted to take the time to highlight how important it is to fulfill our constitutional obligation to complete the 2020 Census.

The Census is a once-a-decade population and housing count of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. The results of the Census determine the number of seats for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives and are used to draw state legislative and local district boundaries. Federal agencies use census data to distribute more than $6 billion in federal funds to Kansas each year.

Kansas communities depend on these funds to sustain everyday services, which is why it is critical for the future of our own communities and the state that everyone is counted as part of the 2020 Census. Every uncounted person costs the state of Kansas approximately $2,082 in federal funding annually – meaning if you’re not counted, we will be shortchanged for a decade and our communities and services will suffer.

Hard-to-count populations like rural communities, children and seniors are at high risk of being undercounted. Having a large portion of Kansans go without being counted in the Census would have a devastating impact on our state and these populations.

On Census Day, please take the time to complete the Census – it’s quick and easy. In the last three weeks, you should have received mail from the Census that includes a code and web link. Using the code, you can complete the Census in minutes. It’s so simple, we ask that you also take the time to let your friends, family, and neighbors know how important – and easy – it is to complete the Census. Please, use the tools and videos we’ve created on the Census or visit KansasCounts.org to access great content to share with your networks.

We’re counting on you!

David Jordan,

President & CEO, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund

April 16 update: Healthy Congregations COVID-19 Response Grants available

Health Fund staff and directors have been closely monitoring the rapidly developing situation with the spread of novel coronavirus and increasing incidence of COVID-19.  With protecting the health of our participants foremost in mind, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Healthy Congregations Retreat (previously scheduled for April 23-25).

Our Board of Directors has authorized re-purposing of funds which would have supported the retreat to instead support COVID-19 response grants to current Healthy Congregations churches. Information on how to apply is available here.

We are sensitive to the impact cancellation of the April dates may have on teams seeking certification training for Healthy Congregations program grant renewal, and on those planning to participate in the special opportunities such as Good Neighbor Experiment and Strengthening Families Program training.  We are currently exploring alternative options for these programs and will update as information becomes available.

For participants who had already registered for the 2020 retreat, we have reached out directly, and your registration deposits have been returned/refunded.  If you have questions, please contact us at healthfund@healthfund.org. 

Our February 11, 2020 Healthy Congregations Learning Community webinar features Blanca Soto, Southwest Kansas Campaign Director, covering Why the Census Matters: Ensuring Everyone is Counted. The webinar also highlights special HC grant opportunities and program updates.

The recording is available below. Presentation slides: 2-11-2020 Webinar.

Every 10 years, the Census Bureau takes a count of all people living in the United States, but many Kansas communities and populations are at risk of being undercounted. The census affects business planning, community development, funding for essential community programs (an estimated $4.5 billion in federal funding for Kansas) and our representation in Congress. Faith leaders are our trusted voices in the community. You know how to reach your congregation and members; hard-to-count families, individuals and children. If your team is interested in ensuring everyone is counted this webinar outlines practical ways your congregation can get involved! Learn more at KansasCounts.org.

Press Release from KDHE, August 2, 2019

Governor Kelly Proclaims August “Breastfeeding Awareness Month”

TOPEKA – At an official signing ceremony, Governor Laura Kelly proclaimed August “Breastfeeding Awareness Month” in Kansas. This proclamation recognizes the importance of breastfeeding for the health and wellbeing of Kansans.

“We are extremely pleased with Governor Kelly’s proclamation which highlights the importance of breastfeeding support for families in Kansas. This proclamation supports their decision and provides a foundation to build support for the policy and practice changes needed to build a landscape of breastfeeding support in our state,” said Brenda Bandy, Executive Director of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition (KBC).

“Kansas recognizes breastfeeding as a public health responsibility and priority,” said KDHE Secretary Lee Norman, MD. “Strides in improved breastfeeding rates have been possible through strong statewide partnerships and community collaboration. We will continue to promote and support breastfeeding as a way to protect and improve the health of mothers and infants.”

More than 90 percent of families in Kansas choose to breastfeed. Yet despite its importance, only 31 percent of Kansas’ infants are exclusively breastfed during the critical first six months of life. Increased investment in breastfeeding could result in saving an estimated 22 women’s lives each year due to breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. Investing in breastfeeding could save the lives of seven children annually, due mostly to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) prevention. And finally, investing in breastfeeding would save Kansas more than $27 million in medical costs each year¹.

Today’s proclamation stresses the role of every Kansan to make breastfeeding easier in our state. The Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition has suggested actions various groups and individuals can take to support breastfeeding in “The State of Breastfeeding in Kansas.”

¹ Breastfeeding Saves Lives Calculator Access July 2019. Stuebe, A. M. et al (in press – 2017). An online calculator to estimate the impact of changes in breastfeeding rates on population health and costs. Breastfeeding Medicine.

The 18th annual Healthy Congregations Retreat, with a theme of Building a Healthier Tomorrow Together, brought nearly 110 participants to Rock Springs in late April to explore new ways Great Plains United Methodist churches can facilitate congregation-led community projects aimed at improving health – both directly and by addressing key underlying factors. Dr. Kate Kingery Deputy Director, Community Transformation, County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, kicked off the event with a keynote titled Health is More Than What Happens in Your Doctor’s Office illustrating how factors in the places we live, learn, work, and pray have a strong influence on health. See the below video for highlights of the 2019 event.

Stormont Vail Health received the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund’s 2018 Janet Sevier Gilbreath Special Project Recognition Award for its Integrating Community Prenatal Breastfeeding Support project at a May 7 celebration in Hutchinson.

The award, in honor of the Fund’s first Board chair, is presented each year to one outstanding project selected by the Board of Directors from among all current funded projects.

Most mothers choose their infant feeding preference prior to delivery. However, current health care practice provides little direct information and support for breastfeeding during prenatal care. In response to this knowledge, Stormont Vail Health staff desired to be proactive in providing prenatal breastfeeding education and resources to expectant mothers as they are making this important decision for their child. The Obstetric Care Nurse Navigator position was created by Stormont Vail Health to lead the expansion of educational services to expectant mothers and staff at the largest obstetric practice in Shawnee County and at the local health department, where 70% of expectant mothers are Medicaid recipients.  The OB Nurse Navigator position was created with the expectation of providing prenatal women extensive education on the benefits of breastfeeding and information on hospital and community breastfeeding support resources and to assure continuity of care for these women through the completion of their breastfeeding experience.

Stormont Vail delivers approximately 2,000 babies annually – nearly 65% of all births in the region. Through the development of the OB Nurse Navigator position, the facility saw exclusive breastfeeding increase from 47% in 2016 to 76% in 2018.  Additionally, exclusive breastfeeding rates for mothers previously seen by the Nurse Navigator was 75% by the end of the grant, which, according to Joint Commission standards, places Stormont Vail Health in the top 10% of all hospitals for breastfeeding best practice. Furthermore, 88% of all women who delivered at Stormont Vail between January and June of 2018 initiated breastfeeding while in the hospital (up four percent from the prior year) and 76% of them continued this practice exclusively, offering no supplemental formula to their infant – an 8% increase over the prior year.

The Stormont Vail OB Nurse Navigator met with expectant mothers at the hospital clinic and at the Shawnee County Health Department.  By the completion of the grant, the OB Nurse Navigator had met with 3,436 mothers.  There were numerous other contact points which reached a total of 5,760 mothers through prenatal education classes and support provided by community outreach. In addition to supporting these mothers, the OB Nurse Navigator provided 18 breastfeeding educational offerings for staff at the hospital and the health department to further encourage sustainability and support of Stormont’s efforts.  The senior leadership of Stormont Vail Health view the Nurse Navigation service as a very important investment for their patients and were committed, from the inception of this grant, to fully sustain this position at the conclusion of the grant. For these accomplishments and for the leadership and service to expectant mothers and their infants, Stormont Vail Health is presented the 2018 Janet Sevier Gilbreath Special Project Recognition award for the work of its Obstetric Care Nurse Navigator program.

Representing the project at the awards ceremony were Karen Copeland, RN, Clinical Nurse Leader; Christy Crawford, RN, Director, Birthplace, Maternal Fetal Medicine and Breastfeeding Center; Libby Averill Rosen, PhD, RN, IBCLC, Professor of Nursing, Baker University – Stormont Vail Campus, and Randy Peterson, recently retired CEO.

A new brief from KAC and UMHMF focuses on the many benefits of evidence-based home visiting programs in helping parents take an informed, active role in the lives of their children.

Through home-based visits with trained professionals equipped with evidence-based strategies and tactics, parents gain skills and competencies essential to supporting and improving the health and development of their children. Ensuring a strong start to a child’s life is critical; therefore, investing in preventive programs from the beginning of life will yield better outcomes than paying for reparative services needed when future challenges emerge. Well-designed and implemented home visiting programs can reduce the societal cost of poor health and academic failure, and return $5.70 for every dollar invested.

Research demonstrates there are multiple benefits of quality home visiting programs that positively impact outcomes including:

• Preventing child maltreatment
• Supporting positive parenting
• Improving maternal and child health
• Promoting child development, and
• Increasing school readiness

To learn more, read the full brief here