Kansas Health Foundation Grant Information

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Past Initiatives - 2006-2007 | 2008 | 2009

Initiatives - 2009

FitnessGram®
Amount: $1,277,650      Term: 3.5 years
Currently, the state of Kansas has no systematic way to monitor and assess the fitness levels of Kansas children. While Kansas has components of a comprehensive surveillance system, these components are spread across multiple data sets and do not regularly collect data at the elementary school level. FitnessGram, developed by the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research, is a computerized tool that provides schools with a program to collect, store and report key health-related physical fitness elements, including cardiovascular-respiratory fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition. In addition to providing trackable data for the state, once information is gathered, an individualized report card can be produced for each student that summarizes performance and provides suggestions for promoting and maintaining good fitness.

This grant would allow the state to purchase the software needed for the program, as well as training educators from across the state to implement the program in schools. The primary partner on implementation will be Kansas Coordinated School Health (KCSH), a collaboration of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE).

Secondhand Smoke Community Campaign Expansion
Amount: $1,000,000      Term: 2 years
Designed to be an expansion of the Secondhand Smoke Community Campaign approved in 2007, the Foundation will use this latest grant to expand the number of communities and geographic area involved with the campaign. Up to eight additional communities will be assisted through this grant. The Secondhand Smoke Community Campaign is a community-based campaign, specific to individual communities in terms of strategy and messaging, that strives to educate Kansans about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

The presence of secondhand smoke is a serious issue in any community. A 2006 surgeon general’s report reinforced these dangers, including increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer. This campaign will allow the Foundation to continue developing public awareness on the issue and to re-energize public discourse of this topic.

Kansas Health Foundation Fellows VI and VII
Amount: $539,500      Term: 4 years
The Kansas Health Foundation Fellows program is designed to be an intensive leadership development opportunity for key individuals across Kansas. Training provided includes understanding the competencies necessary to advance participants’ capacity for civic leadership, understanding the context of civic leadership in Kansas and how it helps drive health policy and change in the state.

This grant will allow the Kansas Leadership Center to facilitate and manage two new phases of the Fellows program—the sixth and seventh Fellows classes—which will provide the intensive leadership training to around 40 additional individuals in the state.

Public Health Program Manager
Amount: $518,030      Term: 3 years
The public health program manager is an outside, independent consulting position designed to ensure the Foundation has someone capable of providing technical assistance for grants, organizations and individuals working toward strengthening the public health infrastructure in Kansas.

Throughout its history, the Foundation has consistently sought the advice, counsel and expertise of outside organizations and individuals on matters of health promotion, infrastructure and feasibility. The consultant used for this position is utilized to support the Foundation’s work with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, local health departments and different membership organizations throughout the state. Specific responsibilities for the public health program manager include coordinating projects, serving as a staff extender and meeting with department and agency leaders.

Safety Net Clinics
Amount: $400,000      Term: 2 year
As the Foundation looks for ways to meet its mission to improve the health of all Kansans, staying informed of developing health trends will be vital to overall effectiveness. Few aspects of health and health care have received more attention recently then electronic health records (EHRs), which have been promoted as a way to improve efficiency and decrease personal and government spending on health care costs.

While private medical facilities have already been active in purchasing and testing these types of systems, clinics that serve low-income and at-risk populations are also in need. Safety net clinics often serve these populations, and the Kansas Association of the Medically Underserved (KAMU) has a network of 38 safety net clinics throughout Kansas. By using these electronic records, health care facilities will have the opportunity to organize, standardize, access and analyze the health of safety net clinic patients and community health on a broad scale. Federal grants are available for the actual purchase of these EHR systems for the clinics, but this Foundation grant will provide technical assistance to the clinics in the selection and implementation phases.

Kansas Legislative Academy
Amount: $329,261      Term: 4 years
As legislators and other elected leaders make the funding and policy decisions that affect all Kansans, it is crucial that they fully comprehend and understand the complex systems that make up the overall public health system in the state. The Kansas Legislative Academy is designed to provide this service, and is a unique training and educational program built to provide a select group of lawmakers with the tools needed to make rational and informed decisions about health policy in Kansas.

This grant will allow the Kansas Leadership Center and the Kansas Health Institute to manage and facilitate a series of seminars for 10 to 15 selected legislators. Topics could include the ethical framework for health policy development, the systems approach to health policy, and leadership skills development.

Kansas State Health Access Program (SHAP)
Amount: $200,000      Term: 1 year
The enrollment and retention of eligible children in the Medicaid and HealthWave programs has been a consistent problem in Kansas. An antiquated system has led to a backlog of applications, inconsistent eligibility determinations and limited capacity to expand outreach efforts and to facilitate enrollment of eligible populations in community-based settings. Over time, these problems could result in an estimated 36,000 children who are eligible but are not enrolled in public health insurance plans.

To address this issue, the Kansas Healthy Policy Authority (KHPA) has designed a project to develop and implement a comprehensive online application and eligibility determination system for those uninsured individuals. In April 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA), announced a competitive federal grant program to assist states with projects aimed at expanding access to affordable health care coverage. A criterion of this grant program is that states must demonstrate the ability to raise at least 20 percent of the federal grant within their state. This Foundation grant will provide that rate of matching funds to assist KHPA in obtaining the federal dollars.

Heartland Visioning
Amount: $190,000      Term: 2 years
Heartland Vision is a community-wide initiative designed to develop and implement a shared strategic vision for the towns of Auburn, Rossville, Silver Lake, Topeka and Willard. The unincorporated areas of Shawnee County will also be included. The visioning process for Topeka and Shawnee County, which began in 2008, has led to the creation of a strategic plan for the community, with six key focus areas: education, quality of life, infrastructure, economic development, government and private sector leadership.

The importance of this grant comes from the potential community action spurred by the visioning process and through the implementation of the strategic plan. The Foundation is committed to working directly with communities and making communities a focused partner of initiatives. Working with Topeka (as the state’s capital) and the surrounding area offers the Foundation a unique opportunity to assist with community efforts and goals.

Kansas Health Information Exchange (HIE) State Coordinated Action Plan
Amount: $100,000      Term: 1 year
A health information exchange (HIE) is a component of the overall movement to drastically expand the use of health information technology (HIT) throughout the nation’s medical care and public health systems. While HIT is the use of electronic information tools such as electronic charts, electronic prescribing, electronic ordering, clinical messaging and other tools to improve quality and effectiveness of care, an HIE can be considered the connective fiber that makes that information usable. The federal government views these systems as vital to the nation’s health system, and a non-competitive federal grant program was announced in 2009 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to assist states in the planning and development of statewide HIE systems.

As part of the eligibility requirements for the federal funds, states must demonstrate buy-in from key stakeholders by raising approximately 10 percent of the total requested from the federal grant program. The requesting agency in Kansas is the Kansas Department for Health and Environment (KDHE), and its request is for $4 million. This Foundation grant joins with similar grants from the Sunflower Foundation, Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and the REACH Healthcare Foundation to provide the 10 percent match for the Kansas application.

Laid-Off Workers Fund
Amount: $100,000      Term: 1 year
The Laid-Off Workers Fund is an initiative of the United Way of the Plains to assist laid-off individuals who worked or lived in Sedgwick County. For those who qualify, financial assistance will include support for mortgages (or rent) and utilities. The Fund will assist individuals through a Laid-Off Workers Center, which is targeted to open in June. Joining the United Way in providing services through the center will be the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.

In an effort to support an important community cause, the Foundation is pleased to provide a total of $100,000 for the three aforementioned organizations. When a similar center was established in 2001, the Foundation was also able to help support the effort. The Foundation’s interest in the project also stems from the growing research, including a 2002 study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, which shows a correlation between prolonged unemployment and health indicators such as higher blood pressure and heart attacks, unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and binge drinking, and depression.

Healthy Community Design and Local Food Policies Advisory Groups
Amount: $90,000      Term: 1 year
This grant would create two different advisory groups which will work with the Foundation to inform its future work in the areas of healthy community design (planning and designing communities that make it easier for people to live healthy lives) and local food policies (any legislative or administrative decision made by a government agency, business or organization that affects how food is produced, distributed and purchased). Chief among the duties of each advisory group will be to develop a request for proposal (RFP) process the Foundation can then use as it makes future funding decisions in these areas. Guidelines for proposals, timelines and project budgets will also be addressed in the RFP planning.

Both topics, healthy community design and local foods, are complex efforts that will require broad collaboration throughout a number of organizations and agencies. The Foundation feels it’s best to involve a group of outside professionals to design the RFP.

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