News Releases
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: January 17, 2006
For more information, contact Virginia Elliott, Vice President
for Programs, 620-662-8586
United Methodist Health Ministry Fund announces new health grants
Hutchinson, KS—The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
announces the award of nine new grants totaling $496,559 for projects
to improve the health of Kansans. The Health Fund grants an average
of nearly $3 million each year to support health projects in its
three strategic focus areas: access to health care, oral health,
and healthy nutrition and exercise.
Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Wichita, is the recipient
of a grant of $57,400. The grant will provide equipment and supplies
for a planned dental clinic. The dental clinic will be an expansion
of Saint Mark UMC’s E.C. Tyree Health Clinic and will offer
free and reduced-cost dental services by volunteer dental professionals
two evenings a week. Annually, it is expected to serve 500 patients
who might not otherwise be able to afford dental treatment. The
new service is expected to be offered this coming June.
A grant of $66,500 has been awarded to GraceMed Health Clinic of Wichita to make dental hygiene services more accessible to elementary school children in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Healthy Children Center at Lincoln School and Evergreen Clinic near Cloud School will be staffed with registered dental hygienists with extended care permits. With parental permission, students will receive preventative oral health services including screening, cleaning, and sealants. Children will also be taught appropriate daily care for their teeth and mouths. Those needing restorative care will be referred to their own family dentists. If students do not have a dentist, they will be referred to a sponsoring dentist working with the project. The dental hygiene clinics are expected to provide 2,400 student visits a year.
Medical Service Bureau, Wichita, has been awarded a grant of $43,383 to provide outreach and education in Sedgwick County concerning the new Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit going into effect in June 2006. The goal of this effort is to help Medicare beneficiaries make informed decisions on a Prescription Drug Plan during the enrollment period beginning later this year. Through manufacturers’ indigent drug programs and its own nonprofit pharmacy, Medical Service Bureau currently provides assistance with free or reduced-cost medications for people who cannot otherwise afford them. “People are coming to us confused about what they should do when the new Medicare program is implemented,” explained Medical Service Bureau Executive Director Rosa Molina. “It will be a big job answering all the questions and helping people become aware of their responsibilities and options before June of next year, so we’re glad we’re in a position to help—but it’s going to be a cooperative effort involving a lot of agencies.”
The LIFE Project Foundation, Wichita, has been awarded a grant of $75,000 over three years to help with the development of the statewide parish nurse network. The network will provide continuing education opportunities, resources, and other support for parish nurse programs of all denominations. JoVeta Wescott, the former manager of parish nursing services for Via Christi, will staff the project.
The Health Partnership of Johnson County will receive a $50,000 grant from the Health Fund to expand its Olathe dental clinic. The clinic provides free and reduced-cost services to low-income patients. With this grant and other funds raised, the clinic will expand to provide services at least three days a week. A partnership with the University of Missouri Kansas City Dental School provides a dentist and dental student support to staff the clinic. Local dentists also volunteer at the clinic to further expand services.
A grant of $100,000 will support the Dental Champions Leadership Program developed in 2005 by Oral Health Kansas, Topeka. The grant will partially support the second year of the program and the selection of 15 to 20 Kansans to participate in the leadership skills and personal development training as well as orientation and planning for improved oral health among all Kansans. The new class is expected to be selected by April 2006. A highlight of the experience is participation in an intensive week’s leadership skills training at the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs. Oral Health Kansas is a statewide coalition with a membership of close to 150.
The Governor’s Health Care Cost Containment Commission (HCCCC) is developing a statewide strategy for health information technology and health information exchange. The Health Fund has awarded a grant of $25,000 to assist with costs of a consultant to conduct an assessment of Kansas readiness for health information technology and exchange. The consultant will also provide information about initiatives of the federal government and other states in this important field. The consultant’s work will be used in a multiple-state summit on health information technology and information exchange. Lt. Governor John Moore is leading this effort in his role as Chair of the HCCCC. The work is also supported by the Division of Health Policy and Finance within the Department of Administration.
An award of $10,000 goes to the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation, Topeka. This grant will be used for operating expenses of the upcoming Kansas Mission of Mercy event to be held in Wichita on January 27-28. The Kansas Mission of Mercy provides free dental care on a first-come, first-served basis for hundreds of Kansans at each annual event.
The Kansas Health Institute, a nonprofit health policy and research organization based in Topeka, has been awarded a grant of $69,276 to increase awareness of health insurance issues, health care costs, and potential policy options in Kansas.
Based in Hutchinson, the mission of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund is “Healthy Kansans through cooperative and strategic philanthropy guided by Christian principles.” Its funding comes from an endowment established in 1986 by the Kansas West Conference of the United Methodist Church from a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Wesley Hospital in Wichita. Since the Health Fund’s founding, grants totaling more than $41 million have supported hundreds of health-related projects in Kansas.
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