News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: February 1, 2008
For more information, contact Virginia Elliott, Vice President for Programs, 620-662-8586

United Methodist Health Ministry Fund announces new grants

Hutchinson, KS—The Health Fund is pleased to announce over $788,000 in new health grants to increase access to health care, improve oral health, and promote healthy lifestyles through better nutrition and exercise in Kansas.

The Kansas Head Start Association, Lawrence, receives a grant of $155,760 to create a more coordinated system of oral health care for young children. The goals of the program are to assure that children enrolled in Head Start and other early learning programs receive dental assessments, preventive services, and treatment in a timely manner.

The Salina Family Healthcare Center has been awarded $115,000 to expand its dental clinic services. The grant will support hiring a second dentist and a hygienist after a new dental director is hired. The clinic expects to take hygiene services to counties surrounding Salina as part of its expansion.

The Health Fund has pledged a second grant of $500,000 to the continued development of regional dental clinics to serve low-income Kansans if an additional $1 million can be raised. The Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, Topeka, is coordinating an effort started this year to develop “dental hubs” in community health centers statewide. Each “hub” will offer dental services on a sliding fee scale based on income and provide outreach prevention services to a broader geographic region using dental hygienists. The Health Fund joined other private funders and the Kansas Legislature in supporting the “dental hub” development project. Health Fund President Kim Moore explained that the Health Fund’s commitment of a million dollars to regional access to health care is a strong statement from the foundation, which awards total grants of just over $3 million a year. “It will take several years to achieve the kind of geographic reach envisioned with the dental hub plan, and we hope our early commitment to continuing this development will encourage others to join in and provide needed support.”

Support for the newly-created Kansas Faith Alliance for Health Reform comes in the form of a $17,500 general operating grant from the Health Fund. The Alliance supports faith-based advocacy for health care reform in Kansas and provides people of the faith community with information about health care reform issues. The Alliance’s advocacy agenda for 2008 includes support for expanded health coverage for children and low income adults, and suppression of tobacco through increased taxation and restriction on usage in public places.

The Kiowa County Health Department will sponsor a community health screening for Greensburg area residents. Lab tests will be available to help determine those in the county who may have health issues stemming from the May 4th, 2007 tornado. The Health Fund is providing underwriting for the lab tests so that this service can be provided without charge.

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 $47 million have supported hundreds of health-related projects in Kansas.

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