Health Fundamentals Newsletter

An online newsletter published by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.

Volume 1 - Issue 4 - November 9, 2004

Access to Health Care

Working to make professional health care available to all

New Access Grants Awarded

The Health Fund has recently awarded $87,141 in new grants to several projects targeting access to health care in Kansas. Improving access to professional health care has long been a concern of the Health Fund and is one of the Fund’s current strategic focus areas. The current round of access grants include the following:

$40,141 to the Good Samaritan Clinic, Wichita, to assist in the start-up of a mobile medical clinic, providing care for the uninsured and medically underserved;
$10,000 to the University of Kansas to help fund a study of the small group insurance marketplace in Kansas and the impact of subsidies on the number of uninsured. The Commonwealth Fund of New York, NY is providing the primary funding for this project;
$30,000 to Inter-Faith Ministries, Wichita, to develop the Kansas Benefit Bank, a web-based tool to streamline the application process for various state and federal health, child nutrition, and poverty reduction benefits; and,
$7,000 to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for assistance in funding the inaugural Minority Health Conference

Oral Health

Working to improve oral health through education, prevention, and access to care

Hutchinson Water Fluoridation Narrowly Voted Down

Despite supporting efforts by a number of local dentists, physicians, and citizen health advocates, Hutchinson voters, faced with a confusing ballot question, narrowly voted to repeal a measure which would have reduced cavities and improved oral health for residents through optimum fluoridation of the city water supply.

In July, the City Council unanimously passed an ordinance calling for the optimal fluoridation of the municipal water supply to reduce tooth decay and benefit oral health. Fluoridation opponents arranged a petition drive and produced enough signatures to bring a recall question to the general election ballot.

A concern for fluoridation advocates was the confusing way the question was worded on the ballot. The question presented to voters asked whether to authorize an ordinance overturning the ordinance previously passed by the Council calling for fluoridation. The result was that a “yes” vote would be against fluoridation, while a “no” vote was required to support the addition of fluoride.

Healthy Teeth for Hutchinson, a coalition of local dental and medical health professionals and citizens concerned about oral health, led a campaign in support of fluoridation and sought to clarify the potentially confusing ballot question to voters.

As part of its ongoing efforts toward improving oral health, the Health Fund had offered the city a grant of $247,534 to pay for the equipment and related costs to begin water fluoridation.

New Oral Health Grants Awarded

The Health Fund recently awarded over $318,000 in grants to improve oral health in Kansas.
Oral health has been a priority for the Health Fund for many years and continues to hold a place of importance as one of the Fund’s current strategic focus areas. The new grants include:

$150,000 to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) in support of the new state Office of Oral Health;
$5,000 to the Marian Clinic, Topeka, for assistance in redesigning its dental program to enhance and expand services;
$14,175 to The Aging Research Institute to improve oral health for residents of Kansas nursing homes through the education of nurses and certified nurse assistants by a registered dental hygienist;
$75,000 over three years to the Virginia Brown Community Orthodontic Partnership, Kansas City, for start up of a new program to serve Wichita and western Kansas; and,
$74,100 over two years to the Douglas County Dental Clinic to continue a comprehensive dental care program including emphasis on Medicaid services for children.

Healthy Lifestyles

Promoting healthy nutrition and healthy activity to maintain and improve health

New Grants Awarded to Support Healthy Lifestyles Programs

Health research continues to increasingly show that developing and maintaining healthy lifestyle choices is a critical factor in the prevention of disease and disorders and is key to living longer, healthier, richer lives. One of the Health Fund’s strategic focus areas is the promotion of healthy nutrition choices and increased physical activity. Eight grants totaling over $323,000 have recently been awarded to programs seeking to help Kansans develop healthy habits for life:

$32,605 to GraceMed Health Clinic of Wichita to develop a healthy classrooms initiative at Lincoln Elementary School;
$79,200 to Kansas Ecumenical Ministries, Topeka, for an 18-month project to improve the health of Kansas clergy;
$41,001 to United Methodist Western Kansas Mexican-American Ministries, Garden City, for a new “Step Out for Good Health” program which will be offered in UMWKMAM’s centers in Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal, and Ulysses;
$32,627 to the Community Health Center of Hutchinson to develop educational materials and activities promoting healthy eating and physical activity;
$40,117 to Hunter Health Clinic, Wichita, for a prevention program aimed at reducing the incidence of diabetes;
$45,000 to the Center for Health and Wellness, Wichita, for help in implementing “Prescription for Prevention” in conjunction with the primary health care services provided at the center;
$19,998 to the Kansas Nutrition Network at Kansas State University to implement a social marketing campaign, “Pick a Better Snack,” designed to encourage the consumption of more fruits and vegetables; and,
$32,650 to the We Care Clinic of Great Bend to launch a new “Shape Up and Trim Down” program promoting healthy nutrition and exercise.

The six grants to clinics are partially funded by a grant from the Compassion Capital Fund of the US Department of Health and Human Services, with Emory University, Atlanta, acting as the intermediary.

Congregational Health Partnership

Working together with local United Methodist churches for a healthy Kansas

Latest Congregational Health Ministry Grants Announced

The Health Fund has recently awarded Congregational Health Ministry Grants to several Kansas United Methodist Churches to support parish nurse ministry programs.

First United Methodist Church, Winfield, has been awarded a $4,500 grant to help expand a Parish Nurse program to better serve the congregation and community. Grant funding will be used to purchase furniture, equipment, and other health ministry resources. The grant project director is Beth Wilke, and the pastor of First United Methodist Church is Rev. Phyllis Kumorowski.

West Heights United Methodist Church, Wichita, receives a $4,981 grant to help expand its parish nursing program. Grant funding will be used to purchase equipment and education materials, provide parish nurse training, and sponsor a health fair. The grant project director is Janet Miller, parish nurse for West Heights. The pastor is John Martin.

Lyndon United Methodist Church has been awarded a $5,000 grant to establish a health and wellness ministry to serve the congregation and community. Grant funding will be used for parish nurse training, equipment, supplies and other resources. The grant project director is JoAnn Pouch and the pastor of Lyndon UMC is Rev. Robert Conway.

Under the Health Fund’s Congregational Health Ministry initiative, start-up grants of up to $5,000 are available to local Kansas United Methodist churches to stimulate the development of comprehensive congregational health and wellness ministries. It is the hope of the Health Fund that these one-time grants, added to local church resources, will mobilize strong volunteer efforts to address many facets of health, healing, and wholeness in congregations and communities throughout Kansas.

Two New Faith in Action Grants Awarded by the Health Fund

Two grants have recently been awarded to Kansas Faith in Action (FIA) programs. Community Health Center, St. George, receives a $25,000 grant to continue its FIA program which serves people in a four-county area. Shepherd’s Center, Shawnee Mission, has also received $25,000 to support its FIA project.

The Kansas projects are part of a larger national Faith in Action program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which matches volunteers from the faith community with individuals needing assistance to remain independent in their own homes. The volunteer visitors help the aging, disabled, or chronically ill with transportation, light housekeeping, minor home repairs, meal preparation, and other services in addition to providing a friendly visit.

Save the Date - 4th Annual Health Ministry Renewal Conference, April 8-9, 2005

The fourth annual Health Ministry Renewal Conference is scheduled for April 8 and 9 at Rock Springs 4-H Center. Add those dates to your calendar and look for updates as the conference planning progresses!

Dr. Richard Swenson is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the event. Swenson, the author of Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, has worked to alert people to the dangers of overextending and overloading, taking on so many activities and responsibilities that quality of life is diminished. Dr. Swenson spoke earlier this year at the Kansas East and Kansas West Annual Conferences about ways to “restore the margin to our overloaded lives” and to restore our physical and emotional energy.

Arrangements are in progress to make nurse and pastor Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available to attendees.
The conference is designed to provide participants with a number of benefits, including:

Information about what local churches are doing to encourage healthy lifestyles through healthy physical activity and healthy food choices, one of the Health Fund's strategic focus areas;
Renewed personal energy through shared spiritual activities in a scenic retreat setting;
Useful information about current health ministries in Kansas United Methodist congregations; and,
Networking opportunities with others having shared interests and motivations toward congregational health ministries

General/Other News

Two New Members Join Health Fund Programming & Evaluation Committee

The Health Fund is pleased to announce that Sheila Frahm and David Jacobs have joined the Health Fund’s Programming and Evaluation Committee.

Sheila Frahm, a Colby native, brings her knowledge and experience from a long history of public service. Frahm has served as a member and majority leader of the Kansas Senate, as a member of the United States Senate, and as Kansas Lieutenant Governor. In the education arena, Frahm has served as a member of the Colby Public Schools Board of Education, as a member and vice chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, and currently serves as executive director of the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees.

Frahm is an active member of Colby United Methodist Church, and has served on several church committees.

David Jacobs, of Salina, also brings a wide variety of learning and experience to the Committee through his service to a number of secular and church organizations. Jacobs has served as Area Director of Salina Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS), as a board member of the Salina Area United Way, and served a distinguished 21-year career in the US Air Force. Additionally, Jacobs is a member of the KS West UM Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, serves on the advisory councils of Bethany College and Family First (SRS), and serves as a trustee of the Greater Salina Community Foundation.

Jacobs is an active member of Quayle United Methodist Church and currently serves on the Church Council.

The Programming and Evaluation Committee is responsible for reviewing grant proposals and presenting funding recommendations to the full Board of Trustees. The Committee also works on an ongoing basis to evaluate the effectiveness of the Health Fund’s actions toward achieving its mission of “Healthy Kansans through cooperative and strategic philanthropy guided by Christian principles”.

2003 Annual Report Available Online

The Health Fund's 2003 Annual Report is available on our website: http://www.healthfund.org and is a good source of information about who we are, what we do, and how we do it. The Annual Report features information about our strategic focus areas, our work in congregational health ministries, a list of grants made in 2003, and financial and other background information. It's a resource for anyone interested in Kansas United Methodist Health Philanthropy in Action.

You can view our annual reports at http://www.healthfund.org/annreports.php and you can sign up to receive annual reports via e-mail at http://www.healthfund.org/commsignup.php

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