Health Fundamentals Newsletter
An online newsletter published by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.
March 2008 Special
Health Fund News
Innovation
Funding Grants Letter of Intent Deadline is April 7
This is just a reminder that the deadline for Innovation Funding grants Letters
of Intent is coming soon and we hope you are planning to submit your best
ideas. If you have questions concerning a project or this funding opportunity,
call Virginia Elliott or Kim Moore at 800-369-7191.
The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund has allocated
$500,000 for Innovation Funding grants in 2008. The funding is designed
to attract and support new approaches to oral health, access to health
care, and healthy lifestyles in Kansas. 
Through
the inaugural Innovation Funding program in 2007, 17 grants totaling
over $743,000 were awarded.
Applying for an Innovation Funding grant is a two-step process. An initial
letter of intent must be submitted to the Health Fund by April 7, 2008.
Those subsequently invited to submit a full proposal will be notified by
May 26. The invited proposals are due by July 7.
Full details of the Innovation Funding Grants Request for Letters of Intent and the online Letter of Intent form are available on the Health Fund website, www.healthfund.org.
If you have questions or concerns about the program, please contact Virginia
Elliott, Vice-President for Programs or Kim Moore,
President.
Email: velliott@healthfund.org or kmoore@healthfund.org
Phone: 800-369-7191
or 620-662-8586.
Health Fund Sponsors Kansas Airing of New PBS Series on What
Makes Us Sick
The Health Fund is sponsoring the airing of
a four-part documentary series on the social determinants of health on Kansas
PBS stations. “UNNATURAL
CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” will first air on KPTS
Wichita
on four consecutive Thursday nights starting March 27 from 9:00 p.m. to
10:00 p.m. On Topeka KTWU, the
series will air on Sundays at 2:30 p.m. beginning March 30. Smoky
Hills KOOD is scheduling the series to start
in May. The four-hour series looks at what makes us sick, investigating
new findings that suggest there is much more to poor health than bad habits,
inadequate health care or unlucky genes. The series circles in on a slow
killer in plain view: the social circumstances in which we are born, live
and work that can affect our risk of disease as surely as germs and viruses.
The Health Fund will offer complimentary copies, while supplies last, of the study guide “Health Through Faith and Community” as part of our sponsorship. The study guide, developed as a project of the Health Fund through the KU School of Social Welfare, is a resource for Christian faith communities to learn more about the spiritual and social factors that affect health and ways to promote personal and community well-being. Further details about the study guide appear in the following article.
Health Through Faith and Community Study Guide Offered
The Health Fund has a limited number of copies of the“Health
Through Faith and Community: A Study Resource for Christian Faith Communities
to Promote Personal and Social Well-Being” study guide available,
which we are offering to Kansans at no charge. 
To
request a copy, please use our simple online form or call 800-369-7191.
The curriculum contains eight study sessions which can be used independently or together as a multi-week class. The guide provides information and learning activities on the physical, mental, social, spiritual, and environmental aspects of health from an ecumenical Christian perspective.
The study guide is designed as an instructor resource, containing handouts and worksheets which may be copied and distributed to class participants. Participants do not need individual copies of the book.
The study guide was produced through a Health Fund grant and written by a team led by KU social work professor Ed Canda, Ph.D. Haworth Press is the publisher.
Supplemental materials to aid in teaching the curriculum are available at www.healthfaithstudy.info. The supplemental materials include electronic versions of the overheads and handouts contained in the book, and a special supplement available only online. Interested out of state persons or churches are encouraged to purchase the curriculum through Haworth Press. Additional information and online ordering is available at http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sku=5595.
Oral Health
Working to improve oral health through education, prevention, and access to care
Fluoride Varnish Mini-Summit Planned
for May 16, Topeka
Fluoride Varnish has been found to be effective in preventing caries on
permanent teeth, and has also recently been shown to prevent or reduce
caries in the primary teeth of young children.
The Fluoride Varnish Mini-Summit, to be held May 16 at the Kansas State Historical Museum, Topeka, KS, is a day to explore topics relating to fluoride varnish with dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, nurses, physicians, physicians' assistants, nurse practitioners, oral health advocates, early child care leaders, office practice managers, insurers, and community leaders. The Mini-Summit is not a clinical training, but focuses on policy and operational issues.
Questions to be discussed at the Mini-Summit include:
- How are we doing in expanding utilization in Kansas of this proven technique to reduce decay, especially in children?
- What are the opportunities to expand application of fluoride varnish in dental offices, medical practices, social service sites, and other settings?
Tracy Garland, former president of Washingon Dental Services Foundation, and a leader in developing new delivery systems for fluoride varnish in Washington State, will facilitate the summit.
Online registration and additional information about the event are available on the Health Fund website at http://www.healthfund.org/fvms08.php.
The Mini-Summit is co-sponsored by the Office of Oral Health, Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Oral Health Kansas; Kansas Dental Association; Kansas Dental Hygienist's Association; Kansas Academy of Family Physicians; Kansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; and the Health Fund.
Healthy Congregations
Working together with local United Methodist churches for a healthier Kansas
Register
Today! 7th Annual Healthy Congregations Retreat - It's Our
Treat!
The 2008 Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat for
United Methodists will be held April 11-12 at Rock Springs
4-H Center. Register online
today and look forward to enjoying two days of relaxation, interesting
and informational sessions, and networking with friends and peers
in a beautiful and peaceful natural setting. The retreat is provided
free of charge by the Health Fund. The event brings together United
Methodists with shared interests in congregational health ministries
and the promotion of holistic health and healthy lifestyles. The
retreat features a variety of sessions covering the spiritual,
mental, physical, and social components of health.
Who should attend the retreat?
- United Methodist parish nurses, local pastors, and other laity who are actively involved in congregational health ministries
- All who want to initiate new health and wellness ministries in their United Methodist congregations
- United Methodist church teams of two or three persons are encouraged to attend for mutual support after returning home
A $25/person refundable deposit is required for registration; the deposit will be returned during check-in.
Additional event information and online registration are available at www.healthfund.org/hcar.php.
We
Need Your Honest Opinion and We're Willing To Pay For It!
If you are a member of a Kansas United Methodist Church, we hope
you'll take a few minutes right now to complete an online
survey to help us improve our efforts to support and
encourage congregational health ministries throughout the state.
In appreciation, we'll make a $5 donation to a United Methodist
agency you select.
For over 11 years, the Health Fund has sponsored a variety of programs designed to support the implementation or expansion of health ministries in Kansas United Methodist churches. Our work has centered on three main programs: Healthy Congregations Grants, Healthy Congregations Retreat, and Healthy Congregations Recognition reporting.
Throughout that time, the Health Fund has awarded over $200,000 in grants, over 230 churches have reported health ministry activities, and nearly 600 persons have participated in the retreat. We congratulate and thank all the congregations which have started and grown health ministry programs over the years.
However, the Health Fund believes that more can be done, in more churches, throughout the state. We are interested in your feedback on the current Healthy Congregations programs and on your ideas for how we might reach more churches in the future.
The online survey is available on the Health Fund website. Your ideas and feedback are valuable to us! Please take a few minutes right now to complete the survey, and in appreciation the Health Fund will make a $5 donation to a United Methodist agency you select from a list at the end of the survey. The survey ends March 31, so please participate today!
C 2008 United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
www.healthfund.org – healthfund@healthfund.org – 620.662.8586 – 800.369.7191