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Health Fundamentals Newsletter

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

February 2009

Healthy Congregations

Working together with local United Methodist churches for a healthier Kansas

Healthy Congregations Program Deadline is March 1!
For 12 years, the Health Fund has supported health ministries through Healthy Congregations grants, annual retreats, and a recognition program. For 2009, the Health Fund is enthusiastically continuing its commitment with a simplified, new approach to foster greater participation and results. With the new approach, we hope more churches will find it easier, and more rewarding, to participate.

The new Healthy Congregations program is designed around a Covenant between your congregation, represented by the pastor and health ministry coordinator, and the Health Fund. This new program offers two participation options, to fit churches at different stages of health ministry development and commitment, with corresponding grant amounts.

Level Two participation includes training of a Health Ministry Team. Regional training sessions will be available for both "core courses" as well as a variety of "electives" covering a wide range of health-oriented topics. In addition, the Health Fund is developing an online resource library with recommended programs and practices, referrals, references, user forums, and other electronic tools.

For the first year of this new Healthy Congregations program, there are three options for participation. After this year, the only way to participate in Healthy Congregations will be through a Covenant.

Covenant of Participation - Level One
Designed for churches either just starting their involvement with health ministry or not yet ready to make the fuller commitment encompassed by the Level Two Covenant, Level One participation offers a $100 grant following completion of the Healthy Congregations report, with no further reporting required.

Covenant of Action - Level Two
Each church that commits to completing the capacity-building modules -- core courses -- of the training, and includes an activities plan with its Healthy Congregations report, will be awarded a $1,000 grant for program support.

Once a church has completed the core courses, it qualifies for a $1,000 grant each subsequent year by submitting a health ministry activities plan with its report. Churches which previously participated in the Healthy Congregations in Action pilot project are considered to have already completed the core courses and are eligible for the $1,000 grant each year they submit a report and plan.

New Healthy Congregations Report
The new Healthy Congregations Report, which fulfills the reporting requirements of the Covenant agreements, has been greatly simplified. The report asks for information on your 3 to 5 most effective health ministry activities. We're especially interested in knowing about new and innovative programs so we can share that information with other congregations.

Watch a recorded webcast and learn more:
In early February, we offered two webcasts to present the new program and answer audience questions. Recordings of those webcasts are available on our website. The recordings include the entire session, including slides and audio.

The deadline for report and plan submission is March 1, 2009. Full details of the new Healthy Congregations Covenant program are available on our website.

 

Healthy Congregations Retreat Coming Up May 1-2
The 2009 Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat for United Methodists will be held May 1-2, 2009. Register online today and look forward to enjoying two days of relaxation, interesting sessions, and networking with friends and peers in the beautiful and peaceful natural setting of Rock Springs 4-H Center, a scenic 735-acre conference site located in the Flint Hills. The retreat is provided free of charge by the Health Fund.

Visit our website to see videos and read comments from participants at this year's retreat as they describe the retreat experience in their own words and encourage others not to miss out on this "best-kept secret."

The Rev. Fred D. Smith, Ph. D. is the featured plenary speaker for the 2009 Retreat. Smith is the Associate Professor of Urban Ministry and Associate Director of the Practice of Ministry and Mission at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC. Health Fund President Kim Moore will present the opening plenary and will host a question and answer session on the new Healthy Congregations Covenant program.

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?

Sessions and workshops offered at this year's Retreat include:

*The Retreat is also the venue for several of the "Core Courses" needed to fulfill requirements of participation in the Healthy Congregations Level 2 Covenant program.

A $25/person refundable deposit is required for registration; the uncashed deposit check will be returned during check-in.

More event information, including a full schedule and online registration, is available at www.healthfund.org/hcar.php.

 

Health Ministry Grants Awarded
The United Methodist Church of Pretty Prairie has been awarded a $4,917 Healthy Congregations grant from the Health Fund to help establish a health ministry program serving the congregation and surrounding community. The grant funding will be used to purchase health ministry resources and educational materials. The project is directed by Greta Snell; the pastor is the Rev. Marilyn Christmore.

The United Methodist churches of the Jerusalem Road Parish--Leonardville UMC, Randolph UMC, Swede Creek UMC, and Fancy Creek UMC--have been awarded a $4,262 Healthy Congregations grant to help establish a recycling program, improve disaster preparedness, and suppport other health ministry programs to serve the congregation and community.

Jerusalem Road Parish will use grant funding to purchase recycling receptacles and other health ministry resources. An ecumenical regional meeting for rural churches will be held to help them work more efficiently and effectively with state and county disaster preparedness and response systems. The Rev. Michael and Rev. Sharlan Graber are the Parish pastors and team members of the Healthy Congregations movement. Helen Stucky Risdon, RN, is the grant project coordinator. Additional team members include Alyce Jean Specht and Del Cook, Fancy Creek; Tammie Henry, Randolph; Troy Lee, Leonardville; and Claudia Sullivan, Swede Creek.

The Healthy Congregations Grants program offered start-up grants of up to $5,000 to Kansas United Methodist churches to stimulate development of comprehensive congregational health and wellness ministries. The HC Grants program, which ended in December 2008, has been superseded by the new Healthy Congregations Covenant program.

Access to Health Care

Working to make primary health care available to all

Kansas Health Consumer Coalition Receives Health Fund Grant
A grant of $50,000 has been awarded to support the continued work of the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, Topeka. The Coalition is dedicated to affordable, accessible, and quality health care in Kansas. It raises the voice of health care consumers and serves as an educational resource for all Kansans. The organization was started in 2004 with partial funding support from the Health Fund.

 

Kansas Faith Alliance for Health Reform
Formed in 2007, the Kansas Faith Alliance for Health Reform (KFAHR) continues to pursue its vision of “equitable access to health care for all people of Kansas.” With a mission “to advocate collectively, as a people of faith, for a health care system guided by ethically acceptable policies,” the Kansas Faith Alliance for Health Reform seeks to:

As presented on its website, www.kfahr.org, the primary principle of KFAHR is that, using both public and private resources, society has a moral obligation and an economic imperative to ensure that everyone has access to an adequate level of health care without being subject to excessive barriers or costs. In looking at how society fulfills that moral obligation and economic imperative, the Alliance notes that society is made up of individuals who are simultaneously members of many overlapping public and private groups:

All of these entities play a role in fulfilling societal obligations; not all of the institutions that help bring about equitable access must be governmental. However, there is recognition that assuring the distribution of costs is equitable may require governmental policy, as noted in the findings of a 1983 Presidential Commission. Among those findings are that “…when the market and charity do not enable individuals to obtain adequate care or cause them to endure excessive burdens in doing so, then the responsibility to ensure that these people have equitable access to health care resides with local, state, and Federal governments.”

Nearly 300,000 Kansans lack health insurance coverage and thousands more are under-insured. Access to health care is materially affected by health insurance coverage, which means that thousands of Kansans struggle to receive the care services necessary for their health. Reports (available here and here on our website) underwritten by the Health Fund demonstrate clearly the increasing burden of medical debt on persons of low income and farmers right here in Kansas. There is a sense of growing insecurity about health insurance coverage in virtually all demographic groups in Kansas, including middle-income Kansans.

Persons interested in participating in the Alliance are encouraged to email info@kfahr.org or write to Barbara Gibson, Kansas Faith Alliance for Health Reform, 701 SW 8th Avenue Topeka, KS 66603. The Health Fund provided start-up funding support for the Alliance with a $17,500 grant in 2007.

Oral Health

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

Two New Grants Support Statewide Oral Health Efforts
The Health Fund has recently awarded two new grants supporting oral health throughout the state of Kansas. The Kansas Office of Oral Health will be able to continue to offer Kansas medical providers education and training in oral disease prevention through a grant of $50,000.Healthy Teeth for Kansans logo The program helps physicians, nurses, and other medical staff understand the medical providers' role in promoting oral health for young children. Dental hygienists working for the state oral health office offer training on application of fluoride varnish, an effective cavity prevention treatment that can be easily applied in medical offices. The program started in 2006 with a previous grant awarded by the Health Fund. This grant will fund the program through 2009.

Kansas Oral Health Director Katherine Weno, DDS, said she hopes to see fluoride varnish become standard medical practice for young children at risk of early childhood caries. "This is an all too common disease that can be easily prevented if all health care providers are on the same page about oral health for young children," Dr. Weno said in accepting the grant.

The Health Fund will continue its support of statewide oral health advocacy through a grant of $73,175 to Oral Health Kansas, Topeka. The 200-plus member coalition works to improve oral health in Kansas through advocacy, public awareness, and education. Oral Health Kansas was formed in 2003 with the help of a Health Fund grant. Since launching its oral health initiative in 1998, the Health Fund has invested nearly $9 million in improving the oral health of Kansans through grants to a variety of organizations.

Healthy Lifestyles

Promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity to maintain and improve health

Self-Care Workshops series underway; Garden City, Wichita are next sessions
The Health Fund is underwriting a series of free workshops for Kansas United Methodist clergy, clergy spouses, and church staff throughout 2009. Servant Leadership: Personal and Professional Self-Care provides a structured opportunity for individuals to examine their current choices within the areas of mental/emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health and to develop personalized plans for behavioral and environmental changes to improve their personal health. The next two workshops are scheduled for March 19-20 in Garden City, and April 16-17 in Wichita.

Workshop participants will explore the connections between spiritual, mental, social, and physical health; understand how servant leadership requires self-care; experience stress-management techniques; learn how to say "no"; self-assess current health behaviors and choices; and discuss current knowledge and recommendations for nutrition, physical activity, hydration, and sleep, and how to personally implement those recommendations.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed a structured self-care covenant for behavioral and environmental changes to improve personal health, and an accountability plan to help keep on track with the chosen self-care goals.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend one of these free events in your community. Pre-registration is required. Workshop details, dates, locations, and online pre-registration can be found on the Health Fund website www.healthfund.org/selfcare.php.

 

Child Care Training workshops and grants offered to church-based programs
A promising Kansas project aimed at integrating more physical activity and quality nutrition into child care programs is being made available through training by the Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (KACCRRA) and its seven resource and referral district offices. Healthy Kansas Kids has been developed through a grant from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. According to an evaluation conducted over the last two years, Healthy Kansas Kids is helping child care providers significantly improve nutrition and physical activity policies and practices.

Training workshops are offered statewide to all child care professionals. Approximately 100 child care providers are selected each year to participate in a more intensive coaching and professional development program called Excellent Care for Early Learning or EXCEL. These child care providers receive follow-up support and coaching on implementing practices taught in the training workshops. EXCEL participants are also eligible to receive a $500 grant upon meeting participation eligibility requirements.

KACCRRA has agreed to make this program available to child care programs provided by Kansas United Methodist Churches. With grant support from the Health Fund, church-sponsored child care programs would be eligible to participate in the EXCEL program which will include the $500 grants.

"This is an excellent opportunity to make a program that has demonstrated positive results available to our United Methodist churches," said Health Fund President Kim Moore. "We know there is a lot of interest in doing something about preventing obesity among children. Healthy Kansas Kids shows how evidence-based practices can be integrated into an established child care curriculum."

If your church might be interested in participating, please fill out an online interest form on our website. A representative of KACCRRA will follow up with you.

 

Kansas Afterschool Conference March 5-6 in Topeka
Kansas Enrichment Network (KEN) is hosting its annual conference March 5 and 6 at the Topeka Ramada Inn.  A Health Fund grant of $30,000 has supported KEN’s efforts to involve faith-based organizations in providing afterschool programs with an emphasis on physical activity.  In an effort to provide information specifically designed for faith-based programs, this year’s conference features a faith-based track of workshops on Thursday afternoon.  Grant writing, developing and strengthening programs, and working with blended families are topics for Building Faith-based Afterschool Programs. Registration for Thursday is $65; the entire two-day conference registration fee is $120.  Kansas Community Education Association is co-hosting the conference with KEN.  For details and registration, visit www.kansasenrichment.net.

 

Natural Play Environments workshop scheduled for March 6 in Hesston
The Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (KACCRRA) is presenting a Natural Play Environments Workshop March 6 at the Hesston Community Center. The one-day professional development event focuses on designing outdoor play spaces for young children.  The event is designed for anyone interested in creating beautiful, engaging outdoor environments for young children including family child care professionals, child care center staffs, parents, park directors, landscape designers and architects, school principals, teachers, nature center directors, health and safety inspectors, college professors, students, and writers.

The keynote speaker is Rusty Keeler, author of the book Natural Playscapes. The workshop includes principles outlined in the book, which may be ordered on the workshop registration form. The book is available for preview at www.exchangepress.com. Pre-registration is required by February 25. For more information about the workshop, visit KACCRRA's website at www.kaccrra.org or email tracie@kaccrra.org.

The workshop is supported by a portion of the Health Fund's Healthy Kansas Kids grant to KACCRRA. Healthy Kansas Kids targets development and promotion of best practices for physical activity and nutrition in early childhood education.

General News

Innovation Funding grants update
Innovation Funding grants will not be offered this year.  The program was made available in 2007 and 2008 as a way to gather some of the best ideas for impacting our three health focus issues in Kansas—oral health, access to healthcare, and healthy lifestyles.  We received 162 applications and awarded 33 Innovation Funding grants.  Our total investment in these grants was $1.4 million. 

This is an exciting time for the Health Fund and a time of transition.  In 2009, we are evaluating the three focus areas of our funding since 2003 and also planning for the best way to use our resources to advance health, healing, and wholeness in the future. 

Many Kansans have already participated in discussion groups or interviews on health issues and offered ideas on how the Health Fund might improve health outcomes in Kansas. Information is being gathered and evaluated by our Board of Trustees.  A decision is expected at the end of the year on the Health Fund’s focus for 2010 through at least 2012. 

 

Uplifting video program available for checkout
“Celebrate What’s Right with the World,” with National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones, encourages us to celebrate the things that are right with the world, to recognize our possibilities, and to find solutions for the challenges before us. Filled with inspirational photography and dialogue, the video is designed to help viewers approach their lives with celebration, confidence, and grace.

Nonprofit organizations may check out the video free of charge by contacting Stephanie at salexander@healthfund.org, 620-662-8586, or 800-369-7191. Availability is limited and subject to previous scheduling; please contact us well ahead of the requested viewing date.


Health Through Faith and Community study guide available
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. Health Through Faith and Community Book Cover 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. Book ordering information for out-of-state persons or churches is also available on the supplemental website.

C 2009 United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
www.healthfund.org – healthfund@healthfund.org – 620.662.8586 – 800.369.7191