Health Fundamentals
August 2009
Sections: News | Funding and Resources | Events
News
New grants announced
The Kansas Faith Alliance for Health Reform has been awarded a grant of $25,000. The 136-member advocacy group was formed in 2008 to support the creation of an equitable health care system where decisions are guided by ethical policies. With this grant, the Alliance will continue to build membership and offer information and training to its members. The organization is managed by the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition in Topeka.
Kansas Wesleyan University, Salina, will continue its “Healthy Living on Campus” initiative in partnership with University United Methodist Church with the support of a recent $37,000 Health Fund grant. The program is designed to encourage students to make healthy lifestyle choices including eating nutritious foods and engaging in adequate physical activity.
Kansas Benefit Bank survey completed
A survey of counselors offering Kansas Benefit Bank services indicated overall satisfaction with the web-based program, but also revealed barriers to its more widespread use in Kansas. The survey was commissioned by the Health Ministry Fund and conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Ablah of the KU School of Medicine—Wichita.
Dr. Ablah concluded that most of the concerns voiced in the study are easily addressed with some changes in training and follow-up technical assistance on use of the software.The larger issue, she said, is outside the control of the Kansas Benefit Bank. Most of the Kansas benefits can’t be filed online, so a key advantage of a one-stop-shop for benefits to which Kansans are entitled is lost.
Even without online submission of applications for all benefits, the ability to look at the broad spectrum of benefits in one place with the assistance of a trained counselor is a huge advantage for many low-income Kansans, according to co-directors of the Kansas Benefit Bank, Pat Cameron and Anita Raghavan.
The Kansas Benefit Bank, offered to agencies statewide through Inter-Faith Ministries of Wichita, is a web-based counselor-assisted program designed to improve access for low- to moderate-income Kansans to all the benefits to which they are entitled. It is intended to simplify the process of applying for state and federal benefits and filing state and federal income taxes. Applicants are assisted by trained counselors to enter information on a computer that will alert them to benefits for which they qualify—such as food assistance, Medicaid, HealthWave, or child care assistance—based on their tax filing. The program is also capable of filing online for benefits if online applications are accepted. If not, Kansas Benefit Bank counselors print out applications for mailing. The service, including state and federal income tax filing, is free to applicants.
The Benefit Bank is available at 47 sites in Kansas. Developed by Solution for Progress and started in Philadelphia in 1999, the Benefit Bank is available in eight states. The Kansas program was introduced five years ago with support of a Health Ministry Fund grant, but only offered federal tax filing and benefits until the Kansas specific software was developed and implemented over the last two years. This development with an emphasis on making services available in the southwestern regions of Kansas is supported by grants from the Health Ministry Fund and the Sunflower Foundation of Topeka.
Kim Moore, Health Fund president, said the results of the survey clearly showed a commitment on the part of Kansas agencies currently making the Benefit Bank available. “It is less clear why the program is not spreading faster and not used more.”
Part of that answer very likely lies in the inability to file for Kansas benefits online. “It just takes more time and trouble to print out an application, gather documentation, prepare it for mailing or faxing, and make sure the client follows through,” Moore commented. “In those cases, we heard it may be faster to just use a paper form for a single benefit such as food assistance.”
“It may just depend on the situation,” Moore added. “Those agencies that offer broad assistance to clients rather than assistance in a particular area such as food or utilities may find the Benefit Bank more helpful year around.”
Inter-Faith Ministries is responding to the survey with plans to improve training and technical assistance. The ability to support agencies offering the service will be enhanced through the availability of AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers planned for later this year with support of a federal grant.
“We have an opportunity to significantly expand the availability of the Kansas Benefit Bank,” said Pat Cameron, co-director of the program. “The survey of counselor experiences with the program will help us use our resources more strategically and open further discussion with state officials on the potential of future online submission of applications for benefits.”
More information on the Kansas Benefit Bank is available by calling or emailing co-directors Pat Cameron (pcameron@ifmnet.org) or Anita Raghavan (araghavan@ifmnet.org).
Funding and Resources
“Think of the Possibilities” funding available; deadline September 1
The Health Fund invites you to think of the possibilities and submit proposals to help your organization realize “special opportunities” to address three health issues in Kansas:
- Healthful physical activity and nutrition for young children (ages 0-6);
- Early screening, identification, prevention and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral health issues of young children (ages 0-6); and
- Access to primary care for unserved and underserved Kansans
The Health Fund’s Board has committed $500,000 to this grant program. The maximum grant that may be requested is $75,000.
Think of the Possibilities grants are intended to provide “special opportunities” to organizations working in one of the three health issue areas noted above. This funding opportunity supports the following types of projects:
- Start-up or material expansion of an activity with sustainability beyond the grant term
- Meaningful innovation in an existing activity to improve the efficiency, quality, or scale of the work
- Attraction of new dollars from outside the State or funding from a source not previously supporting similar work
- Bridge funding for an existing service threatened by current economic conditions
Letters of Interest through the online application system are due September 1, 2009. A limited number of the most promising concepts will be selected and invited to submit final proposals due by October 26. Awards will be made before the end of the year.
Full details and a sample application form for Think of the Possibilities grants are available on the Health Fund website healthfund.org.
Questions may be directed to Virginia Elliott, Vice President for Programs, at 800-369-7191 or velliott@healthfund.org.
Healthy Congregations Covenant program offers funding, training, support
The Healthy Congregations Covenant program is designed to provide training, funding, and technical support to help Kansas United Methodist churches develop and grow effective, high quality health ministry programs.
The program offers two participation options to fit churches at different stages of health ministry development and commitment.
Covenant of Participation - Level One
For churches just starting their health ministry programs or not yet ready to make the greater commitment of the Level Two Covenant, Level One participation provides $100 annually with completion of a simple report.
Covenant of Action - Level Two
Level Two participation includes training of a health ministry team and development of an annual work plan. Each church that commits to completing the seven capacity-building core training courses, submitting an annual work plan, and submitting an annual activity report will be awarded a $1,000 “signing bonus” for program and training support.
Once a Level Two team has achieved “certified” status by completing the core courses within 24 months, the church qualifies for $1,000 cash support each subsequent year by submitting a health ministry activity plan and report by the annual March 1 deadline.
Simplified reporting
The new Healthy Congregations Report, which fulfills the Covenant reporting requirements, has been greatly simplified. The report requests details of the church's 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.
Churches may sign up for the covenant program throughout the year. Churches signing up as Level 2 participants will receive an initial $1,000 “signing bonus” for training and program support once their completed Covenant form has been accepted. Details of the new Healthy Congregations Covenant program are available on our website.
Attention church child care programs - training available
How active are our young children these days? Not as active as you might believe, based on recent studies of child care programs. Healthy Kansas Kids is a free training program that is helping child care programs rev up the child care day to get young children more active and eating better. It offers you and your child care volunteers and employees proven techniques for integrating more physical activity and nutrition into your program. Healthy Kansas Kids is a year-long training opportunity open to licensed part-day or full-day child care programs that serve children from birth to age 8.
Participating programs receive free in-service training on how to promote healthy eating habits in young children, as well as ways to design and promote physical play indoors and out. On-site technical assistance and mini-grants (up to $500) are other components of the program. Healthy Kansas Kids is offered statewide through the Kansas Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (KACCRRA) and funded through a grant from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.
For eligibility requirements and additional information, please contact the KACCRRA Healthy Kansas Kids Director, Cathy Gray (cathy@kaccrra.org). The program may fill up fast, so email Cathy soon if you want the children in your care to move more and eat better!
Events
Healthy Congregations Covenant webinar August 10
To familiarize churches with the details of the Healthy Congregations Covenant program, the Health Fund is offering a free webinar Monday, August 10 at 6 p.m. During the webinar, Health Fund staff will present an overview of the program and answer your questions. We encourage Kansas United Methodists to join us and find out how we can provide resources to help support health ministries in your congregation. Registration is required; this session is limited to 25 persons, so register today to hold your place! If you won't be able to be at a computer, you are welcome to participate via telephone.
Healthy Congregations Covenant training sessions
The Health Fund is sponsoring a series of regional training courses to help Kansas United Methodist churches develop and grow effective health ministry programs. The trainings include seven "core" courses as well as a number of electives. There is no cost to register or attend, but pre-registration is required.
The courses count toward the training requirements of the Healthy Congregations Covenant program, but a Covenant agreement is not required to attend. If your church may be interested in future participation, or you would just like to learn more about ways to deliver high-quality health ministries, we encourage you to register today.
The 7 Core courses are:
- Health Ministry 101 - 3 hours
- Volunteer Recruitment & Retention - 2 hours
- Outcomes-based Planning - 2 hours
- Group Facilitation Techniques - 2 hours
- Program Options & How to Plan Program Events - 2 hours
- Health Communications & Marketing - 2 hours
- Program Evaluation & Using Data - 2 hours
Training dates for 2009 are August 29 and October 10. Each training day offers four courses (three core and one elective). The trainings are offered simultaneously at five regional locations across the state including Wichita, Topeka, Pittsburg, Hays, and Garden City.
More event information, including a full schedule, a list of elective courses, and online registration, is available at www.healthfund.org/hcctraining.php.
Servant Leadership: Personal and Professional Self-Care workshops
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 workshops are scheduled for September 3rd in Wichita, September 15th in Hays, and September 29th in Manhattan.
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 calendar and plan to attend one of these free events in a community near you. 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.
Workshop on oral health for elders September 23, Wichita
Oral Health Kansas, a statewide organization dedicated to improving oral health in Kansas through advocacy, public awareness, and education, is holding a workshop for oral health professionals titled “Focusing on Elders: Supporting Their Need for Optimum Oral Health” September 23 at the Hyatt Hotel, Wichita, KS.
The workshop will be presented by Gregory Folse, DDS. Dr. Folse is a graduate of the Louisiana State University Dental School and has a mobile geriatric dental practice in Lafayette, LA. In 2008, he received national attention when the Washington Post reported on his selfless devotion to elders. Last year, Folse was the keynote presenter at the OHK annual conference.
Workshop participants will learn:
- Ways to participate in realistic oral health treatment plans for elders based on their other health conditions
- How to provide treatment in long-term care settings and community settings for those who cannot participate in a traditional dental visit
- Techniques to treat patients who are fearful, are affected by dementia, are uncooperative, or are unable to communicate effectively
- When palliative oral health care is the best decision
The program is supported by a Health Fund grant to Oral Health Kansas, working in partnership with the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging to improve the oral health of frail elders.
The workshop provides 3 CE credits. Pre-registration is required, as seating is limited. The $25 reservation fee covers workshop materials. For questions or more information, please call Oral Health Kansas, Inc. at 785.235.6094, email jparnell@oralhealthkansas.org, or visit www.oralhealthkansas.org.
C 2009 United Methodist Health Ministry Fund - Subscribe to this newsletter