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Health Fundamentals Newsletter

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

June 2007

Health Fund News

Health Fund President Kim Moore to be General Conference Delegate
At the Kansas West Annual Conference this May, Health Fund President Kim Moore was elected to represent Kansas West as a delegate to the United Methodist General Conference in 2008. Each of the 63 U.S. state or regional United Methodist Conferences elects clergy and lay delegates to the denomination’s highest legislative body, the General Conference. The General Conference is convened once every four years and includes representatives from both the U.S. and the 53 conferences in Europe, Africa, and the Philippines.

Trustee News
The Health Fund recently recognized two retiring Trustees for their over nine years each of loyal service to the mission, work, and life of the Fund. Rod Kreie, Ulysses, has served on the Finance and Investment, Audit, Board Development, and Executive Committees. During his tenure, Rod filled a number of roles including Board Treasurer and chair of the Audit, Finance, and Board Development Committees. Gary Mundhenke, Hutchinson, has served on the Finance and Investment, Board Development, and Executive Committees, and his roles have included chair of the Board Development and Finance Committees and Board Treasurer. Gary’s tenure on the Health Fund Board overlapped that of the last class of charter trustees.

The Health Fund would like to extend a warm welcome to Lynette Lacy, Paul Moore, and Laurie White as the newest members of its Board of Trustees. We would also like to welcome Doug Farmer, Garney Hill, and Kathy Larson as new non-trustee committee members.

Lynette Lacy, Hutchinson, is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church and is a leadership and management consultant at KL Connections. Lynette is a former executive director of the Hutchinson Community Foundation and has served on the Allocations Committee of the United Way of Reno County and on the boards of Communities that Care in Reno County, the Mental Health Association of Reno County, and the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce.

Paul Moore, Wichita, is a portfolio banker with Intrust Bank and a member of East Heights United Methodist Church. Paul has served on the Gift Annuity Advisory Committee of Friends University, as a Board member and Treasurer of Kids Voting Kansas, Sedgwick County, and is an adjunct instructor for corporate finance in the Friends University executive MBA program. Paul will serve as Vice Chair of the Investment Committee beginning in July. Paul joins the Board after serving as a non-trustee member of the Investment Committee.

Laurie White, OD, a Dodge City optometrist and member of Dodge City First UMC, joined the Health Fund in 2005 as a non-trustee member of the Programming and Evaluation Committee. She now joins the full Board, where her expertise and guidance will continue to be valued. Laurie has served as Director at Large for, and is currently President of, the Kansas Optometric Association, was Dodge City President of the Soroptimists International, has participated in Leadership Dodge, and has contributed her time and energies to programs including Vision USA and See to Learn. Laurie has also volunteered for eight international missions to Central and South America.

Doug Farmer, Topeka, joins the Programming and Evaluation Committee as a non-trustee member. Farmer, a member of Susanna Wesley UMC, Topeka, is currently serving as Chief of Staff to Attorney General Paul Morrison. Doug is a Kansas Public Health Leadership Institute scholar, and was an Oral Health Champion leadership program participant. Previous positions he has held include KDHE Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary at the Kansas Department on Aging, and Senior Budget Analyst in the Kansas Division of the Budget.

Garney Hill, Derby, will serve on the Investment Committee as a non-trustee member. Hill is a member of Saint Mark UMC, Wichita, where he serves as Director of Business Affairs. He has previously been a Business Development Officer for Hillcrest Bank in Wichita and was owner and president of B&B Financial Services, Wichita. Garney serves as treasurer of the Urban League of the Mid Plains, has served as treasurer of the W.G. Williams Community Foundation, and was a facilitator at the 2006 Kansas Community Leadership Initiative III.

Kathy Larson, Pretty Prairie, is an instructor at Hutchinson Community College and is a member of Pretty Prairie UMC. Kathy joins the Programming and Evaluation Committee as a non-trustee member. She is currently the Department Chairperson of the Business, Agriculture, and Family and Consumer Sciences department at HCC. Larson is a member of the Society for Nutrition Education, has been treasurer of the Kansas Nutrition Council, and has served in a number of capacities with the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and its Kansas counterpart (AAFCS and KAFCS). Locally, Kathy has served USD 311 in roles including Board President and Representative to the Reno County Education Cooperative Board. She is currently a member of the USD 311 Wellness Committee as well as the district’s Family and Consumer Sciences Advisory Committee.

The Health Fund is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees, all United Methodists from the Kansas West UM Conference. The Health Fund relies on the expertise of several non-trustee committee members to provide a wider perspective in a number of issue areas.

Nineteen Organizations Invited to Submit Innovation Funding Applications
The Innovation Funding grant opportunity attracted 101 Letters of Intent. Proposed projects came from all regions of Kansas and addressed the Health Fund’s three focus areas. A review committee selected 19 to invite to submit grant applications. Innovation Funding grants will be announced in September. At least ten projects are expected to be selected for funding from the $500,000 committed to Innovation Funding. Kim Moore, Health Fund president, said there were many interesting projects proposed and was pleased with the quality of the ideas. “It finally came down to how innovative the project was for the review committee. We were looking for some new approaches, but also trying to balance that with realism. This was a competitive process.”

Innovation Funding is a new grant opportunity for 2007. A decision about whether Innovation Funding will be available in 2008 has not yet been made but should be announced by the end of the year.

Annual Report Available
The Health Fund's 2006 Annual Report is now available on our website at: www.healthfund.org/annreports.php. A good source of information about the purpose and work of the Health Fund, the Annual Report features information about our strategic focus areas, our work in congregational health ministries, a list of grants made in 2006, and financial and other background information. If you would prefer a printed copy of our Annual Report, please contact us and we’ll be happy to send one.

Healthy Congregations Retreat Participants Donate to Nothing But Nets Program
33 participants attending the Health Fund’s 2007 Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat elected to donate their registration deposits to Nothing But Nets, a malaria prevention campaign which provides insecticide-treated bed nets to families in Africa. A total of $850, including a Health Fund staff contribution, was collected and forwarded to Nothing But Nets. All funds forwarded to Nothing But Nets came from personal donations; Health Fund grants are limited solely to projects benefiting the health of Kansans.

For every $10 donation, Nothing But Nets purchases a bed net, delivers it to a family, and explains its use. The nets, each of which can protect a family of four for up to four years, create a protective barrier at night, when the majority of malaria transmissions occur. Additionally, when enough nets are present in a community, the resulting reduction in mosquito populations makes everyone safer, even those without nets.

Following a presentation on Nothing But Nets at the 2007 Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat, a participant suggested that the Health Fund offer to forward any unwanted deposit checks to purchase bed nets through the program. Registering for the Retreat requires a deposit which is normally returned at the event.

The Nothing But Nets campaign originally began as a partnership between the United Nations Foundation, the Mark Gordon Foundation, NBA (National Basketball Association) Cares, The People of the United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated. Nothing But Nets has since grown to include a number of additional partners and has delivered over 708,000 nets. For more information, visit www.nothingbutnets.net.

Inspirational video 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 by contacting the Health Fund at healthfund@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.

Access to Health Care

Working to make primary health care available to all

Health Care Reform in Kansas
In May, Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed into law Senate Bill 11, which seeks to provide a beginning to health care reform, with the ultimate goal being access to affordable health care for all Kansans. The approved bill, which passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate, is the result of a health care reform package presented to the Legislature in March by the Kansas Health Policy Authority and the Health for All Kansans Steering Committee. The package included the following:

The bill instructs KHPA and the Health for All Kansans Steering Committee to study various health care reform options and present a plan by November for the consideration of the Legislature and the Governor. Those plan options are currently being developed with input from four advisory councils comprised of stakeholders, whose work is already in progress. This summer, KHPA will be conducting a listening tour to visit with Kansans about providing and protecting affordable health insurance, preventing health problems before they start, and taking personal responsibility for health as individuals and as communities. This approach to health care reform is data-driven and bipartisan, with thoughtful analysis and stakeholder input at all stages. KHPA has also been closely looking at strategies that have worked for the ten other states which have already implemented some level of health care reform. For more information, visit the KHPA website at www.khpa.ks.gov or the Kansas Health Institute news service site at: www.khi.org.

Kansas Health Scorecard Reports Released
Two state health scorecard reports recently released provide detailed data on the quality of health and health care in Kansas as compared with other states.

Aiming Higher: Results from a State Scorecard on Health System Performance, produced by the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, ranks states on 32 performance indicators of access, quality, avoidable hospital use and costs, and healthy lives. The scorecard also provides a health equity ranking, based on the gaps between the most vulnerable groups and the U.S. national averages for selected indicators.

According to the scorecard, Kansas ranks 20th overall out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. On the component ratings, Kansas ranks 17th in access, 19th in quality, 26th in avoidable hospital use and costs, 34th in equity, and 27th in healthy lives.

The scorecard also shows the estimated impact if a state’s performance on 11 selected indicators improved to that of the best-rated state. For example, if Kansas’ performance improved to the level of the best-performing state in each category, then:

Much greater detail is available on the Commonwealth Fund State Scorecard website: www.commonwealthfund.org/statescorecard/. The Kansas Health Institute has invited the authors of the Commonwealth Fund report to meet with KHI staff and various stakeholders in July for a discussion of the report and what it can contribute to ongoing efforts to improve health in Kansas.

State Snapshots is produced annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (ARHQ). The online State Snapshots report provides a number of “Performance Meter” graphics indicating at a glance both the state’s current rating for that measure, and whether the current rating has improved or declined since the last rating. Health care quality summaries are available in three different contexts including types of care (such as preventive, acute, or chronic), settings of care (nursing homes, hospitals, etc.), and care by clinical area (patients with cancer, respiratory diseases, etc.). A total of 129 measures are included in the ratings, which can be viewed in a number of ways. State Snapshots can be compared against other states in the same region, or can show how a state compares to the best performing states overall.

Overall, State Snapshots rates Kansas as slightly above average, and slightly improved over the previous rating. On most ratings, Kansas falls into the middle of the average category, with some items slightly improved or slightly worsened from the previous rating period. In the clinical care areas of diabetes and heart disease, Kansas falls into the weak category, although performance is slightly improved from the last period. In maternal and child health, Kansas has improved from average to strong, while respiratory diseases care performance has declined but remains in the average category.

The State Snapshots website also offers other options for data searches, including strongest and weakest measures for a state; a comparison of diabetes-related care, treatment variations, and health care spending; and an all-state data table for all measures, a downloadable spreadsheet including all 129 performance measures for each state. The annual State Snapshots report is based on data drawn from more than 30 sources, including government surveys, health care facilities, and health care organizations. To use the State Snapshots tools, visit statesnapshots.ahrq.gov.

Kansas Health Institute Offers Health Insurance Primer
Health Insurance in Kansas: A Primer aims to clarify some of the basic issues regarding health insurance with a Flash-based multimedia primer developed by former KHI Senior Policy Analyst Sheldon Weisgrau, M.H.S. As described on the KHI website:

Health insurance is one of the most pervasive public policy issues of our time. About 300,000 Kansans lack it and many who have it are worried about losing it in the future. Despite its significance as an issue and its importance to the health of Kansans, many of the most basic principles of insurance are little discussed and not well understood.

The presentation is viewable through the Kansas Health Institute’s website, www.khi.org, or a free CD may be requested by emailing a request to mailbox@khi.org. This can make a great presentation for a civic club, Sunday school class, or other group interested in health insurance issues.

Related resources available through the KHI website include a transcript of the multimedia primer, associated presentations and notes, and a glossary of health insurance terms. Funding to develop the primer was provided in part by the Health Fund.

Oral Health

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

Dental Hubs Initiative for Kansas Progressing
A bill approved in May by the Kansas Legislature includes $500,000 in appropriations to fund the development of regional dental hubs. The dental hubs concept is an effort to increase the geographic availability of oral health services throughout the state, particularly for low-income families, by creating oral health centers with 2 to 3 dentists at existing safety-net health clinics and by using dental hygienists holding extended care permits to provide preventive services in surrounding communities through a hub-and-spoke model. To make that possible, in addition to the funding allocation, the Legislature also approved a bill expanding the locations that dental hygienists with extended care permits and acting under the general supervision of a dentist can provide extended care services.

The Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved (KAMU) is facilitating the dental hubs effort, which is developing through a public-private partnership including $500,000 each from the Health Fund and the Sunflower Foundation to match the allocated state funding. In addition to the $1.5 million currently committed, other philanthropies are also considering committing funds to support the dental hubs project.

The dental hubs concept would provide access to oral health care for regions of Kansas that are currently unserved and would increase the capacity of existing clinics. “Developing greater capacity and extending geographic reach with dental hubs is definitely a practical strategy. It capitalizes on the strengths of our current primary care safety net clinics,” said Virginia Elliott, Health Fund Vice President for Programs. “This is a very real opportunity to expand access to dental care and prevention for our most vulnerable citizens and we look forward to helping make it a reality with our grants.”

The continuing Kansas Mission of Mercy (KMOM) events organized by the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation have made increasingly visible the problems faced by those unable to access professional oral health care in Kansas. Research conducted at the most recent KMOM event in Topeka indicted that more than half of the 1,067 patients surveyed had experienced dental pain before receiving treatment at the clinic, with half of those having suffered pain for a month or longer. The majority of KMOM patients whose conditions required care beyond that available at the clinic did not know of any place they could go to receive the needed follow-up treatment.

The Health Fund’s support of the dental hubs concept is a continuation of the Fund’s strategic interest in oral health which dates back to 1998 when the Fund identified oral health as one of the major health issues facing Kansas and began its Healthy Teeth for Kansans initiative; a commitment which has been reaffirmed and will continue to guide the Fund’s work at least through 2009.

Dental Clinic Receives Project of the Year Award
The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHCSEK) Dental Clinic, Pittsburg, recently received the Janet Sevier Gilbreath Special Project of the Year Recognition Award, presented annually by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund to honor an outstanding grant project. The honor, which carries a $2,500 award, was presented at a luncheon in Hutchinson May 16.

A Health Fund grant of $100,000 partially supported the purchase and renovation of a 5,200 square foot facility to house the expanded dental clinic in downtown Pittsburg. The clinic opened in August 2005 and has excelled in each of the four criteria used to evaluate projects for recognition as the Janet Sevier Gilbreath Project of the Year.

The CHCSEK Dental Clinic provides dental services to nearly 1,000 low-income patients every month. Before the new clinic opened, dental services were available only one day a week in a small room with just a single dental chair. Waits of six months to receive needed treatment were not uncommon. Today, the expanded 12-chair dental clinic, staffed by three full-time dentists, is the largest in Kansas and is making a major impact on access to dental care throughout the region.

The clinic grew from the vision and extraordinary commitment of a volunteer, local dentist Dr. Daniel Minnis. He spearheaded an innovative partnership between the dental clinic and a new dental hygiene training program through Fort Scott Community College. Not only did this arrangement expand the capacity of the clinic with the services of hygiene students as they are being trained, it also expanded the role of the clinic to include clinical education and an orientation to public health for the students.

The CHCSEK Dental Clinic was selected from among the 150 projects funded during 2006 by the Health Fund in fulfilling its mission of Healthy Kansans through cooperative and strategic philanthropy guided by Christian principles.

The Project of the Year award is named in honor of Janet Sevier Gilbreath, the first Chairperson of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. The criteria for selection include the attainment of goals, volunteer support, development of community support, and good management and financial practices to assure quality of service delivery. More information is available at: www.healthfund.org/jsg/jsg2006.php

Healthy Lifestyles

Promoting healthy nutrition and healthy activity to maintain and improve health

Three New Healthy Lifestyles Grants Awarded
Three grants were approved in May to support the Health Fund’s work in Healthy Lifestyles.

The Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (KACCRRA) was awarded a grant of $115,020 to continue development of Healthy Kansas Kids. The program was started in 2006 and provides training statewide for child care professionals in techniques for increasing young children’s physical activity and healthy food choices. A study of physical activity among young children in child care conducted as part of the program showed surprisingly little time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity in relationship to sedentary time. Healthy Kansas Kids is designed to stimulate changes in child care practice aimed at preventing obesity. KACCRRA’s Infant/Toddler Project Director Lana Messner said effective prevention has to start younger than school age. “These children are developing lifetime habits and child care can play an important role in helping them develop healthy habits.”

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment received $10,000 to support the activities of the Governor’s Council on Fitness. The Council was established by Governor Sebelius in 2006 to encourage the exchange of information about physical activity, good nutrition, and tobacco use prevention; implement the Hometown Health Hero and other related awards programs; assist in developing quality school health and physical education programs; and encourage cooperative programs with medical, dental and other professional societies to promote sound personal health and physical fitness.

The Center for Physical Activity and Weight Management, Energy Balance Laboratory, at the University of Kansas was awarded $10,500 to underwrite several speakers and activities for the 9th Annual Conference on the Treatment and Prevention of Obesity in Kansas City. Scheduled for September 13-14, the Conference will feature speakers and workshops on community awareness and intervention programs. At least 400 participants are expected to attend.

KNACK Online Health Resource Website Available
Knowledge of Nutrition and Activity for Communities in Kansas (KNACK) Online is designed to help parents, community advocates, and adult youth workers address adolescent overweight and obesity through evidence-based, reliable, useful, and action-oriented resources. The goal of KNACK Online is to empower stakeholders to influence the environment and social norms of children to help them become more physically active and make healthier eating choices. KNACK Online was developed by the Kansas State University College of Human Ecology with guidance and input from Kansas health leaders.

KNACK Online includes resources and tips anyone can use to achieve a longer, healthier life and reduce health care costs both at a personal level and to provide guidance to those in their care. The site, located at www.knackonline.org, holds a wealth of current and relevant information about the importance of physical activity and good nutrition, tools to achieve improved health through basic lifestyle changes, and links to other online health-related resources. A Health Fund grant provides partial support for the operation of the website in 2007.

Project Workout on Wheels Exercise Study for Wheelchair Users

Researchers at the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Medical Center are seeking manual wheelchair users between the ages of 18 and 65 who are interested to begin a physical activity program.

The study will investigate the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for promoting physical activity adoption and maintenance, the physical and psychosocial effects of the interventions, and the complex interplay of factors influencing the effectiveness of the interventions.

To be included, a participant must: have had a permanent disability or chronic condition for at least 6 months; have not been regularly physically active over the last 6 months; use a manual wheelchair as the primary method of mobility; live within a 35-mile radius of Kansas City; and be able to obtain a medical release to participate from his or her personal physician.

Participant recruitment for this home and community-based exercise study, Project Workout on Wheels, is now underway. To learn about the study, please call (913)588-7832 or (913)588-5000, extension 1324.

Healthy Congregations

Working together with local United Methodist churches for a healthier Kansas

First UMC Hiawatha Awarded Healthy Congregations Grant
First United Methodist Church, Hiawatha, has been awarded a $5,000 Health Fund grant to help establish a health ministry program serving the congregation and community. Grant funding will be used to purchase medical equipment and other health ministry resources. The grant project director is Christie Mueller, and the pastor is Rev. James E. Akins.

Under the Health Fund’s Healthy Congregations initiative, start-up grants of up to $5,000 are available to Kansas United Methodist churches to stimulate the development of comprehensive congregational health and wellness ministries. The Health Fund hopes 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.

Healthy Congregations Grants Available to Kansas UM Churches
The Healthy Congregations Grants RFP makes one-time grants of up to $5,000 available to Kansas United Methodist churches to stimulate comprehensive ministries of health and wellness. Projects funded will emphasize wellness, prevention, volunteer caregiving, social support, and congregational health education and awareness. Examples of such ministries include parish nursing and health promotion projects. Grant funding is not intended for projects focused on a single disease, disability, or health issue. Please visit the Health Fund website or call us for application information.

National Congregational Health Ministries Conference Coming to Kansas
The United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits are co-sponsoring the Third Annual National Health Ministries Conference for United Methodists, which will be held at the Spiritual Life Center, Wichita, Kansas. The theme of this year’s conference, scheduled for September 23-26, is “Empowering Ministries of Health: Starting, Implementing, Advancing.” The Health Fund has been coordinating with the conference sponsors to help promote the event, and several Fund staff members will be making presentations at the conference.

The training objectives of the conference are:

United Methodists including health and welfare chairpersons, clergy, parish nurses or faith community nurses, Christian educators, and those with a passion for health ministries are the conference’s target audience. CEUs are available for clergy, nurses, and some health educators. GBGM/GBOPHB is offering tuition, lodging, and meal scholarships for two designated representatives per UM Annual Conference. Although any United Methodist with a health ministry interest is invited to register, those applying for scholarships must first obtain concurrence from their Annual Conference prior to registration.

For more information, including online registration, visit the GBOPHB website at www.gbophb.org and click on the “Events and Education” link. A direct link is available here.

Health Through Faith and Community Study Curriculum and Website Available
The Health Fund is making copies of “Health Through Faith and Community: A Study Resource for Christian Faith Communities to Promote Personal and Social Well-Being” available at no charge to Kansas churches. The book, produced through a Health Fund grant and written by a team led by KU social work professor Ed Canda, Ph.D., has been more than five years in the making. Published by The Haworth Pastoral Press, the curriculum contains eight study sessions which can be used independently or together as a multi-week class. The book provides information and learning activities on the physical, mental, social, spiritual, and environmental aspects of health from an ecumenical Christian perspective.

The book is designed as an instructor resource, containing handouts and worksheets which can be copied and distributed to class participants. Participants do not need individual copies of the curriculum book. The Health Fund has purchased a quantity of books from Haworth Press and is making them available at no charge to Kansas churches (both United Methodist and other denominations) upon request while supplies last. Out of state persons or churches are encouraged to purchase the curriculum through Haworth press.

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.

Healthy Congregations Recognition
The Healthy Congregations Recognition program, now in its twelfth year, highlights what Kansas United Methodist churches are doing to nurture, reach out, and educate through ministries of health, healing, and wholeness. Healthy Congregations Recognition also provides a way for churches to share their health work with others, encouraging and inspiring the growth of congregational health programs. An electronic version of the Healthy Congregations Recognition 2006 brochure, including a list of the churches most recently recognized for their health ministry work, is available on our website at: www.healthfund.org/pdf/HC_Recognition_2006_brochure.pdf

All congregations meeting the basic requirements of the Healthy Congregations Recognition Program receive a free health resource and recognition at the Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat and at the Kansas East and Kansas West Annual Conferences. Six congregations are selected to receive a $1,500 Healthy Congregations of the Year award for outstanding health and wellness ministries.

Report forms are available online, with features designed to make reporting easy and simple. Churches that submitted an online 2006 report can roll-over recurring activities to their 2007 report with a few mouse clicks. Start your report today and work on it throughout the year as activities are completed.

More information about Healthy Congregations Recognition, including report forms for 2007 activities, is available on the Health Fund website at www.healthfund.org/hc.php. Completed reports must be submitted online or mailed by March 1, 2008.

 

C 2007 United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
www.healthfund.org – healthfund@healthfund.org – 620.662.8586 – 800.369.7191