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Health Fundamentals Newsletter

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

September 2005

Oral Health

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

Save the Date – Oral Health Kansas Annual Meeting

Oral Health Kansas, a statewide organization dedicated to improving oral health in Kansas through advocacy, public awareness, and education, will hold its annual conference September 29 through October 1 at the Grand Prairie Hotel & Convention Center in Hutchinson. The theme of this year’s conference is “Working Together for a Healthier Smile.” Mark Siegal, Ohio State Dental Director, will provide the keynote address. Sessions are planned on advocacy; disability and aging concerns; workforce issues; extended care permits; dental billing; and pregnancy and early childhood caries. For more information, contact Teresa Schwab at 785-235-6039 or visit http://www.oralhealthkansas.org

 

Healthy Teeth for Kansans Oral Health RFP Deadline October 10, 2005

The Health Fund has a current Request for Proposals (RFP) offering funding to projects aimed at improving oral health in Kansas. Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to:

The next deadline for proposals under the Healthy Teeth RFP is October 10, 2005. Proposals received by this date will receive a funding decision by December 1 and those approved for grants will have funds available starting January 1, 2006. Interested organizations should contact Health Fund program staff to discuss project characteristics. If the program officer determines that the project has the potential to be funded, authorization to submit a grant request will be provided. The Health Fund has an online grant request submission system which makes applying for a grant simple and straightforward. View the full RFP on the Health Fund website at: http://www.healthfund.org/oralhealth/htkrfp05.php

 

Healthy Lifestyles

Promoting healthy nutrition and healthy activity to maintain and improve health.

Seventh Annual University of Kansas Obesity Prevention Conference

The University of Kansas Energy Balance Laboratory is sponsoring the 7th Annual Conference on the Prevention and Treatment of Overweight and Obese Individuals, to be held September 8th through 10th 2005 in Kansas City, MO. The conference aims to raise awareness among health care and educational providers of increasing obesity and overweight and related health problems, while highlighting school, community, and family strategies for the prevention and reduction of obesity.

The conference, sponsored in part by a $10,500 Health Fund grant, will include poster sessions on Healthy Congregations in Action and on the Great Bend-based We Care Clinic’s “Shape Up and Trim Down” program, also supported by a Health Fund grant.

After the conference, participants should be able to:

For more information about the conference, contact Kim Johnson at 785-864-0797 or visit the KU Energy Balance Laboratory website at: http://www.ebl.ku.edu

 

Kansas Parish Nurse Report Available Online

“Kansas Parish Nurses: Assessing and Addressing the Needs of the Chronically Ill and Their Families” looks at the issues faced by chronically ill Kansans and their families as well as those faced by parish nurses trying to be responsive to their needs. The report, prepared by the LIFE Project Foundation through an $18,500 Health Fund grant, gathered input from 91 parish nurses at a July meeting as well as others through phone and email. Meeting participants were asked to explore eight key questions relating to the care needs of the chronically ill and ways parish nurses can better respond to those unique needs. Among the recommendations of the report is the development of a Kansas parish nurse organization to provide training, resources, and coordination to the state’s over 1300 parish nurses.

The report is available online at: http://www.healthfund.org/reportspubs/pn-rpt0805.php .

Healthy Congregations

Working together with local United Methodist churches for a healthier Kansas

Healthy Congregations Grants

The Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Wichita, KS, has been awarded a $1,000 grant from the Health Fund. Grant funding will be used to enhance training for the church’s parish nurse program. The grant project director is Gwen Whittit and the pastor of Aldersgate UMC is the Rev. Butch Lambert.

Under the Health Fund’s Healthy Congregations initiative, start-up grants of up to $5,000 are available to local 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.

The Healthy Congregations Grants RFP (request for proposals) is available on the Health Fund’s website at: http://www.healthfund.org/hcgrants.php

 

Healthy Congregations Recognition

The Healthy Congregations Recognition program, now in its ninth year, highlights what 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.

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 can also receive a $1,000 Healthy Congregations of the Year award for outstanding health and wellness ministries.

More information about Healthy Congregations Recognition, including report forms for 2005 activities, is available on the Health Fund website at http://www.healthfund.org/hc.php. Start your report today and update it throughout the year!

 

Healthy Congregations in Action Update

Teams from forty-six Kansas United Methodist churches attended pre-application workshops to learn more about participating in the 18-month Healthy Congregations in Action pilot project. Applications for the program are coming in now and will be processed by early October in preparation for the November 4 launch event.

The Health Fund sought action-oriented churches to participate in an exciting 18-month pilot project to improve health in local churches and surrounding communities. The overwhelming attendance of church teams at the workshops is a strong indicator of the degree of interest in the program and the level of desire for health improvement projects in local churches all across Kansas.

Healthy Congregations in Action, an initiative of the Kansas Area Healthy Lifestyles Advisory Committee, aims to:

Complete information about Healthy Congregations in Action, including pilot program details, is available on the Health Fund website at: http://www.healthfund.org/hcia.php

 

General/other news

Current Health Fund Requests for Proposals and Grant Application Procedure

The Health Fund has current Requests for Proposals (RFPs) available for Oral Health grant and Healthy Congregations grants.

The next deadline for proposals under the Healthy Teeth for Kansans RFP is October 10, 2005. Proposals received by this date will receive a funding decision by December 1 and those approved for grants will have funds available starting January 1, 2006. For additional information, see article under Oral Health above or follow the link below to additional information on the Health Fund website.

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.

For 2005, the Health Fund has committed an additional $100,000 in funding for the Healthy Congregations Grants program. There are no set deadlines for Healthy Congregations grants, but unless extended by the Health Fund, this invitation to apply expires December 31, 2005 or when the $100,000 is expended, whichever first occurs.

Grant Application Procedure:
Persons wishing to assess the possibility of Health Fund grant funding for a project are encouraged to call and discuss their ideas with a program officer. The Health Fund continues to seek funding opportunities within its strategic focus areas of access to primary health care, oral health, and healthy lifestyles (nutrition and exercise), even if the proposed project may not fit a current RFP. The program officer will determine if there is potential for Health Fund grant funding and if so will provide guidance in the application process. In most cases, persons authorized to apply for grants will be given access to our simple online application system.

The Healthy Teeth for Kansans RFP is available at:
http://www.healthfund.org/oralhealth/htkrfp05.php

The Healthy Congregations Grants RFP is available at:
http://www.healthfund.org/hcgrants.php

General information about the Health Fund grant process:
http://www.healthfund.org/grants.php

 

Health Fund Trustees

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Willie Mae Raines, a former Health Fund trustee who served on the Board from 1989 to 1996. Willie Mae and her husband, the Rev. Daniel Raines, were killed in an automobile accident July 7.

 

Kansas Public Health Association Annual Fall Conference

The Kansas Public Health Association will hold a joint conference this fall with the Kansas Environmental Health Association. “Taking it to the Streets – Partnering to Improve the Public’s Health” is scheduled for September 20-22 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Wichita. The Conference, billed as “Kansas’ Largest Public Health Gathering,” features a keynote address by Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association. Conference issues include:

For more information, visit the Kansas Public Health Association website at: http://www.kpha.us

 

United Way Nonprofit Training Workshop

United Way of the Plains is presenting a one-day workshop entitled “Obtaining, Retaining, and Motivating Top-Quality Staff for your Nonprofit” September 29 at the United Way office, Wichita, KS.

Attendees of the highly participatory workshop will learn about:

Dr. Carol Barbeito, President of CLB & Associates, brings the wisdom and knowledge gained through 28 years of nonprofit experience to the Executive Directors, Deputy Directors in human resources, board leaders responsible for HR, and other nonprofit administrative staff attending the event. Dr. Barbeito served as the consultant for the Health Fund’s strategic planning in 2003.

For more information, contact United Way of the Plains at (316) 267-1321. The registration deadline is September 22.

 

Bishop's Conference on Social Justice and Health Care

The Bishop’s Committee on Children and Families in Poverty presents the Bishop’s Conference on Social Justice and Health Care October 18th at First United Methodist Church, Topeka. Kansas Area United Methodist Bishop Scott Jones will present the noon keynote and an afternoon plenary session. Dr. Robert St. Peter, Kansas Health Institute, will present the opening keynote “Kansas Health Demographics.” Focusing on health care issues related to children and families in poverty, workshop sessions include:

The event is partially sponsored by a grant from the Health Fund. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available. For more information and to register, contact Bob Harder at rharder6@cox.net or 785-272-8726.

 

Executive Transitions Workshop

The Executive Transitions Workshop, scheduled for November 11 in Wichita, aims to provide nonprofits with information and discussions concerning both emergency and planned leadership transitions. Recognizing the high importance of leadership and staff continuity in maintaining organizational effectiveness, the Health Fund worked with TransitionGuides of Silver Spring, MD in developing resources to help nonprofits develop strategies and plans for both emergency and planned leadership transitions. The Executive Transitions Workshop is open to an invited group of Kansas health and social service organizations. Presenters for the event will include members of sixteen Kansas organizations currently working on emergency succession plans or other specific transition issues.

If your organization would like more information and would like to be considered for an invitation, please email healthfund@healthfund.org or call us at 620-662-8586 for more information.

 

New Grants Announced

The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund announces new grants totaling over $224,000 for projects to improve the health of Kansans. The Health Fund grants an average of nearly $3 million each year to support health projects in its three strategic focus areas: access to health care, oral health, and healthy nutrition and exercise.

Kansas Action for Children, Topeka, KS, receives a grant of $78,535 to continue its work of advocating for Kansas children and families. “It is especially important in this time of ideological and financial turmoil to have a strong voice for the physical, emotional, and educational well-being of all Kansas children and youth,” said Kim Moore, Health Fund President. Kansas Action for Children provides information on child well-being through the Kansas Children’s Report Card, the Kansas KIDS COUNT Data Book, and many special reports. For twenty-five years, Kansas Action for Children has proposed policy alternatives that are child, youth, and family friendly and worked to build a base of citizen advocacy for the concerns of children.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is launching an extended dental care program with the acquisition of a facility in downtown Pittsburg. A $100,000 grant from the Health Fund will assist with the acquisition of the remodeled facility. The dental program will offer on-site dental treatment and prevention services five days a week. Fort Scott Community College is also starting a dental hygienist training program and will use the Pittsburg site for its clinical training. When fully operational, the program anticipates providing 6,200 patient encounters annually.

The Kansas Health Consumer Coalition receives a grant of $46,000 to employ a full-time staff person to assist in educational efforts relative to the new Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit enrollment process. Approximately 360,000 Kansas seniors will need to make a choice of prescription drug benefit plan during a compressed time period of November 15, 2005—May 15, 2006. The Kansas Health Consumer Coalition will partner with other groups working to provide analysis, education, and enrollment support. The Coalition intends to provide training to several groups, including parish nurses, about the new prescription drug benefit. For more information about the project, contact Laurie Dale Marshall, Director, Kansas Health Consumer Coalition of Kansas at the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, Topeka.

Speakers Available to Provide Information About the Health Fund

Interested in learning more about the Health Fund, our strategic focus areas, and philanthropy? Speakers are available to come to your church or civic group to provide information about the who, what, and why of the Health Fund; the reasons for our current focus on access to care, oral health, and healthy lifestyles; and about philanthropy and grants. If you would like to schedule a speaker to visit your meeting or event, please contact the Health Fund at 800-369-7191 or email the Health Fund and we’ll make the necessary arrangements.


C 2005 United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
www.healthfund.org – healthfund@healthfund.org – 620.662.8586 – 800.369.7191