Health Fundamentals Newsletter
An online newsletter published by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.
September 2006
Throughout 2006, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund is celebrating its 20th year of seeking to improve the health of all Kansans. In 1986, the Health Fund was established by the Kansas West Conference of the United Methodist Church with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. Since the Health Fund’s founding, grants totaling more than $43 million have supported hundreds of health-related projects in Kansas.
Health Fund News
Health Fund gains insight from Listening/Learning Tour
During the last week of June, the Health Fund conducted listening/learning sessions in 14 central and western Kansas communities. The sessions were designed to engage church and community leaders, health and social service professionals, education professionals, neighboring communities, senior and special needs populations, and other stakeholders in providing input for the development of a strategic plan that will guide the Health Fund’s grantmaking from 2007 through 2009. The sessions provided opportunities to:
- Increase awareness of the mission and role of the Health Fund as a resource for health in Kansas
- Gather input from community members regarding suggested prioritization of the five funding areas being considered by the Health Fund
- Discover other areas for consideration and gather additional information participants would like to share with the Health Fund Board
- Learn about potential strategies that participants feel the Health Fund should employ to maximize impact.
The tour sessions were facilitated by Health Fund staff Kim Moore and Virginia Elliott, assisted by intern Rachel Pearson, who later compiled the information from the tour and prepared a summary report which is available on our website here. Highlights of the report include:
- The three areas most frequently cited as priority issues were healthy lifestyles (healthy nutrition and physical activity), access to primary health care, and aging.
- At each session, appreciation was expressed for the opportunity to voice concerns and share ideas as well as network with other participants.
- Especially among smaller communities, many had been unaware of existing, available community resources which were revealed through dialog and discussion among participants.
- Some commonly recurring issues across all sessions included provider recruitment and retention, and rural health care access.
The information gathered from the listening/learning tour helped
guide the Health Fund trustees during a two-day planning retreat
earlier this month. Strategic plan details and implementation
methods are currently being developed by Health Fund trustees
and staff and will be annouced in early 2007.
Health Fund welcomes José Olivas
to Board
The Health Fund would like to welcome José Olivas as the newest member of its Board of Trustees.
Olivas, Community Developer for United Methodist Western Kansas
Mexican-American Ministries, is a Ulysses resident and member of
Ulysses First United Methodist Church, where he has served as a
junior high Sunday school teacher and a member of the Administrative
Council. He has also served on the Kansas West United Methodist
Conference Race and Religion Commission, and the
Conference Disaster Board. José has made a number of contributions
to the public good through service on the Cimarron Basin Community
Corrections Advisory Board, the Governor’s Children’s
Cabinet, and the Selective Service System Board. He has also been
active in the American GI Forum at the local, state, and national
levels. Olivas joins the Health
Fund Board midway through the normal election cycle to fill a vacancy.
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.
Health Fund constituent
report provides snapshot of health issues important to Kansans
The constituent input report, researched and prepared
by Health Fund consultant Carol Barbeito, gathered information
through three focus groups, 17 interviews, and 14 listening/learning
community sessions. Information from past Health Fund grantees
was also included in the report.
Information was gathered as part of the Health Fund’s strategic
planning process to help the Fund:
- Increase the visibility and understanding of the Fund’s mission and programs
- Gain insight into how the Fund is perceived and ways to continue to improve its mission impact
- Learn what focus areas constituents believe should be considered in developing the new long-range goals
- Identify possible strategies for achieving impact toward those new long-range goals
Some of the key findings of the report include:
- The Health Fund needs to continue to work on visibility as a means toward greater missional effectiveness
- Among those who are aware of the Health Fund and its work, the image is exceptionally positive.
- The Health Fund is strongly identified with oral health work.
- There is a strong feeling that the Health Fund does the right things on the right issues and makes a strong impact in relationship to its size.
- Some would like to see more information on specific impacts and measurable outcomes relating to Health Fund grants.
- Oral health continued to be an area of high interest and it was felt that the Health Fund still has contributions to make in oral health.
- Healthy lifestyles was the most widely supported focus area across all constituent areas. There appears to be a growing recognition of the importance of lifestyle choices and their health impacts; many recommended that the Health Fund continue to develop its work in this area.
- Access to health care came in as the third most important health focus area, with a great deal of variation in perceptions of the Health Fund’s work. Some constituents were completely unaware of the Fund’s work in Access, while others felt that some of the Fund’s most important and lasting contributions had been made in that field.
- Other health focus areas ranking high in the constituent report related to health care for the elderly and the effects of environment on human health.
The information gathered through the report was used to help guide
the Health Fund Board during a recent strategic planning retreat.
The strategic plan, which will guide the Fund’s efforts over
the next three years, is expected to be approved later this year
and annouced soon after.
Health Fund grant application
procedure
The Health Fund has current Request for Proposals (RFP) available for Oral Health grants and Healthy Congregations grants. For RFP-specific information, see the related articles under Oral Health and Healthy Congregations, or visit the Health Fund website for full details.
Persons wishing to assess the possibility of Health Fund grant funding for a project are asked 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. Applications are considered by our Programming & Evaluation Committee and our Board of Trustees at meetings scheduled four times a year. The next grant application deadline is October 9.
The Healthy
Congregations Grants RFP: http://www.healthfund.org/hcgrants.php
The Healthy Teeth for Kansans oral health RFP: http://www.healthfund.org/oralhealth/htkrfp.php
General information about the Health Fund grant process: http://www.healthfund.org/grants.php
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 healthfund@healthfund.org and we’ll make the necessary arrangements.
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 the possibilities before us, 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
Report reveals frequency of medical debt among insured Kansas farmers
The report, released by the Health Fund and the Kansas Farmers Union in August, documents “a significant level of unaffordable medical bills and resulting medical debt in mostly insured farm families.” The report, prepared by the Boston-based Access Project and funded by the Health Fund and the Kellogg Foundation, revealed that while 95% of respondents said that all members of their households had health insurance continuously over the past 12 months, one respondent in six had medical debt nevertheless. Upon closer inspection, significant age-based differences appeared: only five percent of those 65 and over reported medical debt, but 29 percent of respondents under 65 had medical debt.
“This report, entitled Losing Ground: Eroding Health Insurance Coverage Leaves Kansas Farmers with Medical Debt, reveals the frequency of medical debt among insured farmers. It raises the issue of whether their insurance fulfills its fundamental purpose – to protect families from the financial hardship that can result from receiving needed medical care” said Kim Moore, President of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. “The findings call us to focus on health care costs as an important source of the economic pressure many farm families face.”
Moore said the findings should be of use to policy makers. “We suspected that many Kansas farm families are not immune from this problem and medical debt in farm families and the self employed of Kansas might have particular repercussions which were not well understood. As the Kansas Business Health Partnership continues to examine how to help small businesses, good information about what is really happening to people will be important to the policy process. This is particularly true of farm families and other self-employed in Kansas who are struggling to secure affordable and meaningful health care coverage while also meeting other living expenses.”
Researchers surveyed 600 randomly selected members of the Kansas Farmers Union. Surveys were completed by 281 farm families (47% of the sample) with nearly equal representation from six KFU regions throughout the state. The survey examined respondents’ medical debt from all sources, including hospitals, doctors, dentists, prescription medications, and ambulance services.
The research found that medical debt commonly hinders farm families’ access to needed medical care. The report found nine out of ten (91%) respondents with medical debt said they owed money to doctors. Nearly as many (84%) owed hospitals, close to two-thirds (64%) had outstanding prescription costs, half (51%) owed dentists, and 13% had debts from ambulance services. Many respondents with debt reported avoiding care to keep away from accruing new debt. Many also struggle to pay down their bills, using significant portions of their savings and transferring the debt to credit cards. These findings call into question insurance policy approaches that advocate shifting more of the costs of health care onto policyholders. The survey findings suggest that such approaches may only leave increasing numbers of insured people at risk for financial difficulty.
The
medical debt study news
release is available here, and the full
report is available through The Access Project website: www.accessproject.org and on the Health
Fund website.
United Way launches 211 phone resource center in Kansas
United Way of the Plains, Wichita, and Heart of America United
Way, Kansas City, have recently announced the launch of a Kansas
211 service to connect people with important community services
and volunteer opportunities. The service, which can be accessed
by simply dialing “211” from any phone, helps callers
find a number of resources, including:
- Resources for basic human needs: food banks, clothing closets, shelters, rent assistance, and utility assistance
- Support for older individuals and persons with disabilities: adult day care, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, home health care, transportation, and homemaker services
- Physical and mental health resources: health insurance programs, Medicaid and Medicare, maternal health, Children’s Health Insurance Program, medical information lines, crisis intervention services, support groups, counseling, drug and alcohol intervention, and rehabilitation.
- Employment supports: job training, transportation assistance, education programs.
The Kansas 211 service lists more than 2,000 programs offered
by agencies in Kansas. The service is currently available
statewide from 7 a.m – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The service will later be expanded to be available 24 hours
a day,
7 days
a week.
24-hour access is currently available on the web at www.211kansas.org.
All calls are confidential and free.
Oral Health
Working to improve oral health through education, prevention, and access to care
Oral Health Request for Proposals (RFP) available
The Health Fund has a current Request for Proposals (RFP) offering funding to projects aimed at improving oral health in Kansas. Although significant progress has been made since 1998 when the Health Fund started providing grants through its Healthy Teeth for Kansans initiative, much more remains to be done to assure adequate access to both prevention measures and dental care. Recognizing that there are more opportunities than ever before in Kansas to make a difference in oral health, the Health Fund remains committed in 2006 to providing resources for improving access to both prevention and treatment through sustainable projects and programs that serve Kansans who need help because of poverty, geographic location, or special needs. Health Fund Trustees have committed up to $750,000 for oral health grants in 2006.
Grants under the RFP will support strategies for increasing access
to dental care for underserved Kansans and for the integration
of appropriate oral health prevention measures into schools, medical
practices, child care settings, health departments, long-term care
facilities, and community water systems.
The remaining deadline for proposals under the Healthy Teeth RFP
is October 9. For application information, see the
related article on Health Fund grant application procedures or
visit our website. The full RFP is available on the Health Fund
website
at: http://www.healthfund.org/oralhealth/htkrfp.php
Oral health resource booklets available
Limited quantities of an oral health resource booklet are available from the Health Fund on request. The booklet, titled “Oral Health: Resources & Information for Kansas Medical Professionals,” provides medical professionals information on assisting patients with dental referrals, links to online oral health training information, and information regarding fluoride varnish (a decay-preventive treatment which can be applied to teeth by medical as well as dental professionals). Fluoride varnish is a simple yet effective tool for preventing tooth decay, especially for young children, with studies indicating 25-45 percent reductions in decay with fluoride varnish use.
The booklet is designed as a supplement to a recent oral health
publication by the American Academy of Family Physicians, which
is also available on request. To receive these materials, contact
the Health Fund office at healthfund@healthfund.org, 620-662-8586,
or 800-369-7191.
Oral Health Kansas annual
meeting, October 26-28
Oral Health Kansas, a statewide organization dedicated to improving oral health in Kansas through advocacy, public awareness, and education, will hold its third annual conference October 26-28 at the Hotel at Old Town, Wichita. The theme of this year’s conference is “Making Oral Health a Priority in Kansas…Because it Matters!” The keynote address, “Coalitions and Leadership for Oral Health Success,” will be presented by Dr. Lynn Mouden, Director, Arkansas Office of Oral Health. Workshop sessions planned include topics such as:
- Working with Children Birth-3 Years
- Making Oral Health a Priority: One Coalition’s Success Story
- Advocacy 101: Building Political Capital Through Effective Relationships
- NRC Study on the Health Effects of Fluoride
- Community Collaborative Practice: the New Dental Team
- What Do You Do if Your Patients Chew? Tobacco Use Intervention Makes a Big Difference!
Health Fund president Kim Moore will be making the Annual Excellence in Oral Health Award presentations during the Friday lunch, and vice-president for programs Virginia Elliott will be presenting a roundtable session on oral health funding opportunities.
CEUs are available for oral health and medical professionals.
For questions or more information, please contact Oral
Health Kansas, Inc. at 785.235.6039 or ohks@oralhealthkansas.org.
or visit http://www.oralhealthkansas.org
Healthy Congregations
Working together with local United Methodist churches for a healthier Kansas
Health Through Faith and Community study curriculum published
The Health Fund recently received and began distributing the first copies of “Health Through Faith and Community: A Study Resource for Christian Faith Communities to Promote Personal and Social Well-Being” in mid-September. 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 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 churches can purchase the curriculum through Haworth press,
or may contact the Health Fund to purchase the curriculum at a
reduced price while supplies last.
Healthy Congregations Recognition
report forms online now - due March 1
The Healthy Congregations Recognition program, now in its eleventh 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.
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. This year, 81 churches participated in Healthy Congregations Recognition.
Report forms are available online, with new features designed to make reporting easy and simple. Churches that submitted an online 2005 report can now roll-over recurring activities to their 2006 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 2006 activities, is available on the Health Fund website at http://www.healthfund.org/hc.php. Completed reports must be submitted online or mailed by March 1, 2007.
Save the date! 6th Annual Healthy Congregations
Retreat, April 13-14
The 2007 Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat for United Methodists will be held April 13-14 at Rock Springs 4-H Center. Put the retreat on your calendar 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
- Those 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
More information and online registration forms will be
available at www.healthfund.org once the session schedule is
firmed
up.
Healthy Congregations Grants
request for proposals available
The Health Fund is continuing to offer its Healthy Congregations Grants Request for Proposals (RFP) through December 31, 2006.
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.
See the grant application procedure article above or visit the Health Fund website for application information.
Parish Nurse Network Conference, October 18-19
The 9th Annual State Parish Nurse Conference will be presented at the Spiritual Life Center, Wichita, October 18-19. The conference, organized by Kansas Parish Nurse Ministry (KPNM), will help enable participants to:
- Explore generational differences in the congregation
- Identify changes in faith patterns over the last 20 years
- Experience the healing power of music
- Articulate the struggles of those living with HIV
- Experience a variety of listening and communications tools
- Explore various reactions to spiritual beliefs, doubts, and fears
- Identify four factors influencing male/female grief management
KPNM supports and strengthens parish nurses as the seek health in mind, body, and spirit for members of their congregations and communities. The Health Fund has provided matching grant funding to KPNM through the LIFE Project Foundation.
For more information and registration forms, contact JoVeta Wescott
at 316-686-0111 or jwescott5@cox.net.
C 2006 United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
www.healthfund.org – healthfund@healthfund.org – 620.662.8586 – 800.369.7191