Category Archives: Health Care

COVID-19, Government, Health Care

KDHE amends travel quarantine list

Leave a comment

 

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has amended its travel quarantine list to include two states – New York and New Jersey. Two countries have also been added – State of Palestine and Estonia while one has been removed, Seychelles. Several countries remain on the list including Mayotte, Czechia, San Marino, Montenegro and Seychelles.

A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:

  • Traveled on or after March 12 to New Jersey or New York.
  • Traveled on or after March 12 to State of Palestine or Estonia.
  • Traveled on or after Feb. 26 to the countries of Mayotte, Czechia, San Marino or Montenegro.
  • Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet) and wear a mask.
  • Been on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15, 2020.

The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website.

For those traveling internationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring testing within three days of flights into the U.S. For further information on this and other requirements, visit their web page.

For more information on COVID-19, please visit the KDHE website at www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.

###

Bourbon County, COVID-19, Fort Scott, Government, Health Care

COVID-19 Clinic on March 16

Leave a comment
The former First Source Building is located in Fort Scott Industrial Park, south of town.

BOURBON County Health Department COVID-19 Clinic:

Date: Tuesday, March 16th, 2021

Location: Former First Source Building (4500 Campbell Drive, Fort Scott). Just South of Key Industries in the Fort Scott Industrial Park.

Time:

  • 9:00am-12:00pm: 65 years and older
  • 12:00pm-5:00pm: all persons eligible in Phase 2 (Age 65+, work/reside in congregate setting, high-contact critical workers, all un-vaccinated persons prioritized in previous phase)

LIMITED SUPPLY-If we do not get through everyone in this group, we will have another clinic for this group when vaccine is available.

Please do not begin to line up any earlier than 1/2 hour prior to the stated opening of the clinic-THIS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DELAYS.  

There will be one-way traffic flow into and out of the clinic site.  Please be mindful of the signs.

Required:

  • Masks are required at the vaccination site. Please wear a mask.
  • Because of the vaccine shortage, we will be prioritizing in-county residents.  You will need to bring proof of age and county residence to the clinic.
  • Wear short sleeves. Layer as appropriate for weather.
  • Be available for 2nd dose on Tuesday, April 13th, 2021-same location and time.

You cannot take the COVID-19 Vaccine at this time if you:

  • Had any vaccine within the last 14 days (flu, shingles, etc.)
  • Are in isolation or quarantine
  • Received Bamlivinimab as treatment for COVID-19 within the last 90 days

Please bring your completed consent form with you to the clinic. This will save time. Forms are available on our website (www.sekmchd.com) and at the Bourbon County Health Department.

If the vaccine clinic has to be cancelled due to inclement weather or lack of vaccine, the cancellation will be reported on the radio, our Facebook page and website: www.sekmchd.com

Area News, Health Care

New Surgeon at Nevada

Leave a comment

NRMC Welcomes General Surgeon

Nevada Regional Medical Center (NRMC) is proud to welcome John D. Harrington, MD, FACS to its medical staff. Dr. Harrington is a board-certified by the American Board of Surgery, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Harrington brings more than fifteen years of experience as a general surgeon. He earned his doctoral degree of medicine at Loma Linda University in 2000 and went on to complete his residency in general surgery at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Pheonix, AZ. Since 2018, he provided general surgery at David County Hospital in Bloomfield, IA. Prior to that, he worked for eight years at Gothenburg Health in Gothenburg, NE. In 2019 Dr. Harrington completed a 4 week mini-fellowship in hernia surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

As a general surgeon Dr. Harrington is able to diagnose and treat a broad spectrum of diseases requiring surgical treatment. He provides same-day surgery, endoscopy (upper GI and colonoscopy), and many types of soft tissue and skin surgeries.

“We’ve been leaning really hard on Dr. Dodd for surgery and he has been a gracious team player, putting in lots of hours for many years,” says Steve Branstetter, NRMC Chief Executive Officer. “We’re glad to have a second surgeon in place and we believe Dr. Harrington will be an excellent addition to the staff.”

Working alongside Dr. Joseph Dodd, Dr. Harrington’s office will be located in the Professional Practice Clinic on the second floor at the hospital. To schedule a visit with Dr. Harrington, call the NRMC Professional Practice Clinic at (417) 448-2121.

###

About Nevada Regional Medical Center
Serving a six-county area since 1937, Nevada Regional Medical Center is a 71-bed acute, intensive and skilled care hospital. Nevada Regional Medical Center has earned recognition as a respected regional medical center for its comprehensive health care services, skilled and caring employees and state-of-the-art medical technology. Staff represent more than a dozen medical specialties, including family practice, women’s services, neurology, urology, psychiatry, orthopedics, wound care services, and general, vascular, thoracic and oncological surgery. Additionally, consultation clinics are held regularly by specialists in oncology, pulmonology, podiatry, ear, nose, and throat and cardiology.

Bourbon County, Health Care, Kansas

Ag Risk And Price Loss Coverage Enrollment

Leave a comment

March 15 Deadline to Complete Election & Enrollment for 2021 Agriculture Risk Coverage, Price Loss Coverage Programs

Call Your County Office Today About 2021 Crop Year Eligibility

Manhattan, Kansas, March 8, 2021 – Agricultural producers in Kansas who have not yet elected and enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2021 have until March 15. Producers who have not signed a contract or who want to make an election change should contact their local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Service Center to make an appointment.

“In times like these, from winter storms to a pandemic, we’re reminded of the importance of managing risk,” said Charles Pettijohn, acting state executive director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Kansas. “The Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs provide critical support to farmers to protect them from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues. If you have not enrolled or made elections, please do so by the March 15 deadline.”

Producers who enrolled for the 2019 crop year received more than $5 billion in payments last fall. If an ARC or PLC payment triggers for a particular crop for the 2021 crop year and there is no signed 2021 contract on file, then the producer is ineligible for that program payment.

Producers are eligible to enroll farms with base acres for the following commodities: barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium- and short-grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.

Decision Tools

To help producers make elections, FSA makes program data available to help producers make ARC and PLC decisions.

Additionally, USDA partnered with universities to offer web-based decision tools:

  • Gardner-farmdoc Payment Calculator, the University of Illinois tool that offers farmers the ability to run payment estimates modeling for their farms and counties for ARC-County and PLC.

  • ARC and PLC Decision Tool, the Texas A&M tool that allows producers to analyze payment yield updates and expected payments for 2019 and 2020.

Crop Insurance Considerations

Producers are reminded that enrolling in ARC or PLC programs can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Producers who elect and enroll in PLC also have the option of purchasing Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their Approved Insurance Provider, but producers of covered commodities who elect ARC are ineligible for SCO on their planted acres.

Unlike SCO, RMA’s Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) is unaffected by participating in ARC for the same crop, on the same acres. You may elect ECO regardless of your farm program election.

Upland cotton farmers who choose to enroll seed cotton base acres in ARC or PLC are ineligible for the stacked income protection plan, or STAX, on their planted cotton acres.

More Information 

For more information on ARC and PLC, visit farmers.gov/arc-plc.

While USDA offices are closed to visitors because of the pandemic, Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools. To conduct business, please contact your local USDA Service Center. Additionally, more information related to USDA’s response and relief for producers can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

#

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Health Care

Area Residents Eager to Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations  

1 Comment
 

CHC/SEK creates www.chcsek.org/getmyshot  for vaccination appointment requests 

PITTSBURG — Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is seeing a strong interest for the COVID-19 vaccine under phase 2 of the Kansas COVID-19 vaccination plan.

On Friday alone CHC/SEK had almost 9,000 phone calls to its 866-888-8650 number, not including additional vaccine inquiries from its general phone lines, and obviously many went unanswered. The number is still active for vaccination scheduling.

Vaccine calls are answered by a team of more than 20 people, 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The phone line itself only allows for 100 calls to come in at a time and last week after the vaccination number went live, it went down after callers overloaded the telephone capacity. 

To reduce some of its call center’s stress, CHC/SEK has created www.chcsek.org/getmyshot where people can send their contact information. There is a short questionnaire to type contact information and indicate which CHC/SEK location the recipient would prefer to receive their vaccination. There is also an option to select “first available” if they are willing to travel to the site of the first available appointment.    

CHC/SEK schedulers will contact people as soon as appointment slots become available at the preferred locations. Currently, CHC/SEK is booked out for more than two weeks in some clinics. 

CHC/SEK began receiving weekly vaccine allotments last week after President Joseph Biden announced the launch of the Federally Qualified Health Center program for community health centers to receive a direct supply of COVID-19 vaccine to ensure underserved communities are equitably vaccinated.  

To date, CHC/SEK has administered more than 6,300 first doses of the vaccine and 3,117 second doses across its service area. 

The health center has also begun to reach out to essential businesses under Kansas Phase 2 by taking vaccinators on site.

“The purpose of going onsite is two-fold,” according to Dawn McNay, who’s leading the vaccination outreach effort. “First, essential businesses need their employees at work, so going on-site is the most efficient way to get them vaccinated quickly and without business disruptions; and, by getting these employees vaccinated at work, it leaves more vaccination appointments available in our clinic locations.”

CHC/SEK is also exploring other avenues to speed the vaccination process.  

“Please be patient,” McNay says, “We are confident there will be plenty of vaccine available in the coming weeks, however with more than 170,000 people in our service area, it’s going to take some time before we can get to everyone who wants to get vaccinated.”  

The complete list of eligible individuals under Kansas Phase 2 can be seen at https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/

Bourbon County, Health Care

Stephanie Hallacy: New Nurse Practioner At Uniontown Clinic

Leave a comment
Stephanie Hallacy is the Nurse Practioner when the Uniontown Clinic opens in April 2021. Submitted photo.

Stephanie Hallacy, APRN, FNP-C. will be the medical care provider when the new Girard Medical Center at Uniontown opens in April 2021.

 

“We hope to open in the first couple of weeks in April, but that is dependent upon when our Rural Health Clinic Certification is completed,” Hallacy said.

 

Hallacy has worked for Girard Medical Center since 2013 as a Nurse Practioner in their clinics as well as its walk-in clinic, she said.

From 2006-2014 she was a flight nurse for EagleMed.

 

Prior to that, she worked as a registered nurse in an intensive care unit in Oklahoma from 1994 – 2006.

 

Hallacy received her 1994 associate degree in nursing from Grayson County College in Denison, TX,  her bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Oklahoma, and her master of science in nursing from Pittsburg State University in 2012.

She was originally a pre-pharmacy major in college.

 

“But that changed while working there as I realized that I wanted to be more directly involved in the care of the patient,” she said.

The clinic is housed in a building on the campus of Uniontown High School, south of the football field and will serve both the school and the community.
The Girard Medical Center at Uniontown Clinic is located south of the Uniontown High School football field. 

“We are hoping to be a resource for the Uniontown school for their student physicals and hopefully other medical services,” she said.  “We also want to be the provider for the community for both acute illnesses as well as for the prevention, screening and management of chronic health conditions.”

 

In the first stages of the brand new clinic, she will be part-time.

“I believe initially the days that I will be providing care will be Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,” she said.  “This may change as we depending upon the volume of the clinic and needs of the community.”

 

To see prior features on the clinic:

Girard Medical Center of Uniontown To Open In March 2021

Uniontown Collaboration: New Health Clinic Coming

 

Area News, Health Care

Colon Health Screening Offered

Leave a comment

NRMC to Offer Free Colon Health Screening

Nevada Regional Medical Center (NRMC) will offer free colon health screening kits Monday, March 8 in honor of Colon Health Month. The free kits will be available in the main lobby of NRMC from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. while supplies last.

Colorectal cancer is one of the 5 most common cancers in men and women in the United States. It is just as common among women as men. Colorectal cancer is also one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States. Although there are no symptoms in the beginning, colorectal cancer is highly preventable through screening. This type of cancer almost always starts with a small growth called a polyp. If the polyp is found early, doctors can remove it and stop colorectal cancer before it starts.

To help lower your chances of getting colorectal cancer:

• Get to and stay at a healthy weight

• Be physically active

• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink

• Eat a diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and less red or processed meat.

The American Cancer Society recommends screening for colon cancer every year beginning at age 50 for people with no risk factors other than age. Testing is painless, can be done in the privacy of your own home, and it can save your life. For more information or to begin with a consultation, call Nevada Regional Medical Center Professional Practice Clinic at (417) 448-2121.

###

About Nevada Regional Medical Center
Serving a six-county area since 1937, Nevada Regional Medical Center is a 71-bed acute, intensive and skilled care hospital. Nevada Regional Medical Center has earned recognition as a respected regional medical center for its comprehensive health care services, skilled and caring employees and state-of-the-art medical technology. Staff represent more than a dozen medical specialties, including family practice, women’s services, neurology, urology, psychiatry, orthopedics, wound care services, and general, vascular, thoracic and oncological surgery. Additionally, consultation clinics are held regularly by specialists in oncology, pulmonology, podiatry, ear, nose, and throat and cardiology.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Government, Health Care

CHC/SEK: COVID-19 Vaccines Will Increase

Leave a comment
Krista Postai. Submitted photo.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas was one of 250 health centers, out of 1,400 health centers in America, that was selected to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine directly from the federal government, according to Krista Postai, President and CEO of CHC/SEK said.

 

“They have a million doses to distribute weekly, so we expect to receive – for the whole 10-county region we serve  – up to 4,000 doses per week,” she said “Which means – I am excited to say – that we should have enough vaccine – along with what the counties are receiving —  to take care of everyone in southeast Kansas over the next few months. We are required to still follow state guidelines on priority groups, but counties do have some flexibility.”

 

CHC staff spent last week building the infrastructure needed to set up a toll-free phone line and appointment schedule.

 

“We have already started calling our patients ( more than 7,500 people) who are 65 and older and getting them an appointment as early as Thursday,” Postai said.

 

“Companies who have been notified by the State of Kansas that their employees are now eligible to be vaccinated should email Dawn McNay at [email protected] with their contact information, employee count and a copy of the letter. She will be working with our outreach teams to take the vaccine to the companies,” Postai said.

 

 

Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Health Care

COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments At CHC

Leave a comment
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is now offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments as part of Phase 2 of the Kansas Vaccine Prioritization Plan.
 The list can be found on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment website:
There is no out-of-pocket cost to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations will be available at all CHC/SEK clinic locations.
The vaccine appointment telephone number to call is 866-888-8650, which will be answered 7 a.m. -7 p.m. seven days a week. There is an additional line for Spanish speakers, available at 620-240-8940, answered from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
CHC/SEK is one of 250 health centers nationally selected to receive a direct supply of COVID-19 vaccine to ensure underserved communities are equitably vaccinated, according to a recent announcement from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and CDC.  A shipment of 4,000 doses of Moderna vaccine is expected to arrive the week of March 1.
CHC/SEK will follow the state priorities for what populations are eligible to receive the vaccine, however vaccine recipients will not be restricted by county residency, nor do they have to be a patient of CHC/SEK.
“This is a gift to the people of Southeast Kansas, the least healthy and most economically challenged region of the state,” said Krista Postai, President & CEO of CHC/SEK.  “With almost 20 percent of our population over 65, the ability to reach out to provide this potentially life-saving vaccine is probably one of the most important initiatives in our history.”
Vaccine appointments will be available at CHC/SEK locations.
In Pittsburg, CHC/SEK has established a vaccine center at 924 N. Broadway, with extended and weekend hours to make receiving a COVID-19 vaccination as convenient as possible. The health center has also formed special vaccination outreach teams to target special populations by taking the vaccine to them.
“Based on the calls we’ve been receiving, we know many people are eager to get vaccinated and so afraid they’ll be overlooked because they live in rural Kansas,” Postai said. “It is so wonderful to tell them they’ve actually been prioritized nationally.”
CHC/SEK and Grace Med Topeka/Wichita were the two Kansas health centers chosen for this program. Both serve a large population of individuals experiencing homelessness, public housing residents, migratory and seasonal agricultural workers, patients with limited English proficiency and serve a significant population of patients age 65 years and older.

“We know these vaccines are safe and highly effective against a very serious disease,” Postai said. “Now that they have become available to us, CHC/SEK is ready to get them delivered into the arms of our communities.”

Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Fort Scott, Health Care

CHC/SEK takes appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations  

Leave a comment
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, 403 Woodland Hills Blvd.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is now offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments for individuals aged 65 and older as part of Phase 2 of the Kansas Vaccine Prioritization Plan. There is no out-of-pocket cost to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations will be available at all CHC/SEK clinic locations.

The vaccine appointment telephone number to call is 866-888-8650, which will be answered 7 a.m. -7 p.m. seven days a week. There is an additional line for Spanish speakers, available at 620-240-8940, answered from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
CHC/SEK is one of 250 health centers nationally selected to receive a direct supply of COVID-19 vaccine to ensure underserved communities are equitably vaccinated, according to a recent announcement from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and CDC.  A shipment of 4,000 doses of Moderna vaccine is expected to arrive the week of March 1.
CHC/SEK will follow the state priorities for what populations are eligible to receive the vaccine, however vaccine recipients will not be restricted by county residency, nor do they have to be a patient of CHC/SEK.
“This is a gift to the people of Southeast Kansas, the least healthy and most economically challenged region of the state,” said Krista Postai, President & CEO of CHC/SEK.  “With almost 20 percent of our population over 65, the ability to reach out to provide this potentially life-saving vaccine is probably one of the most important initiatives in our history.”
Vaccine appointments will be available at CHC/SEK locations.
In Pittsburg, CHC/SEK has established a vaccine center at 924 N. Broadway, with extended and weekend hours to make receiving a COVID-19 vaccination as convenient as possible. The health center has also formed special vaccination outreach teams to target special populations by taking the vaccine to them.
“Based on the calls we’ve been receiving, we know many people are eager to get vaccinated and so afraid they’ll be overlooked because they live in rural Kansas,” Postai said. “It is so wonderful to tell them they’ve actually been prioritized nationally.”
CHC/SEK and Grace Med Topeka/Wichita were the two Kansas health centers chosen for this program. Both serve a large population of individuals experiencing homelessness, public housing residents, migratory and seasonal agricultural workers, patients with limited English proficiency and serve a significant population of patients age 65 years and older.
“We know these vaccines are safe and highly effective against a very serious disease,” Postai said. “Now that they have become available to us, CHC/SEK is ready to get them delivered into the arms of our communities.”
About CHC/SEK
The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is a not-for-profit Federally Qualified Health Center dedicated to providing quality health care to everyone regardless of income or insurance status. CHC/SEK serves more than 50,000 children and adults annually and employs more than 400 professionals and support staff at 18 locations throughout Crawford, Cherokee, Labette, Linn, Montgomery and Allen counties, and Ottawa County in Oklahoma. CHC/SEK is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors, which includes patients from the communities it serves.
Government, Health Care, Kansas

State Announces Art Contest Geared Toward Suicide Prevention

Leave a comment

 

TOPEKA – The state of Kansas announces the launch of a new art contest geared towards Kansas youth. The Youth Suicide Prevention Art Contest is for artists, musicians, painters, writers, sculptors, poets, singers and photographers in grades 6 to 12. The contest, hosted by Kansas Partners in Empowering Youth for Suicide Prevention, will help state agencies shape suicide prevention messages and health promotion campaigns.

In 2019, 521 Kansans died by suicide including six under the age of 15 and 83 individuals between the ages of 15 and 24.

“Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Kansans age 15 to 24 and is a leading cause of death for youth ages 5 to 14 – this is unacceptable,” Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said. “Every one of us has a role to play, whether you’re a friend, parent, community member or school employee. We need to come together to help our youth.”

The Kansas Partners for Empowering Youth for Suicide Prevention is comprised of the following agencies: KDHE, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF), Kansas State Department of Education, the Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters along with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.

This group believes that every young person deserves to be safe from suicide and that the best way to reach youth in Kansas is to provide opportunities for youth to reach out to their peers, thus creation of the Youth Suicide Prevention Art Contest.

The goals of the contest are to raise awareness of the possibility of hope and healing while working to provide enough support to Kansas youth so that no one ever walks alone in crisis. The submissions will reach other youth to reduce stigma around mental health and experiencing thoughts of suicide. Preventing suicide is a community effort and youth are extremely important. So, the partners ask eligible Kansas youth to pull out your pen and paper, reach for your guitar and mic, or grab your favorite art supplies to let your voices be heard!

All submissions to the Youth Suicide Prevention Art Contest are due by April 4, 2021, 10 p.m. For more information and to submit a project, please visit https://www.ksphq.org/artcontest/.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (or 800-273-TALK).

Bourbon County, Health Care

Why Does Health in all Policies (HiAP) Matter?

Leave a comment

Submitted by: Jody Hoener

President and CEO

The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, inc.

Health in all policies matters because health happens outside the doctor’s office. Communities reflect their populations—the people and systems that comprise them. Weaving health throughout all policy decisions is critical to community and economic development. We speak the same language as economic developers in terms of measuring key indicators to establish where we are and set goals for the vision of where we’d like to be. Building wealth, increasing average and median household wages, access to food, unemployment, housing, education: a healthy workforce is a prerequisite for economic success in any industry and in all cities.

The social determinants of health clearly identify the conditions that effect health outcomes. Healthy People 2020 list the five key domains as (1.) Economic Stability (2.) Education (3.) Health and Health Care (4.) Neighborhood and Built Environment and (5.) Social and Community Context. Through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to Healthy Kansas Grant, the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT) is addressing each of these determinants through “pathways,” with the addition of a 6th food pathway.

Social and economic factors impact health. Factors such as quality of education and safe neighborhoods are paramount. Our work at the community level is to improve environments where we live, create accessible support systems, encourage community engagement, and to make the healthy choice the default choice.

Equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to access what they need to thrive. This requires removing obstacles to good health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including: powerlessness and lack of access to well-paying jobs, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care (Braveman et al., 2017).

Policies continue to create differences in home ownership, small business development, and other wealth building strategies. Structural inequities create disparities in people’s ability to participate and have a voice in policy and political decision making.

The HBCAT has always defined our target population as Bourbon County, including the six incorporated cities it encompasses. This was defined in 2016 with the completion of the first community health needs assessment. The HBCAT recognizes we are only as strong as our weakest link. Impacts of decisions made by City of Fort Scott officials are often felt throughout the county and policy decisions made through the county are often felt in each of the cities. Regardless of where your home is located, we are all connected and intertwined. Every corner of the county is working toward the same goals in terms of access to safe walkable neighborhoods, healthcare, jobs, income, education, or safe affordable housing.

Policy makers are often juggling competing priorities. Including a Health in all Policy (HiAP) approach will allow policy makers to recognize the health impacts of decisions early on. The strategy is to use the Kansas Health Institute’s Health Impact Checklist (HI-C) tool. The tool asks a series of questions with check boxes and written responses to connect potential changes in social, economic, and environmental conditions with potential health impacts.

Policy decisions can shape what our community looks like and have implications on the health and quality of life for all residents. Research has shown that it is not lack of personal responsibility, low motivation or culture of poverty but deeply entrenched societal factors that cause disparities. The HBCAT looks forward to working with city government on the HiAP checklist to inform decision-making for proposals that appear to be unrelated to health such as housing, transportation, and land use.

Background of the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team:

The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, inc. is registered through the State of Kansas as a non-profit organization. The action team strives to increase access to healthy food and physical activity, promote commercial tobacco cessation, enhance quality of life and encourage economic growth. The problems of health inequity and social injustice are complex in nature and inextricably linked to key economic indicators. The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team aims to improve health outcomes, promote economic inclusion, and address inequities through direct action in the local community and by nurturing relationships with other helping organizations throughout Kansas.