APRIl 2008 ISSUE

Safety Net Working Group 2008 Priorities

At the regular meeting of the Safety Net Working Group (SNWG) on April 29, members finalized committee descriptions and priorities for the upcoming year. During the next few months, members of each committee will work together to develop outcomes and benchmarks for their work. These will be compiled in an overarching framework that can be used to measure the completion of outcomes for the entire Safety Net Working Group. More information on committee meeting dates is available online at www.marc.org/healthinitiative. 

Committee Descriptions and Priorities

Cover the Uninsured Week in Kansas City — April 27-May 3

This week is the observance of Cover the Uninsured Week. Over the last year, local health care leaders — including health providers, health insurance companies and health advocates — have been working diligently to ensure that the Kansas City community recognizes the difficulties faced by the 47 million Americans, including more than 200,000 Kansas Citian area residents, who are living without health insurance.

The Greater Kansas City Cover the Uninsured Coalition worked with KSHB-TV Channel 41 to sponsor a telethon on April 22nd for uninsured members of the Kansas City community. Callers could request a copy of the newly updated Kansas City Health Resource Guide and receive information about free and low-cost health fairs, screenings and other resources. Telethon members logged more than 450 calls from uninsured area residents.

Activities will take place around the metro this week to draw attention to the difficulties faced by members of the community who do not have access to health insurance. Events include:

• Health Fair, Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Seton Center, 2816 E. 23rd Street, Kansas City, Mo., 816-231-3955
• Health Fair — Choosing a Better Life-Ladies Day Out, Saturday, April 26 —Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway, Kansas City, Mo., 816-965-6622
• Health Fair, Saturday, April 26, Gregg Klice Community Fitness Center, 1600 E. 17th Terrace, Kansas City, Mo., 816-444-9600
• Health Fair/Dia Del Nino Bike Fair, Sunday, April 27, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, Budd Park, 199 Hardesty Avenue, Kansas City, Mo., 816-842-8607
• American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance Health Fair, Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kan., 913-588-2477
• Health Fair, April 29–May 2, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Swope Health Services, 3801 Blue Parkway, Kansas City, Mo., 816-923-5800

KC Health Resource Site is Launched

The interactive health resource Web site www.kchealthresource.org was launched on April 21. The site allows consumers to search for a safety net clinic that provides the health or behavioral health care they may need. It allows the user to enter a home or work address and then search for a clinic within a specified distance. It can also search based upon the method of payment accepted.  If, for example, a consumer wants to find nearby clinics that accept Medicaid and provide childhood immunizations, the search will yield only the clinics that meet these criteria. The search results list contact information for the clinic and provide driving directions, along with basic information about scheduling appointments and what documentation may be necessary. 

This is the first phase of the Health Resource site. Additional upgrades and continuous refreshing of the information will ensure that it is an ongoing and viable resource to the community. Next phases will include the addition of searchable behavioral health services and transportation options to help consumers travel to the services that they need.  For more information about the Web site contact Traci Rowland.

Kansas City Health Data

Local health data researchers and Kansas City grantmakers joined together on April 18th to discuss what health data was available for the Kansas City metropolitan region. Researchers from the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas City Quality Improvement Consortium, MARC, Rockhurst University and others discussed current health research efforts and opportunities to bring the data together to develop a broad list of health indicators for Kansas City. 

Representatives from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City said that a collaborative project involving the REACH Foundation and the Kansas Health Institute (KHI) had identified over 80 health indicators for Kansas City. The goal of the collaborative project is to create a Web-based application with baseline data on the 80 indicators, and keep the database refreshed with new information as it becomes available. This database would be available to the community and could be used to gather data necessary to show changes in health practices in Kansas City and as a basis for grant applications. KHI expects to have the Web site available before the end of 2008. 

Participating health researchers determined that it was critical for them to stay connected and share health data for the region. A listserv will be established for health researchers interested in Kansas City area health data and quarterly meetings will be conducted. For more information contact Dean Katerndahl at 816.701.8243.

Health Disparities in Kansas City

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services held a local meeting on April 23rd to share the results of minority focus groups conducted in Kansas City and discuss the outcomes of the Health Disparity Elimination Plan for the State of Missouri.

The focus groups were designed to gather consumer input regarding access to health care and the quality of health care provided to minority members of the Kansas City community.   Information from Kansas City was compiled with information from St. Louis and Columbia to provide an in-depth look at how health disparities affect members of each community and the state of Missouri. A wide variety of area health stakeholders attended the meeting and shared their experiences regarding the status of health care in Kansas City.  

The final Health Disparity Elimination Plan should be released in late May. Input from the local meetings will be added to the goals aready established in the plan.The key goals of the current plan include the following:

Health Options

1. Build awareness of health disparities among public legislators and health professionals.
2. Increase health options for minority populations.
3. Increase minority participation in health professions.

Prevention and Early Health Promotion

1. Identify, promote and advocate for policy changes that effectively promote health equity in disparate populations within the State of Missouri.
2. Create a consistent, clear and easily understood and retained method of delivery for health messages.
3. Create multilingual brochures and fact sheets that contain positive health messages.
4. Create a framework to connect, network and link-up healthcare organizations that are working to eliminate health disparities.

Social Determinates

1. Conduct community focus groups every four years to identify if goals stated in the plan are being met.
2. Identify evaluation tools to measure the impact and effectiveness of the plan. 

For more information visit the DHSS Web site: www.dhss.mo.gov/MinorityHealth/  

Liz Torres of Worksite Wellness LA visits Kansas City

Liz Torres, chief executive officer of Worksite Wellness LA, visited Kansas City on April 21. At a breakfast meeting with the KC Wellness Collaborative Steering Committee, she shared her first-hand experiences — including challenges and successes — during the last 10 years in providing health screenings and health education to low-wage, uninsured workers in the Los Angeles garment district. Of particular value to the Steering Committee members was Liz’s knowledge of the importance of cultural competency when working with Latino members of the community. The Steering Committee had an opportunity to share the KC Wellness Collaborative model and Liz provided valuable feedback on the identification of small business worksites. 

Liz also spoke to members of the small business community at a luncheon at St. Joseph Community Center sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Carondelet Health Care. Liz discussed the lessons learned over the last 10 years and focused specifically on the importance of establishing a good relationship with small business owners or plant managers. She pointed out that if business leaders valued the health and wellness of their employees, a model such as Worksite Wellness LA could be very successful, even if health insurance was not affordable to the business owner. 

In the evening, Liz visited with members of the Kansas City Chamber Health Council. Health Council members took advantage of the opportunity to discuss with Liz the importance of wellness education to the small business owner. Liz noted that in many surveys Los Angeles small business owners indicated that the Worksite Wellness LA program has improved employee morale and decreased sick days. She said that a key component of the program — connecting employees to a medical safety net home — was critical. Liz said that many employees did not know if they were eligible for state sponsored health care assistance or where to find free or low-cost health care.   

For more information on what is happening with Worksite Wellness for the uninsured in Kansas City, contact Jeanette Metzler.