KPHC

States Continue Efforts to Build and Strengthen Community Health Workforce

Uncategorized / By

As the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted workforce challenges and longstanding health inequities within the healthcare and public health systems, interest in developing the community health worker (CHW) workforce has intensified across the country. A CHW is a frontline public health professional who shares life experience, trust, compassion, culture, and value alignment with the communities they serve. CHWs can work …

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Breastfeeding Friendly Local Health Department Designation

News / By

Local health departments play a vital role in supporting breastfeeding families in Kansas communities. The Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition and Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, recognize and celebrate local health departments that are leading the way in this work through the Breastfeeding Friendly Local Health Department designation.   Breastfeeding …

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Burned Out: The stresses of the pandemic have increased the mental health needs of the public health workforce

Kansas Public Health in Action / By

By Debra Venzke, University of Iowa College of Public Health “The COVID-19 Pandemic has been detrimental to many people’s mental health, with the stresses on workers in health care, education, and other essential services frequently highlighted. Less often, however, has attention been focused on the mental health needs of the public health workforce that has …

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Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice Report

Kansas Public Health in Action, News / By

By the Commission on Racial Equity and Justice Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order No. 20-48 in June of 2020, establishing the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice. The focus of this Commission is to study issues of racial equity and justice in Kansas. Two reports have been released: Policing and Law Enforcement in …

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KDHE Report Affirms Education, Income, Race and Gender Influence Health Risks

Kansas Public Health in Action, News / By

By Kansas Reflector, Tim Carpenter “The trove of information in the report produced by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment offered insight into medical and behavioral challenges based on 10,000 telephone interviews conducted throughout 2019. The survey performed since the 1990s in Kansas with support from nonprofit health foundations and the U.S. Centers for …

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Image of a woman in a mask holding an infant swaddled in a blanket.

Racial Disparities in Infant Mortalities Persist Despite Record Low Rates in Kansas

Kansas Public Health in Action, News / By

By: Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector “… while the number of infant deaths reported is the lowest on record for the state, disparities in infant mortality rates among vulnerable populations persist in 2019.” This article features information from the Kansas Infant Mortality & Stillbirth Report (2019) by KDHE Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics. READ …

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Image of PA Erin Keely and Clinic Manager Lacey Mollel taking a selfie with a community member who served as Somali translator, during a COVID-19 education, screening and testing event that took place in 2020.

Grassroots Efforts in Southwest Kansas Educate Refugee Communities about COVID-19

Kansas Public Health in Action, News / By

By: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “When COVID-19 hit Southwest Kansas in the spring of 2020, there was little information available about the disease in languages other than English. Many essential workers from refugee communities turned to their neighbors, Physician Assistant Erin Keeley and Doctor Rachael Svaty, with their questions. The providers had a …

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Image of Prairie Band Health Center Staff and Gov. Laura Kelly standing in the Health Center under a Bison head mount.

Governor Kelly Recognizes Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

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By Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation The Prairie Band Health Center, located on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Reservation, has partnered with Jackson County Health Department to offer vaccinations to Jackson County residents. Governor Laura Kelly visited the Prairie Band Health Center to show support for the partnership between the two health organizations. READ MORE ABOUT …

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Image of Seth Dewey, Reno County Health Department's Substance Misuse Health Educator, holding Narcan nasal spray to his nose. He is demonstrating how Narcan nasal spray is administered to a person who has overdosed.

As Reno County Sees Spike in Overdoses, Officials say Residents Should do these 3 Things

News / By

By John Green, Hutchinson News “We expect those times to be harder with the holidays,” said Seth Dewey, the health department’s Substance Misuse Health Educator. “More people are partying and having depression issues. The fact we’re seeing a spike in overdoses in March tells us there’s probably more to this.” READ MORE ABOUT HOW COMMUNITIES …

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Image of doctor holding up syringe.

A shot in the arm for confidence in COVID-19 vaccines

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By High Plains Journal, Lacey Newlin “Fear of the unknown with medicine is expected, but with a decision like whether or not to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine, education is everything. Lisa Morici, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, cleared …

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