Recent publications by Health and Human Services highlight the stark health disparities exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic for Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations, arising from socioeconomic disparities, lack of culturally accessible care, and other living, working, and health conditions. These communities have suffered from higher burdens of infection, hospitalization, and death with inadequate access to testing and vaccination. Rural communities, many lacking basic access to healthcare and social services, have also been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Kansas has unfortunately mirrored many of these national findings. However, Kansas is also committed to addressing disparities faced by people in our state, including through increasing capacity and resources to address health disparities through CDC-RFA-OT21-2013: National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities.Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has included four key strategies in a coordinated effort to reduce COVID health disparities and increase capacity for current and future responses. Key priorities include: Introduction of a Chronic Disease Prevention and Management program in eight communities to improve health outcomes and prevent serious complications of COVID infection; Expansion of the Local Health Equity Action Teams (LHEAT) model piloted with NIH RADxUP grant to KUMC to build local capacity to drive action related to COVID testing and vaccination; Buildout of equity-related infrastructure at the state and county levels, including creation of a six-District cross-jurisdictional Local Health Department Capacity Project (LCaP) including Bilingual Communication Support and Health Equity Champions, as well as creation of the State Health Department Office of Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion (DEI) to support DEI efforts statewide and create and sustain a culture where DEI frames every public health initiative during COVID and beyond. Lastly, key priorities will also include establishing a community-driven and data informed support network for timely community response across sectors.Key populations include rural geographies, including frontier counties and rural areas with large populations of migrant farmworkers and meatpacking plant workers, geriatric and disabled populations, and those with chronic disease. Focus will also be in urban areas with communities of color, multi-lingual communities, and refugee communities. Cutting across all geographies, attention will also be given to social determinants of health-related factors such as socioeconomic and insurance status. This work will be accomplished through partnerships with trusted community leaders and service providers, while increasing workforce capacity and sustainability to apply a health equity lens across the Kansas public health system.KDHE understands that it is critical for funded recipients and key partners to implement a coordinated and holistic approach that builds on culturally, linguistically, and locally tailored strategies and best practices to reduce COVID-19 risk. By combining the key strategies above, KDHE will leverage our extensive capacities and expertise to build and sustain trust, ensure equitable access to COVID-19-related services, and advance health equity to address COVID-19-related health disparities among populations at higher risk, underserved, and disproportionately affected.
