Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant Program - Applicant Organization Information • Kansas Healthcare Collaborative, 623 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612-1627 • KHC is a nonprofit 501(c)3 • khconline.org Designated Project Director Information • Rebecca Wagner, Grants Coordinator, 785.423.1910, rwagner@khconline.org Network Planning Project • Rural Population Health Improvement Network Legislative Aims • Aim #1: Achieve efficiencies • Aim #2: Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services • Planning ex: develop shared model of Population Health, Network Charter, Population Health Activities Assessment tool Focus Area • KHC’s focus area is Population Health. Proposed Service Region • 7 rural counties to participate in planning network: Clark, Harvey, Logan, Lyon, Mitchell, Saline, and Thomas counties. Population to be Served • We envision the population to be Kansas communities served by rural health systems. The distance to travel to access healthcare can be very long in many areas in Kansas, which creates a particular hazard for emergency health care needs. Although 3 network members do not have recent needs assessments, priorities that emerged from CHNAs show significant overlap on issues that can be addressed through a population health approach: chronic disease management, behavioral and mental health, access to care, and alcohol and drug substance use. Each community is located in at least one designated HPSA. State-level disparities in population health outcomes are tracked on KansasHealthMatters.com. Notable disparities in chronic disease include significantly higher burden (including prevalence, hospitalization, and death) from heart disease and stroke among Black/African American Kansans as compared to White Kansans. Disparities are also noted with higher age-adjusted cancer mortality rates and higher burden of diabetes for Black/African American Kansans as compared to White Kansans. Inequitable distributions of social drivers of health, such as rates of poverty, low educational attainment, and lack of access to healthy food or opportunities for physical activity are also documented. Network Members • Minneola Healthcare • NMC Health • Logan County Health Services • Newman Regional Health • Michell County Hospital • Salina Regional Health Center • Citizens Medical Center • Kansas Health Information Network • Kansas Health Collaborative 7/9 members HRSA rural ~78%, 100% indicate commitment to planning network Experience in Serving Rural Underserved Populations • KHC is currently supporting several health care quality improvement initiatives in Kansas. KHC operates the Kansas Compass Hospital Quality Improvement Contractor (HQIC) Network with 92 predominantly small rural hospitals in Kansas, part of a large CMS initiative. KHC also partners with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on a variety of clinic-focused initiatives funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) including programs to increase breast and cervical cancer screening rates, increase colorectal cancer screening, implement an evidence-based suicide screening tool in primary care clinics, and to establish community health worker teams in primary care clinics. Additionally, KHC works with health systems in both hospital and primary care settings to improve transitions of care through a program funded by the COPIC Medical Foundation. • Data and statistics in identified network member counties demonstrate the need for an organized approach to population health. A collaborative approach to a health or health-care problem through a network provides an opportunity for learning and sharing among network members that can be beneficial. We envision the network spreading to other rural health systems and stakeholders engaging in population health improvement. Funding Opportunity Notification • KHC learned about this opportunity through the HRSA website. Funding Preference • #1 HPSA and #2 MUA/MUP-HRSA verified (Attachment 8)
