Kansas, a 208 mile by 411 mile rectangle, is located in the heart of the nation. Kansas is named after the Kansas Native American tribe, which means "People of the South Wind." It is commonly referred to as Wheat State and Breadbasket of the Nation. Kansas covers 82,227 square miles, with a 2008 estimated population of 2,802,134 people – 1,016,475 living in rural Kansas (USDA-ERS). Topeka, the capital, is located in the north-eastern region of the state. The state’s largest cities are Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 88.9% of the state’s population is white, 6.1% is Black/African-American, 1.0% is American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% is Asian, and 8.8% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (2007).
There are 144 hospitals in Kansas, 107 of which are located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, Dec. 2008). The state has 83 hospitals currently identified by the Flex Monitoring Team as Critical Access Hospitals (April, 2009). There are 174 Rural Health Clinics in Kansas (CMS, 2009), and 15 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 49 sites in the state (KDHE/OLRH, 2010). Most Kansans have some form of health insurance coverage, although 12.6% of its residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2006-2007.)
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Kansans in 2007 was $36,525 although rural per-capita income lagged at $30,330. 2008 estimates indicate a poverty rate of 13.1% exists in rural Kansas, compared to a 10.3% level in urban areas of the state. Data from 2000 finds that 16.8% of the rural population has not completed high school, while only 12.2% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural Kansas is at 3.9%, while in urban Kansas it is at 4.7% (USDA-ERS, 2008).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts
USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts
Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE): Office of Local and Rural Health (OLRH)
Organizations
HUD Community Development Block Grants: Kansas (CDBG)
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
Kansas Association of Community Action Programs (KACAP)
State government
Provides statewide poverty-focused conferences, coordination of asset-development informational forums in Kansas, production of pertinent poverty-focused reports, and coordination of an outcomes-based model for Kansas' community action agencies.
Kansas Center for Engagement and Community Development
Academic/Research
Opperates as a university-based organization where university faculty and community leaders can come together to address community challenges, meet community needs, and realize community dreams.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE)
State government
Works to optimize the promotion and protection of the health of Kansans through efficient and effective public health programs and services and through preservation, protection, and remediation of natural resources of the environment.
Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL)
State government
Administers the unemployment insurance program and processes claims for unemployment benefits, posts job postings for employers and employees, operates the state's workers compensation system and enforces Kansas employment standards including wage and hour laws and child labor laws.
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services
State government
Protects children, promotes adult self-sufficiency, and provides supports and services to improve lives. Resources on their website are available in multiple languages.
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services: Addiction and Prevention Service (AAPS)
State government
Promotes effective public policy and develops and evaluates successful resources for the people and the programs of Kansas. Works to ensure a comprehensive system of quality services for the prevention and treatment of addictions in Kansas.
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services: Child Support Enforcement (CSE)
State government
Enforces child support orders, locates absent parents and their property, obtains paternity,
and watches to make sure support payments come in regularly.
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services: Mental Health Division
State government
Provides services to the populations with severe and persistent mental illnesses and severe emotional disturbances in community settings.
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services: Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VR)
State government
Helps people with disabilities achieve employment and self-sufficiency, and links employers with qualified and productive individuals to meet their work force needs.
Kansas Foundation for Medical Care (KFMC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Focused on improving healthcare quality. Ensures that Medicare and Medicaid patients receive appropriate and quality healthcare.
Kansas Health Consumer Coalition (KHCC)
State/regional organization
Advocates for affordable, accessible, and quality health care in Kansas.
Kansas Health Institute (KHI)
State/regional organization
Advocates health topics such as rural health, to policymakers by conducting research, provide policy analysis, convening conversations, sponsoring educational forums, and providing in-depth coverage of timely issues through a news service.
Kansas Hospital Association (KHA)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides leadership and services to member hospitals. Is the lead organization in a group of companies and affiliates that provides a wide array of services to the hospitals of Kansas and the Midwest region.
Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC)
State/regional organization
Serves as the Housing Finance Agency for the State of Kansas. Emphasis is on Homeownership, Rental Housing, Housing with Supportive Services, and Asset Management.
Kansas Office of Local and Rural Health (OLRH)
State government
Assists communities to provide public health, primary, and medical care, and prevention services for all Kansans. Provides assistance to Kansas communities in developing or improving patient-centered, collaborative health care delivery systems. A division of Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Kansas Primary Care Association - Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved (KAMU)
State/regional organization
Assures access to comprehensive health care for underserved populations, including State funded primary care clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), local health departments and other non profit clinics who may be supported in part by public funds, faith based organizations and private foundations or local contributions.
Kansas Public Health Association (KPHA)
State government
Represents members from over 50 occupations/organizations. Brings together researchers, health service providers, administrators, teachers, and other health workers in a unique, multidisciplinary environment of professional exchange, study, and action.
Kansas Rural Center (KRC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides research, education, and advocacy. Cultivates grassroots support for public policies that encourage family farming and stewardship of soil and water. Committed to economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially sustainable rural culture.
Kansas State Department of Education: Special Education Services
State government
Provides links to additional special education resources for exceptional children, and provides leadership and support for special education services to schools throughout Kansas.
Midwest Assistance Program (MAP)
State/regional organization
Aims to help rural communities in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming to improve their environment, quality of life and be self-sustaining.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, MidContinental Region (NN/LM-MCR)
State/regional organization
Works to improve access to health information for health professionals, librarians and members of the public in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri.
Proyecto/Project IDEAS
State/regional organization
Strives to improve HIV prevention services for Latino/Hispanic populations living in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. Focuses on adapting and tailoring CDC-approved interventions that are culturally, linguistically and educationally appropriate. This is a capacity building assistance program for community-based organizations and state and local health departments.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Kansas
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
United Way 2-1-1 of Missouri
State/regional organization
Assists people with finding and giving help. It is a central phone number connecting people with available community resources and volunteer opportunities. This service, available 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week will cover a 23-county area in and surrounding metropolitan Kansas City. United Way 2-1-1 spans a 23-county area-7 counties in Kansas and 16 in Missouri and has access to thousands of resources.
United Way of the Plains
State/regional organization
Provided through United Way of the Plains, Kansans can dial 2-1-1 from any land line to reach the United Way 2-1-1 of Kansas call center. Call center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
USDA Rural Development Kansas State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. Provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
ERS State Fact Sheet: Kansas
Web site
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
Kansas AgrAbility Project
Web site
Assists people with disabilities who are employed in agriculture. Informs, educates, and assists farmers, farm families, and farm workers who have disabilities, so they can continue to work and thrive in their agricultural career.
Kansas Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
Kansas Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compiled 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Kansas Housing Programs
Web site
Offers information to simplify the initial process of addressing housing needs. Provides information on various homeownership, rental, and community housing programs.
Kansas KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Kansas QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Kansas Rural Health Information Service (KRHIS)
Web site
Serves as an information clearinghouse on rural health care issues ranging from grant funding to training opportunities to reimbursement issues to bioterrorism preparedness, and more.
Kansas Rural Interdisciplinary Training Program
Web site
Introduces health professional students to rural practice, encourages consideration of rural practice options, sensitizes health professional faculty and students to rural health needs,
provides an opportunity for students to learn and work in an environment that facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration, fosters cultural sensitivity, cultivates service learning principles; and
provides health education and health services to rural and underserved populations to reduce health care disparities.
Kansas State Data Center
Web site
Provides access to census data through a network of coordinating and affiliate data centers.
Kansas State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
MedlinePlus Go Local
Web site
Offers information about health services in local geographic areas, including hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, support groups, health screening providers and many others.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Kansas
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
NN/LM MidContinental Region: Kansas Resources
Web site
Overviews the state, with links to agencies, health associations, and other resources for Kansas.
Sowing the Seeds of Hope
Web site
Provides behavioral health services to uninsured, underinsured and other at-risk farm and ranch families and agricultural workers in seven states: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin
State Profiles- Kansas: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Funding
Delta Dental Plan of Kansas
Funding is provided for new initiatives, new components of existing programs, start-up funding or one-time events.
Emergency Repair Program (ERP)
Financial assistance to income eligible homeowners to make emergency repairs to their homes that are necessary to ensure the occupant's continued safety.
First Children's Finance Loan Fund
Loans and technical assistance to child care and early education businesses, especially those serving lower-income communities.
First Time Home Buyers Program
Down payment assistance to qualified Kansas buyers for the purchase of their first home.
Grandparents as Caregivers Assistance Program
The Grandparents as Caregivers Assistance (GPCG) program provides cash benefits to grandparents or other relatives raising children.
Guaranteed Home Loan Construction Finance Program
A new program which will support more affordable single-family home construction in Kansas.
Kansas Accessibility Modification Program (KAMP)
Assists eligible persons with disabilities in making modifications to their residence.
Kansas Bridging Plan
A loan forgiveness program offered to residents in family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, or medicine/pediatrics residency programs in Kansas to practice in rural areas.
Kansas Energy Efficiency Program (KEEP)
Provides interest free loans to qualified Kansas homeowners to make improvements to their homes to increase energy efficiency.
Kansas Fire Injury Prevention Program (KFIPP)
Kansas statewide program designed to assist in lowering state fire injury, death, and loss of property.
Kansas Health Foundation Recognition Grants
Funding for unsolicited requests specifically targeted for grassroots groups doing innovative and meaningful work that fits within the foundation's mission to improve the health of all Kansans.
Kansas Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP)
LIEAP provides an annual benefit to help qualifying households pay winter heating bills.
Kansas Nursing Service Scholarship
Scholarship program designed to encourage enrollment in nursing programs by Kansans committed to practicing in Kansas.
Kansas Public Health Leadership Institute (KPHLI)
A year-long leadership training program for workers in public health and allied fields.
Kansas Rural Housing Programs
Grants for a variety of housing programs to help meet the housing needs of moderate, low and very low income rural Kansans.
Master’s Level/Educator Hospital Employee Scholarship Program
Assists deserving individuals interested in improving their abilities to provide quality care in Kansas.
Midwest Assistance Program Loan Fund
Helps small communities and tribal nations jumpstart infrastructure, housing, technology, aging and economic development projects through low-cost, short-term loans.
Sunflower Foundation Bridge Grants
Funding to provide core transitional financial support for new or expanded medical, behavioral, dental and/or public health services that provide primary care or primary prevention services to the uninsured and the underinsured.
Sunflower Foundation Capacity Building Grants
Funding for building the organizational capacity/improving the effectiveness of the health care safety net.
Sunflower Foundation Walking Trails Grants
Funding for projects that bring together public and private support to construct walking trails as a means to increase physical activity among Kansans.
Weatherization Assistance Program
Grants to non-profits to provide housing improvements that increase energy efficiency in income-eligible, single- or multi-family dwellings, including manufactured homes.
William T. Kemper Foundation Grants
Provides grants for health, human services, the arts, and the environment.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this state that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Demographic and Economic Profile: Kansas
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Presents demographic, economic information and statistics on Kansas. Includes charts, maps, and graphs.
Date: 01 / 2009
Kansas Hospital Association 2008 Annual Stat Report
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Hospital Association
Provides statistics about hospitals and the health care industry of Kansas. Contains strategic and legislative issues, as well as demographics, hospital trends, analytical explanations and more. Access associated PDF files through this web link.
Date: 2008
Kansas Primary Care Health Professional Underserved Areas Report
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Reports, in charts and maps, counties that are considered Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) for mental health, dental, and primary care services. Also included is information on Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), the J-1 Visa program, and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program in the state.
Date: 04 / 2008
New Issues on the Rural Horizon
Author(s): Mark Drabenstott
Sponsoring organization: Regional, Public and Community Affairs Division, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
The year-end 2005 report from the Center for the Study of Rural America at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Summarizes the performance of the rural economy in 2005 and focuses on three issues facing rural America in 2006--energy prices, the budget climate, and sprawl.
Date: 12 / 2005
Playing by the Rules but Losing: How Medical Debt Threatens Kansans' Healthcare Access and Financial Security
Author(s): Carol Pryor, Jeffrey Prottas
Sponsoring organization: Access Project
Discusses the extent and the consequences of medical debt among low-income Kansans, based on a 2005 survey of patients at four community health centers in Kansas.
Date: 01 / 2006
Revised Kansas Childhood Blood Testing Plan
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Department of Health and Environment
The Kansas Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program recently revised its guidelines to impact the largest number of children at risk. CDC estimates that 6400 children under the age of six in Kansas have elevated blood levels.
Journal citation: Kansas - Public Health Connections Volume 4 Issue 2 Pages: 1
Date: 02 / 2004
Small Business Profile: Kansas
Sponsoring organization: Small Business Administration
Profiles state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2008
State Profiles - Kansas: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Profiles of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Journals
Kansas - Public Health Connections
Monthly newsletter which provides important public health and rural health news from across the state. Issues are available as PDF files from January 2003 and forward.
Success Stories
Salina Area Health Network
This outreach grant allowed this community to enjoy longer hospital hours, more services and more qualified staff.
EMS Co-op Helps Rural Providers
Using the power of group purchasing within a cooperative structure, the North Central EMS Cooperative (NCEMSC) is an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) cooperative developed to serve Minnesota and surrounding states.
South Central Dental Project
This project will address a tremendous unmet need for dental care for the low-income people in the area, and will also pilot a dental program model integrated with medical care now provided by the participating clinics.
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