A quest to learn about local healthcare needs brought together about two dozen Allen County residents with representatives of the Kansas Health Institute Tuesday evening at the community building in Riverside Park.
KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization in Topeka that provides research and analysis to help policymakers with informed decisions. KHI teams are traveling across the state for a series of conversations aimed at learning from local residents about their health-related challenges.
Tuesday’s trio had attendees divide into groups to brainstorm on three subjects: Partnership opportunities, topics and support.
Several of those who attended were local physicians and health care professionals. Many were government officials. Also on hand were a handful of employees from Thrive Allen County, which often works with KHI. Others came as volunteers to represent small communities.
Partnerships
“What does a successful partnership look like?” asked Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore, a senior analyst for KHI, to kick off the discussion. “How can KHI better support and create meaningful partnerships?”
Alice Bolin, speaking on behalf of a group of Elsmore residents, said their tiny town often feels overlooked. But they work hard to support each other, particularly through the Elsmore Ruritan Club’s food pantry. Thrive Allen County helps the club find resources but it would be nice to have another partner that could help.
“We have lots of elderly, lots of low-income folks,” Bolin said. “There have been meetings in Elsmore and we continue to talk about the same problems, but nothing changes. If we tell someone our needs, we’d like to have it result in some type of action. We’d like to have resources equal or greater than the needs we see.”
Dan Davis, a local pastor, discussed the value of partnering with religious institutions, from churches to the ministerial alliance. He noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, local churches each approached the topic in different ways.
“Some said, ‘Oh, it’s not so bad,’ and others were saying, ‘We have to be very careful,’” he said. It would help to have a partner that could facilitate public education and communication on health topics, he said.
Cole Herder, Humboldt city administrator, spoke on behalf of a group that included a cross-section of health professionals, Thrive, Humanity House and Allen Community College. Herder talked about the numerous organizations already working to improve the lives of Allen County residents, and the challenges they face in accessing resources. Specifically, he asked how KHI could partner with hospitals and insurance companies to make health insurance more portable between out-of-network facilities.
John Masterson, interim president at ACC, also spoke of the need to educate college students about health issues and resources.
“For many of them, it’s their first time away from home and Mom has always taken care of their health needs,” he said. “It would be helpful to have folks come in and talk about things they might face — drugs, sexually transmitted diseases — and how to get treatment, how to get a diagnosis, what kind of providers are available. A number of providers are willing to work with students but they don’t know that when they first come here. Your expertise and guidance could be beneficial.”
Dr. Sam Wilcox, a family practice physician with St. Luke’s Health System, encouraged KHI to work with local government officials and include smaller communities in discussions about health policy. He suggested similar efforts regarding local industries and employers regarding workplace safety.
“We have a lot of groups doing a lot of things,” he told the KHI representatives. “Help those groups become aware that you exist and how to access your resources.”
Richard Luken, a Register reporter who was there representing LaHarpe PRIDE, said his community also faces challenges similar to Elsmore. He also echoed Herder and Wilcox’s comments about a need to bridge the gap among local nonprofits and relief organizations.
“You have an alphabet soup of organizations. Do they work together to make sure they’re all rowing in the same direction and complementing the resources they each offer?”
Topics
Para-Cremer Moore asked the groups to help KHI prioritize its research and outreach.
Matt Rehder, Iola city administrator, said it would help to learn more about drug policy, specifically regarding marijuana legalization as it expands across the U.S. He and his group also listed Medicaid expansion, health insurance coverage gaps, access to quality healthcare and housing as key topics.
Herder’s group echoed similar topics: Affordable health insurance, affordable child care, access to mental health care, illegal substance use and misuse, and isolation, particularly for the elderly population.
Bolin added food insecurity to the list, noting Allen County Regional Hospital offers a 60-Plus Dine Program that provides affordable or no-cost meals to the elderly. She also noted a free meals program is available for children during the summer. Why can’t something similar be available to the elderly?
Anticipating she might stir controversy, Bolin said her group couldn’t ignore a topic the U.S. surgeon general recently declared a public health crisis: Gun control. She learned gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children.
“We need to be able to have a decent conversation where we can let people have their Second Amendment rights but protect our vulnerable kids. Let’s try to have tolerance of opinions,” she said, adding she also would like more education about civic issues such as voting.
Wilcox’s group added environmental hazards, particularly as much of Iola is a Superfund site because of its early industrial history that included smelting and a brick foundry. Flooding has been a recurring threat in the town’s history.
Wilcox also talked about elder care, particularly preventing scams that target vulnerable populations. His list included substance misuse, homelessness and housing, transportation access and suicide prevention.
He raised a topic that was new to KHI representatives: Communication issues are complicated by residents, particularly those with lower incomes, who rely on pre-paid cellular phones. Often, they also lack reliable internet services and use multiple emails.
“When I call patients to follow up on test results, only about half the time I’m able to talk to them. One in five I can never make contact because they used up the minutes on that phone and it’s on to the next. There’s no way to reach them,” he said.
Para-Cremer Moore asked if others in the audience had experienced similar issues. About half raised their hands, including all the physicians and Thrive representatives. 
Support
So, how can KHI better support rural communities?
Herder responded by asking, “What’s KHI?”
Para-Cremer Moore was assisted by Ithar Hassaballa, team lead for population health, and Ibrahim Cifti, an intern who is a pre-med student at Kansas State University. They talked about efforts to provide research and education, and to support state health departments all the way down to local health departments. KHI produces health-related news content, including a podcast called Health on the Plains.
Most of the local attendees suggested better outreach to local news media and social media, advertisements and education about the organization.
Herder wondered if the group uses a listserv, and noted local governments have the Kansas League of Municipalities to share ideas, educate public servants, and lobby on behalf of their needs.
About half the groups had the same question: What about money? Does KHI offer grants or financial resources?
KHI was established in 1995 through a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation. KHI does not offer grants itself but collaborates with entities to find and apply for grants. Many organizations utilize their research when applying for grants. KHI also compiles the annual County Health Rankings report that identifies how well Kansas counties compare in areas such as health outcomes including premature deaths and low birth weight babies (Allen County ranked 89th out of 104 counties in 2023) and health factors such as smoking, obesity and number of children living in poverty (Allen County ranked 90th in 2023).
Violeta Rodriguez-Stauffer, representing a group of Register employees, suggested KHI provide more local data and attend more in-person, local events such as having a booth at Farm-City Days or Family Safety Night to build awareness and trust with local communities.
“Technology can be a barrier for some people,” she said.
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