Submitted
Manhattan and Kansas City, Kan. – Through the K-State 105 initiative, Kansas State University and The University of Kansas Health System announced today that the organizations are working together to explore ways to support health care in rural Kansas communities. The two organizations made the announcement during a joint news conference.
The partnership is a first-of-its-kind collaboration that brings together the land-grant mission and statewide presence of K-State through K-State Research and Extension with the expertise and experience of the state's only academic health system.
"As a next-generation land-grant university, Kansas State University has identified community health and well-being as a focus area for engagement and transforming lives in Kansas," said Marshall Stewart, K-State senior vice president and chief of staff. "We are thrilled to collaborate with our colleagues at The University of Kansas Health System and build a K-State 105 partnership that improves health care access for Kansans across the state."
Through the K-State 105 partnership, K-State and The University of Kansas Health System will work with the statewide K-State Research and Extension network to meaningfully address health care challenges, particularly in rural Kansas.
"Access to quality health care is critical for patients, and for their communities," said Bob Page, president and CEO of The University of Kansas Health System. "Our focus starts always with what is best for patients, and providing access to the expertise and resources of the state's only academic health system is one of many ways we are working to provide support across our state."
The two organizations are identifying health care areas for initial project focus. Some of these areas could include:
• Strategies to keep care local.
• Caregiver support for patients with dementia.
• Increasing access to digital and telehealth resources.
• Programming focused on behavioral health needs in rural communities.
• Addressing OB-GYN/high-risk pregnancy provider shortages.
• Grant writing and facilitation resources.
"Communities large and small across Kansas have similar goals — create a great place to live, work and enjoy life," said Tammy Peterman, MS, RN, FAAN, president of the health system's Kansas City Division. "We are excited to collaborate with K-State and its extension offices to address identified health challenges, as well as continue to learn and partner with rural health care providers on new solutions to emerging challenges."
The program will start with pilot projects in areas still being determined through collaboration with communities and with K-State Research and Extension offices.
"Through K-State 105, we are building economic prosperity in all 105 counties of Kansas," said Jessica Gnad, K-State 105 director. "We know that access to health care is an issue affecting economic and workforce development across Kansas. Our partnership with The University of Kansas Health System is just the beginning of a collaboration to empower Kansans to find solutions that work in their local communities."
These efforts are meant to support and augment the work already being done by dedicated physicians, nurses and care providers throughout the state.
The statewide K-State Research and Extension network has locations in all 105 counties and plays a key role in connecting with communities. Community vitality and health have long been a focus of K-State Research and Extension programming, and K-State Research and Extension agents understand the opportunities and challenges in their local communities.
This project will build on the work being done by the Care Collaborative, a health system program that originally started to drive better outcomes in stroke, heart attack and sepsis care in rural Kansas. It now reaches 73 counties statewide, providing access to a variety of tools, expertise and resources for rural health care providers. The Care Collaborative, now in its 10th year, has developed programming and tools for quality improvement, behavioral health, diabetes education and new payment models for rural providers to enhance sustainability as the health care landscape changes.
K-State is focusing on health and well-being as the first Kansas university to adopt the international Okanagan Charter, which calls upon higher education institutions to embed health into university culture and promote health collaboration and action.