May 6, 2016

Tweet Share Share PinEditor’s note: In our last feature on our 10-year report, we highlighted the efforts of municipalities that are working toward healthier communities. But neighborhood organizations are creating improvements as well, as you’ll read in this excerpt. Read more about healthy communities. In addition to municipalities, neighborhoods also are stepping up with grassroots solutions […]

April 15, 2016

Tweet Share Share PinSince 2010, a dozen municipalities in the region have implemented complete streets resolutions. A “complete street” is a street that allows for multiple modes of transportation, such as walkers, bikers, bus riders and wheelchairs, in addition to cars. Many municipalities in the region are also working to create areas more conducive to […]

March 27, 2016

Tweet Share Share PinIt’s been four months since Kansas City, Missouri, and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, became the first cities in the metropolitan area to pass policies to increase the age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21. Since then Gladstone and Independence, Missouri, and Olathe and Prairie Village, […]

March 2, 2016

Tweet Share Share PinA few years ago, we started looking ahead to our 10-year anniversary and how we could mark the occasion. Thus was born an ambitious project of mapping the health care landscape to better understand the accomplishments and obstacles surrounding care to the uninsured and underserved in the Kansas City region. To accomplish this, […]

February 5, 2016

Tweet Share Share PinIn addition to new general service clinics, the area also has benefited from an expansion in dental care access for special needs and elderly populations. Oral Health on Wheels, a 40-foot mobile dental clinic operated by Johnson County Community College, provides professional dental cleaning and other maintenance services to special needs populations. […]

January 27, 2016

Tweet Share Share PinHistorically, one of the most effective strategies for reducing smoking has been to increase the cost of tobacco through higher taxes. According to the American Lung Association, a 10 percent increase in tobacco cost reduces consumption by about 4 percent among adults and 7 percent among youth. Each year, 6,500 Missouri youth […]

December 23, 2015

Tweet Share Share Pin‘Tis the season for holiday cheer! As we celebrate the holiday season, we asked HCF associates about their favorite holidays traditions. We hope you enjoy our latest infographic. We want to wish all of our grantees and community partners a very happy and healthy holiday season. As a reminder, the HCF offices […]

December 7, 2015

Tweet Share Share PinWhile many people in this region are uninsured and underserved, over the past decade, legislation like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other health care transformations has made health care more accessible to many in our communities. Local free clinics, community health centers, safety net hospitals and community organizations […]

November 25, 2015

Tweet Share Share PinIn case you haven’t heard, during 2015, we have been celebrating HCF’s 10th anniversary of grantmaking. Whether a celebratory picnic in the park, a luncheon and report looking back on how health has advanced in our region, or through our #AHealthy10 series, we’ve enjoyed looking back on all the amazing work that has […]

November 9, 2015

Tweet Share Share PinOver the past decade we’ve seen new approaches in the understanding and treatment of mental illness. Among the most effective of these is trauma-informed care. We’re proud to say that the Kansas City area has emerged as a national leader in this approach. Trauma-informed care is grounded in the knowledge that traumatic […]