Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City

A case for raising the legal sale age on tobacco products

Post date: August 28, 2014 1:08 AM
Submitted by natasha on August 28, 2014 1:08 AM

Adriana PecinaBy Adriana Pecina, HCF Program Officer

There are many milestones for a parent. Having your child turn 18 may be among the top. It’s an emotional time for a parent.

I should know — my oldest daughter turned 18 this year and she is now a legal adult who can make her own decisions. She can vote. She can join the military. And yes, she can legally buy tobacco products.

That is a lesson I learned the hard way.

Categories:

Blurred Lines: Oral health and overall health

Post date: June 19, 2014 9:57 PM
Submitted by natasha on June 19, 2014 9:57 PM

Jessica HembreeBy Jessica Hembree, HCF program officer

While also the name of a hit pop song, blurred lines is an apt summary of the recommendations stemming from HCF’s recently released oral health assessment. Oral health has traditionally been siloed apart from physical health and, unfortunately this separation has greatly impacted the cost, quality and access to oral health services.

Categories:

Free Mental Health First Aid training offered

Post date: June 2, 2014 11:21 AM
Submitted by natasha on June 2, 2014 11:21 AM

Editor's note: The next Mental Health First Aid training will be planned for late winter/early spring. Please check Wyandot Inc's website for more information.

By Mark Wiebe, Wyandot Inc. Public Affairs Director

On July 10, the Metropolitan Council of Community Mental Health Centers will host a Mental Health First Aid ‘Day.’ This first-ever opportunity for the Kansas City area will be offered at no cost to the public thanks to funding from the Health Care Foundation and the Jackson County Community Mental Health Fund.

Our aim is to certify more than 250 Kansas Citians in the adult or youth version of the course and increase the ranks of people trained to respond to a mental health crisis. In the process, we hope to add momentum to an already robust conversation about mental health in the region.

Categories:

Make breakfast time your favorite time

Post date: March 3, 2014 3:35 PM
Submitted by natasha on March 3, 2014 3:35 PM

Gretchen Speer PatchBy Gretchen Speer Patch, MPH, Healthy Schools Program Manager for Kansas Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Do you have trouble getting your children out the door with breakfast in hand bright and early in the morning? Do you find yourself begging your child to eat breakfast or sitting in the morning drive thru line? Let me share a time-saving secret that may also save you money-- it’s called school breakfast.

You already know breakfast is the most important meal of the day; it primes your child’s brain for peak performance and studies show children that eat breakfast have better concentration and critical thinking, fewer behavioral issues and reduced tardiness.

Categories:

On mental health and poverty: The new Rainbow to offer 'port of calm,' 'port of access'

Post date: February 18, 2014 10:35 AM
Submitted by natasha on February 18, 2014 10:35 AM

By Mark Wiebe, Wyandot Inc. public affairs director

In Sunday's New York Times, a headline on the op/ed page underscored one of the central challenges in mental health and criminal justice circles: How do we reduce the number of people with mental illness in our jails and prisons? The column, "Inside a Mental Health Hospital Called Jail," profiles Cook County Jail in Chicago, where some 60 percent of the inmates on a given day are diagnosed with a mental illness.

Categories:

Navigating the ACA

Post date: February 6, 2014 2:10 PM
Submitted by natasha on February 6, 2014 2:10 PM

Elizabeth DarrBy Elizabeth Darr, Navigator at Shepherd's Center

Navigators are individuals — mostly volunteers — dedicated to assisting people in signing up for health insurance plans available under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare. I am one of these navigators.

Our training consisted of 20 hours of online learning. We were required to obtain a Missouri license. There are Navigators and Certified Application Counselors working at many area clinics, but our group works at the Shepherd’s Center, supported by a grant from Primaris.

Categories:

It’s time to put progress ahead of politics

Post date: February 4, 2014 11:51 AM
Submitted by natasha on February 4, 2014 11:51 AM

By Mayor Sly James, mayor of Kansas City, Mo.

People ask me what I love about being mayor of Kansas City. The answer is that I enjoy seeing the real impact of the decisions we make in City Hall. I have the opportunity to work with a strong group of people at the city – elected and staff – who want to do the right thing. If something isn’t working then we make a change. For us, what’s important is getting things done, not keeping score.

Unfortunately, we know that hasn’t always been the case in our state capitals or Washington, DC.

Categories: