By Amy Simmons, MSW on March 14, 2017
Director of Community Care, Episcopal Community Services
I want you to take a journey with me… close your eyes and think of a commercial kitchen, like the kitchen in your favorite restaurant. With your eyes closed tell me what you hear… what you smell… what it feels like. Is it loud? Do you hear the voices, clanging of pots and pans, the rhythm […]
The coming of a new year marks a time of fresh beginnings and resolutions. December, then, becomes an important time to reflect on the accomplishments of the year and brings into focus the goals we still need to work toward. Each year, organizations in our region plan and implement outstanding programs and policies that continue […]
By Jessica Hembree on November 14, 2016
Program Officer, Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City
Now that we’ve had some time to process the outcomes of this general election, I wanted to provide a recap of Tuesday’s election results and some thoughts about how the election results will impact HCF’s policy work in the coming years. National Election Results While it is too early to know the impact of the […]
By Sylvia L. Goodloe on November 10, 2016
LMSW Clinical Coordinator/Therapist, Reconciliation Services
Reconciliation Services formed Strength eNergy And Power (SnAP) in 2011 to provide women who suffered from severe depression and/or trauma-related symptoms the opportunity to get better through treatment. At that time, we came in contact with many women who because of their past trauma(s) and symptoms of depression, felt overwhelmed and struggled to do necessary […]
By Erica Immenschuh, LSCSW on October 11, 2016
Johnson County Mental Health Center, Adult Services Team Leader
Do you feel safe in your neighborhood? Have you ever experienced or witnessed family violence? Were you bullied by a peer or classmate? Did you ever live in a home where there was not enough money for food? All of these are examples of adversities that affect us in one way or another. Recent research […]
In 1998, I joined a handful of Kansas City-area foster parents at a support group meeting in Eastern Jackson County. In that meeting, people who were new to fostering, and people who had fostered for a while, were sharing their experiences and challenges and seeking solutions together. I quickly decided that I wanted to be […]
One of the primary roles of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is to gather community input surrounding access to care, perceived and present barriers to health, areas of need, etc. It is for this purpose that the Community Input Committee, a sub-committee of the CAC, facilitates a number of listening sessions in the community to […]
By Brijin Gardner on September 8, 2016
Director of Clinical and Social Services, Operation Breakthrough
Kayla Sullivan
Social Services Coordinator, Operation Breakthrough
Every weekday, 400 children and their families make their way to Operation Breakthrough, an early education center the heart of Kansas City. We strive to provide multi-generational support to children and their families through a lens of practice that promotes resiliency and healthy attachment. Parents play the critical role of being their child’s first teacher […]
JVS helps resettle approximately 450-500 refugees to Kansas City annually. Refugees are legally allowed to enter the U.S. for permanent resettlement after proving persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion in their country of origin. Financial assistance from the U.S. […]
There is no doubt that communication plays a vital role in human life. It not only helps to facilitate the process of sharing information and knowledge, but also helps people to develop relationships with others. Its importance cannot be underestimated; every day, we communicate with a variety of people including our families, our friends, our […]
HCF's Local Health Buzz Blog aims to discuss health and health policy issues that impact the uninsured and underserved in our service area. To submit a blog, please contact HCF Communications Officers, Jennifer Sykes, at .
