HCF Welcomes New Officers, Board Members

At its January Board of Directors meeting, the Health Care Foundation elected new board officers, three new members and re-elected four existing members. Mary Lou Jaramillo was elected as Chair, Larry Blankinship as Vice Chair, Mark Flaherty as Secretary and Landon Rowland as Treasurer.

Current Board Members Christina Esteban, Bishop Steve Jones, David Ross and Terry Thompson, were elected to serve another three-year term, in addition to the following new individuals:

• Bernard Franklin, Ph.D, President, Metropolitan Community College – Penn Valley
• Sylvia Robinson, PhD, President, Swope Center for Career Advancement
• Norman Siegel, J.D., Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP
  

Mental Health RFP Deadline February 13

The deadline for Full Proposal Narratives for agencies who completed a Letter of Intent for the 2008 HCF Mental Health RFP is February 13. The complete proposal application must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13. Applicants should have received an automated email when your LOI was completed with a link on where to apply.

Applications forms and instructions for electronic application.

2008 ADG Calendar Change

HCF has announced a change in its Applicant Defined Grant Proposal submission calendar. Application deadlines will remain the third Wednesday of each month, however, proposals submitted for consideration after Wednesday, October 15th will come out of the 2009 funding cycle. The 2009 ADG calendar year will be from November 2008 to October 2009.

Learn more about ADGs and how to apply.

Live Like Your Life Depends On It

HCF recently awarded funding to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to implement its Live Like Your Live Depends On It campaign in the Kansas City area. The purpose of the campaign is to improve behaviors and health care practices of adults 45 years and older to prevent and control chronic diseases. The campaign was developed after detailed formative research and offers many resources for community agencies to implement the campaign. HCF hopes the campaign will complement and reinforce existing services and programs within its service area to help improve health outcomes for our targeted population.

Learn more about the Live Like Your Life Depends On It campaign and how you can participate.

Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

Although the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it ranks 29th in life expectancy, among the worst of industrialized countries. Beginning in March, PBS will broadcast a documentary series about America’s glaring socio-economic and racial inequities in health. The four-hour series titled Unnatural Causes will air nationally on your local PBS affiliate over four consecutive Thursdays beginning March 27. The series addresses how social conditions in which we are born, live and work can profoundly affect our health and longevity.

Learn more about Unnatural Causes.

New Site Added for Free HPV Vaccine

Beginning in February, Swope Health Quindaro will offer the HPV vaccine to existing patients at no charge, thanks to the HPV grant from HCF and the REACH Healthcare Foundation.

Find specific locations in Missouri and Kansas where the vaccine is available through HCF funding (55K PDF).

Kansas: Pricing the Roadmap to Health Insurance Reform

The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, REACH Healthcare Foundation, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and the Sunflower Foundation released a study in November for the Kansas Health Policy Authority (KHPA) of six health care reform models for the state. The four foundations contributed $286,000 to support the analysis produced by Schramm-Raleigh Health Strategy. The report examined the current insurance situation, along with voluntary public program expansion, market-based reform, mandatory coverage through both individuals and employer mandates and state coverage.

Read the full report (1.6M PDF).

Grantee Spotlight: Independence School District

The percentage of overweight children in the United States is growing at an alarming rate. Studies show that in the past 25 years, the number of overweight children has over doubled in children ages 6 to 11 and tripled in those 12 to 17. In Missouri, the numbers are even worse.

To help fight childhood obesity, the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City awarded the Independence School District in 2006 with a two-year, $387,122 Healthy Lifestyles grant to implement two health programs - ABC for Fitness and Nutrition Detectives. Read more.