General Updates
On October 29, 2021, the KHI Board of Directors convened its 4th Quarter meeting in the KHI Learning Center. In addition to approving updates to KHI’s Strategic Plan, the board approved the organization’s 2022 budget.
The United Way's annual campaign has kicked off for the 2022 contribution year! Employees received the UW pledge form at the all-staff meeting on Nov. 1. You can donate to the United Way and its affiliated agencies in a variety of ways, which are explained on the form you received. If you have any questions about the campaign, please contact Nancy Ruf at nruf@khi.org.
The deadline to enroll in the 2022 Flexible Spending Account is December 30, 2021. If you do not make changes to your account, it will remain unchanged for 2022.
Coming Soon! 2022 Employee Health Insurance open enrollment. Watch your email for details from Nancy.
October Communications Metrics
KHI in the News
The October edition of the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Newsletter featured KHI's report of the 2021 County Health Rankings. (Issue 3, 10/21)
Testimony
Wyatt Beckman presented KHI’s analysis of suicide rates and the disparities that exist, particularly among peer county groups, at the Oct. 28 meeting of the Kansas Legislative Special Committee on Mental Health Modernization and Reform. In referring to KDHE vital statistics data from 2000-2019, Wyatt noted: “While counties of all sizes saw an increase in suicide, the increase in Frontier and Rural counties outpaced that in Densely-Settled Rural, Semi-Urban and Urban counties. By recognizing the nuances and differences among these rural places, suicide prevention efforts can be tailored to the unique assets, challenges and needs of these communities.” The day’s agenda included presentations on K-12 behavioral health programs, working group updates, call centers for 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline, and the Kansas Suicide Prevention Plan 2021-2025, with program leaders discussing how state and local groups are approaching suicide prevention efforts in Kansas communities. Issue Brief: Urban-Rural Differences in Suicide Rates and Leading Means in Kansas
KHI Convening Event: County Health Rankings: Addressing Food Insecurity
Communities from across Kansas joined the KHI convening for conversations about food insecurity, efforts taking place to address disparities, and how to use the County Health Rankings data and tools in state and local health improvement initiatives. The event drew a total of 107 attendees. A big kudos to the KHI project team for all they did to work with the event partners and with all the speakers to prepare them for their role in the event, and for all the communications material developed before and after the event. On our website, you can find the event recap including presentation slides and a recording of the meeting.
New Staff
Hi, I’m Ehi
I just joined KHI as a Senior Analyst. As I write this, I am still in Texas, but I am counting down the days until my relocation to Kansas so I can enjoy more in-person interactions with you all. During my PhD program at Texas A&M University, I became convinced that my health promotion career would be shaped by an intersection of research, programs, and policy, and I was elated to learn about similar work at the Kansas Health Institute. KHI’s evolving commitment to data-driven recommendations and equitable health outcomes were some of the organizational values that drew me in. I am optimistic about the work we will do together to improve health and wellbeing for Kansan residents!
Some personal details about me include that I was born in Nigeria and only moved to the United States for school when I was 21 years old. I am the first of three girls, and it was bittersweet to leave home/family to build a home in America during my educational journey. It has however been a worthwhile journey.
Fun Fact about me:
I really love dark chocolate with nuts, but candy not so much! In my free time, I like to journal, watch Netflix and connect with family and friends around the world.
Thank you all for the warm welcome!
Volunteers Needed for Meals on Wheels
KHI volunteers are still needed to deliver Meals on Wheels on the third and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Because you’re already in town for the day, take advantage of the opportunity to volunteer. Pickup begins at 11 A.M. in the parking lot on MacVicar Ave., just north of the Walmart Neighborhood Market. The number of recipients varies but the bulk of deliveries are made in under an hour.
Miranda and JoDonna delivered meals in October. JoDonna said, “Meals on Wheels was a great experience. The day I delivered meals it was rainy and gloomy out, so delivering a hot meal to the individuals that need it made my day much brighter.”
Did You Know: For each hour of personal time that an employee spends on performing community volunteer service, KHI will allocate, on an hour-for-hour basis, up to a maximum of eight hours of time per six-month period to community volunteer service. Use of volunteer time must be approved by the employee’s supervisor in advance in the same way that other leave requests are processed.
Celebrations
Happy Anniversary
Stewart Cole, 4 years
Happy Birthday
Barbara Hersh — Nov. 1
Miranda Steele — Nov. 12
Job Openings
The following positions are now open. We are actively recruiting through a variety of channels. If you know someone who would qualify for one or more of our open positions, please share the details from our website at https://www.khi.org/careers
Comments