September events are reflected in the October newsletter
Message from the CEO - KHI Launches its First Podcast
Health On the Plains - Episode 1
I’m excited to share with you the official launch of Health on the Plains, KHI’s first podcast, which includes nuanced conversations focused on key issues affecting health in rural Kansas. Episode 1 features KHI Board Member Matt Perrier. We hope you will check it out. You can either listen as a podcast wherever you regularly get your podcasts or watch on YouTube. Please consider helping promote the podcast to all who may be interested. Wyatt, Theresa, Emma and Stewart welcome your feedback. We’re grateful for everyone’s work on what we hope will be a sustainable and engaging resource for listeners. Episode 2 was just released!
Thank you Lyndsey, Nancy, Tatiana and Theresa for Volunteering for Meals on Wheels in September.
KHI volunteers are needed to deliver Meals on Wheels on the third and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Pick-up begins at 11 a.m., at 1112 S.W. Sixth Ave. Go to the back of the building to pick up the coolers. The number of recipients varies but the bulk of deliveries are made in under an hour.
Did You Know: For each hour of personal time you spend on community volunteer service, KHI will allocate, on an hour-for-hour basis, up to a maximum of eight hours per six-month period to community volunteer service. Use of volunteer time must be approved by your supervisor in advance in the same way that other leave requests are processed.
Decision on the KHI Tax Status Finalized
The IRS has finalized its determination that KHI has terminated its private foundation status and has been reclassified as a public charity under the section of the law for educational organizations. The process began in 2017, and we received a letter from the IRS dated Sept. 27, 2023, indicating that we had satisfied requirements and have been officially reclassified as of 2018.
KHI September Potluck - Grandma's Chicken - Sept. 6
KHI September Convenings
Back-to-School Immunizations: Procedures and Policy - Sept. 14
In Person: 18 - Virtual: 180
On Thursday, Sept. 14, KHI held a panel discussion to find out more about school immunizations in Kansas. Ashley Goss, Deputy Secretary for Public Health with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, talked about how vaccinations for school entry are selected. Participants heard from early childhood experts and school nurse staff about questions and concerns they receive from parents regarding vaccination requirements and how those issues are addressed. Participants learned the procedures the agency uses to gather and analyze data related to kindergarten vaccinations. Also, the panel talked about the process of keeping Kansas families informed about vaccination requirements. John Eplee, M.D., Kansas State Representative and family physician, provided wrap-up comments.
Panelists included: Geovannie Gone, Executive Director, Immunize Kansas Coalition; Andrea May, Advanced Epidemiologist, KDHE; Allison Zaldivar, Senior Epidemiologist; Linda Redding, Health Services Coordinator, USD 497 and Dr. John Eplee.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Year 1 Impacts - Sept. 7
In Person: 19 - Virtual: 73
On Sept. 7, 2023, KHI held an educational event that included a panel discussion with behavioral health professionals and others who have played an instrumental role in the implementation of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. KHI shared data from the first year of operation and discussed next steps for this vital resource to Kansas individuals and families.
Valentina Blanchard, KHI, moderated the in-person panel of Monica Kurz, Vice President of External Programming, Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ; Laura Brake, M.H.S., Director of Crisis Services, Behavioral Health Services Commission at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services; and Aaron Newton, L.C.S.W., Director of Clinical Operations, HealthSource Integrated Solutions.
Virtual panelists Representative Brenda Landwehr and Chelsea Booth, Public Health Advisor in the 988 Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Open Forum: Next Generation Event - Sept. 27
Ithar joined health leaders from throughout the country in Indiana to lead a roundtable discussion on Practical Tips for Increasing & Retaining Public Health Workforce Diversity. The discussion was part of the Open Forum: Next Generation event - a unique platform for public health practitioners to connect, learn and engage with peers on critical topics facing public health and the public health workforce.
Kansas Public Health Association Annual Conference - Sept. 20
Left: Kari accepts the award along with Christi Wells and Denise Schuele, both KPHA officers. Middle: Award presented to KHI. Right: Wyatt Beckman, Sheena Schmidt, Kevin Kovach, Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore, Kari Bruffett and Ruaa Hassaballa-Muhammad (KPHA President-elect)
KHI received the 2023 Corporate Public Health Service Award at the Kansas Public Health Association Annual Conference on Sept. 20. The honor is given to an organization that, through policy and activities, makes a significant contribution to the mission of public health and/or environmental improvement in Kansas.
Additionally, during the conference, KPHA members elected KHI Senior Analyst Sheena Schmidt as their new Secretary. Congratulations Sheena!
The KPHA annual conference brought together public health professionals from a variety of disciplines and geographic locations to work together to improve the public health infrastructure in Kansas. This year’s theme was Empower & Transform: Rebuilding a New Era of the Kansas Public Health Workforce.
This year’s conference included presentations from KHI staff members:
Reimagining Public Health: A Collaborative Round Table Discussion, Kevin A. Kovach and Wyatt Beckman.
Good to Great - Crafting a Winning Strategy for Public Health Transformation, Kevin A. Kovach.
Holistic Care Coordination: Opportunities for the Public Health Workforce to Improve Child and Maternal Health Outcomes, Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore.
Optimizing Administrative Functions in Local Health Departments: Leveraging ChatGPT for Enhanced Efficiency and Innovation: A joint presentation with Tatiana Lin and AAron Davis, Wichita State University.
Partners at the MetaECHO Global Conference - Sept. 20
Left: Hina, MaryAlice Kelly (SMSD), Robyn Kelso (KSDE), Meghan Wolfe (NNPHI) and the dog who belonged to the stranger taking the photo. Middle: Hina's presentation. Right: Robyn Kelso (KSDE), Hina, MaryAlice Kelly (SMSD), Dr. Sanjeev Arora (Founder of Project ECHO).
Hina attended the MetaECHO Global Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with partners from the National Network of Public Health Institutes, Kansas State Department of Education and Shawnee Mission School District. Hina conducted a workshop on action planning drawing from Kansas' success with Project ECHO to address e-cigarette use among Kansas youth.
Theresa and Stewart Tour Kansas State Library - Sept. 9
On Sept. 9, Theresa and Stewart met with Roby Wulf, Communications Coordinator for the Kansas State Library, who gave them a tour of the library. The library is located in the State Capitol Building, Room 312 North. The mission of the State Library is to improve the lives of Kansas residents by providing resources that:
Increase reading readiness and on-grade reading acuity
Improve chances for academic success
Help start and grow businesses
Assist individuals with employment opportunities
Provide lifelong educational services
The SCE team was interested in learning how the library can help archive KHI's digital media assets. The team also discussed a potential partnership on training as the legislative session gets underway.
KHI Family Outing - Sept. 16
The Chicken N' Pickle in Overland Park was the destination of this year's family outing. In addition to enjoying delicious cuisine, the staff had the chance to play Jenga, Battleship and Corn Hole as well as compete against one another in pickleball matches. The staff and their families enjoyed the evening.
2023 Heartland Conference on Health Equity and Patient-Centered Care - Sept. 13-15
Staff members highlighted some important KHI initiatives at this year’s Heartland Health Equity Conference in Kansas City, to share how KHI approaches equity at the organizational and initiative levels.
Attendees at the Heartland Health Equity Conference, Wyatt and staff answering questions from attendees and Ithar presenting Advancing Health Equity through Data.
Tatiana's presentation on Health in All Policies, KHI staff at the Sporting KC stadium and Samiyah talking about the Cowley County Data Walk.
Communications Team Retreat/Strategic Planning - Aug. 29
Communications staff met at the Kay McFarland Japanese Garden at the Topeka Zoo. After a morning of working on the Strategic Plan staff took a break and toured the zoo. Theresa was busy trying to get the lioness to commit to a podcast.
Baby Olivia Retires from KHI
Olivia's last day was Friday, Sept. 29. We will miss her beautiful smiles and giggles at our meetings. The time has flown by! She is headed to the Early Learning Center, at Christ the King Catholic School, in Topeka. She's come a long way since she first arrived.
September Staff Spotlight - Kaci Cink, Research Assistant
Kaci and Oz in Lamberts Bay, South Africa
What has been your favorite project? The information hub projects. It has been fun to think about data access and visualization with the project team.
What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far? To never stop learning.
What do you do when you are not working? Some of my favorite hobbies include cooking, spending time with friends and any activity outdoors. I enjoy cooking my way through new cookbooks. I spend a lot of my time taking my dog on different trails.
Where’s your favorite place in the world? Cape Town, South Africa
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Teleportation, to be able to travel the world at the snap of a finger and for free? Sign me up.
What is one food that you cannot resist? Anything from Muisbosskerm Open Air Restaurant (Lamberts Bay, South Africa)
Cynthia's Cooking Corner
Butternut Squash Soup
This is my go-to winter soup. It also freezes well for days that just go better with soup. It also makes a fancy first course for guests.
2 lbs. butternut squash
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
1 Tbsp garlic
¼ cup long-grain rice
1 tsp dried parsley and thyme
4 cups of beef or vegetable stock
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup cream
Peel pumpkin and dice into 1-inch cubes.
Sauté onion in oil until transparent.
Add rice and garlic to onions and sauté until slightly brown.
Add the remaining ingredients except cream.
Cook covered for 20 minutes.
Puree in blender and add cream.
Freezes well before adding the cream.
Open Positions
KHI is actively recruiting for the following positions through a variety of channels. If you know someone who qualifies for one or more of these positions, send them to our website to learn more.
Analyst/Senior Analyst, Public Health
Considered candidates must have a master’s degree in public health or a related field and at least four years of experience in state or local public health. Candidates with 10 or more years of relevant experience may be hired as a Senior Analyst.
Quantitative Research Assistant
Candidates for the Quantitative Research Assistant position should have a bachelor’s degree in health, public health, social sciences or a relevant discipline, although comparable experience will be considered. Candidates should demonstrate experience in acquiring data from public sources, organizing and preparing data for analysis and illustrating data with graphics. Proficient skill in Microsoft Excel is required. Experience with data analytics, data visualization and using statistical programming language, such as SAS and R, is desirable. Being detail-oriented with the ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary, team-oriented applied research setting is essential.
Quantitative Research Analyst - Candidates for the Quantitative Research Analyst position should have a master’s degree in health services research, public health, statistics, biostatistics, economics, social science, or a relevant discipline, although comparable experience will be considered. Candidates should demonstrate experience in applied research and be familiar with a variety of research methods. Proficient skill in SAS or a comparable statistical programming language is required, and experience with data visualization is desirable. To apply, please submit a letter of application with curriculum vitae, names of three references and samples of written work.
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