Kansas Health Institute

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day from KHI 🌎
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In our workplace, we incorporate natural greenery, dedicated recycling points and water bottle filling stations across the office, a reminder that the small choices we make every day add up to something bigger.
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A healthy planet supports healthy communities. By supporting policies and practices, together we can protect both environmental and human health.
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04/22/2026

Upward mobility is the ability to stabilize, thrive and make choices over time without losing connection to culture, community or self.
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Start the conversation about upward mobility in your community — because data tell a story we can’t ignore.
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Upward mobility is shaped by many factors, including access to good jobs, pathways to careers, entrepreneurship supports, quality child care, affordable housing, opportunities to build wealth and climb out of debt and more. Research shows that economic conditions are one of the strongest drivers of health outcomes.
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💬 Want to turn data into action?
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The Kansas Health Foundation and Kansas Health Institute are offering FREE Upward Mobility Data Walk toolkits to help your community:
✔️ Explore real Kansas data together
✔️ Spark meaningful, solution-focused conversations
✔️ Identify barriers — and opportunities — to help families thrive
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📊 Your Data Walk will guide participants through:
• Costs of essentials like housing, food and child care
• Homeownership across generations
• Debt challenges
• Health insurance costs outpacing inflation
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👥 This isn’t just a discussion — it’s a starting point for change.
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👉 Reserve your free materials today:
🔗 https://www.khi.org/articles/learn-how-to-bring-the-upward-mobility-data-walk-to-your-community/
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📣 Bring your community to the table. Start the conversation. Be part of the solution.

Kansas Health Foundation Hunger Free Kansas
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04/22/2026

Maternal health outcomes don’t improve in silos — they improve when we come together. 💬🤝
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Registration is now OPEN for the Region 7 Maternal Health Summit and ECHO® Series — and this is your invitation to be part of the work shaping healthier futures for mothers and families across Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
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This interactive, virtual series brings together community voices, clinicians, public health professionals and leaders to share what’s working, tackle what’s not and build stronger, more connected systems of care.
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✨ What you’ll gain:
✔️ Practical tools and curated resources you can use right away
✔️ Meaningful connections across Region 7
✔️ Real conversations that bridge community and clinical perspectives
✔️ CE credits or a certificate of participation
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📅 Series at a glance:
🔹 May 26 | Summit
Bridging Community and Health Systems to Help Mothers Thrive
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🔹 June 23 | Session 1
Enhancing Regional Collaboration & Resource Sharing
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🔹 July 28 | Session 2
Bridging Community & Clinical Approaches
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🔹 Aug. 25 | Session 3
Removing Structural & Financial Barriers
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🔹 Sept. 22 | Session 4
Supporting Maternal Mental Health
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💡 Whether you’re a , , clinician, policymaker or advocate — your perspective matters in this space.
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📣 Registration is now live on the Kansas Health Institute website. https://www.khi.org/view-all-events/region-7-maternal-health-echo-summit/
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✔️ The Summit requires separate registration
✔️ ECHO sessions = one-time sign-up for the full series
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Let’s build stronger connections. Let’s share what works. Let’s help mothers thrive. 💛
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ASTHO CHI Health The Birthwork Foundation

04/16/2026

The KHI team joined health coalitions at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Pathways to a Healthy Kansas initiative's annual Spring Learning Session conference.
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Tatiana Lin presented on Where AI Fits in Coalition Work with AAron Davis at WSU Community Engagement Institute.
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KHI has been a proud partner and technical assistance provider for the Pathways initiative for nearly 10 years. Our team works across the state to build community capacity to advance evidence-based solutions and strategies for healthy living.



Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas

04/16/2026

This week is Black Maternal Health Week — a time to listen, learn and act.
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Across Region 7 — Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas — maternal health outcomes reveal both serious challenges and real opportunities for change, especially for Black mothers who continue to face disproportionate risks.
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At the Kansas Health Institute, we are committed to improving health outcomes for all Kansans by supporting data-informed solutions and community-driven approaches. This summer, KHI is hosting the Region 7 Maternal Health ECHO Summit that will bring together:
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🎤Community voices
🎤Health care professionals
🎤Cross-sector partners
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Together, we’ll explore how to better connect community wisdom with health system expertise and share practical strategies to help mothers thrive. This summit will also launch a new ECHO series shaped by community priorities and lived experiences.
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Stay tuned for more details — we look forward to learning together.
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ASTHO Creighton University CHI Health

04/15/2026

🎧Health on the Plains Coffee Hour is now available as a podcast!
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The podcast is officially live, bringing you the same insights, stories and conversations – now ready to stream on the go.
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Listen now and stay connected wherever the day takes you.
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04/14/2026

🍽️ ICYMI: Bring It Learning Series
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Miss one (or all) of our Bring It lunchtime sessions? You can catch up anytime with recordings from all five virtual events hosted by the Kansas Health Institute.
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The series explored timely health policy topics shaping conversations during the 2026 Kansas Legislative Session, including:
✔️ Federal rural health funding in Kansas
✔️ Health insurance marketplace changes in 2026
✔️ Impacts of OBBBA (H.R. 1) on Medicaid and CHIP
✔️ Using data walks to address hunger in Kansas
✔️ Turning health policy insights into action
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🎥 Watch the recordings here: https://www.khi.org/articles/2026-bring-it-learning-series/
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04/13/2026

📢 The Call for Abstracts is open for the 2026 Kansas Governor's Conference on Aging!
📅 Sept. 29–30, 2026
📍 Lawrence, Kansas | University of Kansas Conference Center
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🖱️SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT https://survey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cRNGrAzXB1h4DuC
This year's conference focuses on strengthening the workforce that supports older adults — and we're looking for sessions that bring fresh research, innovative programs and practical strategies to the table. Submit your abstract by May 30, 2026
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04/13/2026

🏛️ Federal health policy update: What we’re watching, April 13, 2026
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🔷 The Trump administration plans a new mental health parity rule by the end of 2026.
🔷 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollment dipped but remains near 2026 highs.
🔷 CMS is advancing the Rural Health Transformation Program.
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Read about this and other health-related news we are watching that could have an impact on Kansas.
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https://www.khi.org/articles/update-what-were-watching-april-13-2026/
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This update covers the latest federal health policy news and its potential impact on Kansas.

04/12/2026

For the final day of , we highlight episode 15 of , All in for All Ages, with the Logan LIFE Center, hosted by KHI Senior Analyst & Portfolio Strategist, Wyatt Beckman.
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In this episode, Wyatt visited Logan, Kansas, to spotlight the Logan LIFE Center with leaders David Kirkendall and Teresa McComb. Here, generations come together to boost youth learning while fostering connection, purpose and well-being among older adults - bridging communities and creating meaningful impact across all ages.
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Health on the Plains focuses on public health and well-being in rural Kansas, connecting to the topic, You Partner with Public Health. Health on the Plains includes engaging and nuanced conversations surrounding topics impacting the health of individuals in less populated parts of the state.
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Good health doesn’t just happen - you help create it.
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Catch up Health on the Plains episodes you might have missed: https://www.khi.org/podcast/
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04/11/2026

Happy Day 6 of ! Today, Senior Analyst & Portfolio Strategist, Kevin Kovach, highlights KHI’s Transforming Public Health for the 21st Century Blog and discusses how you can get involved!
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Partnering, sharing and collaborating public health stories encapsulates the topic, You Partner with Public Health. Good health doesn’t just happen - you help create it.
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To learn more about Transforming Public Health for the 21st Century, visit https://www.khi.org/transforming-public-health-for-the-21st-century-bridging-theory-to-practice/
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04/10/2026

Healthy aging is essential to the well-being of all Kansans — and the Age-Friendly Kansas (AFK) Three-Year Action Plan is one way to promote healthy aging in Kansas.
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This Public Health Strategy Playbook features 21 strategies organized under three cross-cutting themes:
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🔷 Embedding aging and lifespan perspectives across Kansas systems and services
🔷 Advancing intergenerational connection as community infrastructure
🔷 Addressing social isolation and building social connection as a core public health function
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The AFK initiative is facilitated by the Kansas Health Institute in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, Kansas Department for Children and Families, our multidisciplinary advisory committee, and continued support from these national partners: Trust for America’s Health, The John A. Hartford Foundation, and the National Network of Public Health Institutes.
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Learn more: https://www.khi.org/articles/age-friendly-kansas-three-year-action-plan
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Age-Friendly Kansas Three-Year Action Plan: Promoting connection, reducing isolation and integrating healthy aging across sectors through practical strategies developed with state and national partners.