Farm Worker/Refugee Program – News and Accomplishments

• The most recent addition of the KSFHP newsletter was published in April.
• OLRH welcomes Kendra Baldridge, the new regional KSFHP Case Manager for Eastern Kansas. She began on December 1, 2007.

Local Health Program – News and Accomplishments

• A recognition luncheon was held on March 26 at the Governor's Row House in Topeka for the 2007-2008 graduates of the Kansas Public Health Certificate Program. Thirty participants from around the state participated in approximately sixty five hours of on site class work, with fifteen completing approximately seventy more hours of on line course work to finish the entire program. Current participants including those not listed will have an additional twelve months to complete any remaining requirements of the program. Graduates include: Suzie Girk, Tina Hardin, Jose Izaguirre, Anne Keller, Michelle Robertson, Valerie Schlotfeldt, Brenda Skaggs, Janie Thornberg, Kelly McPhail, Jennifer VandeVelde, Amanda Dreasher, Melissa Lakoduk, Jennifer Fawcett, Jo Oliver, Melisa Middendorf. Those recognized include: Debra Kiker, Linda Davies, Julianne Mohlman, Nadine Chalman, Betty Grindol, Elaine Schwartz, Mary Schwartz, Melody Volek, Karen Ediger, Kristen Kadel, Ruby Jane Davis, Jayne Inlow, Ellen Bayhylle, Beth Tackitt, Marvel Brandt.
  
  
• View the most recent edition of Public Health Connections, published by the Local Health Section in the Office of Local and Rural Health. This publication provides important public health news from across the state. Have news to share? Contact Deb Nickels at dnickels@kdhe.state.ks.us. To view previous months of Connections click here

Primary Care Program – News and Accomplishments

• NEW HPSA and MUP CALCULATOR WITH COUNTY DATA 06/12/08

The calculators with formulas for the new HPSA/MUP method are strictly unofficial, preliminary tools for quick testing of the methodology at the local level. The quick calculations will only provide information on what are currently called geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA). Low-income or Medicaid underserved population calculations require additional data and survey work.

The file provided by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the new HPSA method is an .xls file titled "nprmcalculator4.0new.xls"

The pdf file named KansasCountyPreliminary has a worksheet for all 105 Kansas counties. You are encouraged to obtain and enter up-to-date information on total FTE (40 patient care hours/week = 1.0 FTE) for primary care physicians, physician assistants (PA), advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNP) and nurse midwives employed in primary care settings in the county. Until the non-physician workforce information is obtained you cannot calculate the provider-to-population ratio. PLEASE NOTE: All of the preliminary county calculations are done with physician data only.

1. Open the .pdf file of Kansas County preliminary calculations.
2. Do a word search for your county name, or scroll through the pages alphabetically.
3. Print the "current view" or "current page" if you want to print a single page with your county data.
4. Open the nprmcalculator.xls file and click on the "enter data here" worksheet tab at the bottom of your screen.
5. Use the printed page of county data to find values for your county using the values column for risk factors and the population rows for counts of males and females by age group.
6. Enter the number of FTE primary care providers in the appropriate areas. All providers are counted in the Total column. The column labeled Government is for those physicians with a federal service obligation, e.g. National Health Service Corps, loan repayment or scholarship, J-1 visa waiver 3-year term, providers in FQHCs and those with federal active license.
7. Click on the "results" tab to find the calculations for county.
   
   For an excel spreadsheet of risk factor data for all counties, see Kansas County Risk Tables.
   

• Joining in the ceremonial April 30th signing are bill sponsors Senator Vicki Schmidt and Representative Kay Wolf. Others include:Susan Kang, KDHE; Barbara Gibson, KDHE; Kathy Greenlee, Secretary Dept of Aging; Cindy Luxem, Kansas Health Care Association; Craig Kaberline, Kansas Area Agencies on Aging; Mary Sloan, Kansas Assoc of Homes and Services for the Aging; Tracy Russell, Kansas Health Policy Authority; and Frank Whitchurch of Prescription Solutions. SB 491 may be found online at: http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2008/491.pdf

• This year, two sets of tables were prepared showing income breakdowns for either 4 or 5 household income categories.
  Eligibility Guidelines (.pdf)

SOURCE: Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 15 / Wednesday, January 23, 2008 / Notices

Rural Health Program – News and Accomplishments

• Chris Tilden is the current Director of the Office of Local and Rural Health and will now be the interim Director for the State Office of Rural Health. Gloria Vermie who has been the Director for the last two years has accepted a position at the State Department of Public Health in Iowa (her home state) where she will be close to her family and will continue to work on rural health issues that are of critical importance nationwide. Her last day at OLRH was June 20th, 2008.

• Midwest Critical Care Collaborative (MCCC) partners are working with rural KS hospitals. The hospitals are benefiting from a patient sepsis screening tool. The sepsis screening tool can be individualized for rural hospitals and is being disseminated to rural hospitals through out the state. View the Sepsis Project poster presentation

• July 29, 2008 State Network Council meeting was convened in Wichita. Attendees enjoyed the speakers, the luncheon and networking. View pictures.

• Quality Health Indicators (QHi), is a web-based electronic data collection system for Critical Access Hospitals. It originated in KS. The unique public-private partnership that created QHi continues to enhance and strengthen the project. We are pleased to share this 4-minute video which visually displays the function, and benefits of QHi

Trauma Program – News and Accomplishments

• Southwest Kansas Regional Trauma Council Meeting held by ITV. On March 14th, the Southwest Kansas Regional Trauma Council (SWKTRC) held an executive committee meeting by Interactive Television (ITV). The ITV meeting was hosted by Mary Adam of the Pioneer Health Network in Garden City. ITV is a system that provides voice and video teleconferencing over the internet and has ITV bridges located in 70 locations statewide. Executive Committee members attended the meeting from Pioneer Health Network in Garden City, Bob Wilson Hospital in Ulysses, Lane County Hospital in Dighton, and Wichita County Health Center in Leoti. The SWKRTC Executive Committee plans to hold quarterly meetings by ITV to decrease meeting travel time and expenses. The Committee is also researching trauma educational opportunities that can be provided to the southwest region by ITV.

• The Kansas Trauma Program would like to take this opportunity to introduce a new staff person. Jeanette Shipley was hired effective January 28, 2008 as the Regional Trauma Coordinator. Jeanette will work directly for Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s (KDHE) Kansas Trauma Program. Kendra Tinsley who previously served in this capacity has accepted a new position with the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care.

Click here for Jeanette's contact information.