TOPEKA — Barton County Health Department received $5,000 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) through its Blue Health Initiatives. BCBSKS is donating $200,000 to local health departments across Kansas and the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments (KAHLD) to assist during the COVID-19 pandemic.   

“We are genuinely gracious for this funding assistance and diligently working to provide people with the resources they need to mitigate COVID-19,” stated Karen Winkelman, Barton County Health Director. Local health departments across the state are working daily to lessen the impacts of COVID-19 on their communities and need funding now more than ever.   

“We are proud to provide relief where we can to organizations across our state that are working hard to meet the needs of all Kansans,” said Matt All, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. “We are forever grateful for the efforts of the health-care employees who have been working tirelessly to support members of their community, and we are happy to be able to provide this support to them.” 

 To learn more about these relief efforts and additional measures, visit the BCBSKS website.