With support of a grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a local group of community leaders is banding together to ensure all residents have access to the health resources they need, and know how to seek out those resources.
The Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) Project, established through a grant written by the University of Kansas Health System, is a targeted program in 20 Kansas counties, including Barton. COPE helped establish Local Health Equity Action Teams (LHEATs) to address health inequities by engaging underserved individuals.
The group will identify health needs in those communities and develop action plans to help meet the needs. The goal is to engage community members, health workers and local organizations to provide equitable services to those in need in Barton County.
“These are organizations wanting the best for our community, and for everybody to have equity in all the basics they might need,” said Flor Sanchez, a community health worker with Heart of Kansas Family Health Care.
As a community health worker, a grant-funded position through the CDC, Sanchez functions as the “arms and legs” of the group. Her role is to help connect community members with the health and financial resources that they need, through the local partnerships.
In Barton County, the team is comprised 14 members from several local business, community service and health organizations.
The Barton County group began when Nadine Long with UKHS reached out to Brett Middleton, CEO of Heart of Kansas Family Health Care, who in turn reached out to Becca Maxwell, community development officer with Sunflower Bank.
“It just started with a couple of us that have a passion for making sure we are giving back and meeting the needs of those in our community that maybe have been dealt some pretty difficult hands,” said Maxwell.
The group joins with several local organizations to provide people with needed resources, include health, financial, housing, food and crisis response resources.
When someone reaches out to Sanchez for aid, she said her goal is to get to know the individual first instead of simply providing them with information.
“I bond with them first; what are their needs, what are their struggles? That way I can make a plan (for the best way to help them),” she said.
Sanchez is also the connection point for any community organizations that want help meet these needs. In that way, Sanchez coordinates between those in need and the organizations that can help.
Sanchez said, ultimately, her goal is not simply to connect people to resources, but also to help teach people how to access those resources.
“I’ll make the first call. I’ll teach you how to do it. And the second call, you do it,” she said. “That way. You are still held accountable for it.”
Once someone has reached out to her, she to follows up with them to make sure they are finding success accessing what they need.
One of the group’s main goals is helping respond to COVID-19 in underserved populations. Its first project was to obtain 1,000 COVID home test kits for Barton County.
“We are excited to get these tests into the hands of individuals and organizations serving those who face barriers to accessing available COVID testing options,” Maxwell said.
Organizations receiving the tests included Great Bend Oxford Houses, The Center for Counseling and Consultation, Kansas Children’s Service League - Healthy Families, the Family Crisis Center, Central Kansas Community Corrections and Juvenile Services, Stepping Stones to Recovery, Volunteers in Action, and the Central Kansas Dream Center.
The Barton County LHEAT group will have a booth at the local Cinco De Mayo Festival on May 7. Sanchez will be available with information on her position and on local community service resources. They will also have several giveaways, including a $50 Great Bend Chamber of Commerce gift certificate.
For assistance, Sanchez can be reached by phone at 620-792-5700 ext 187, or by email at fsanchez@heartofkansas.com.
