March 21, 2023
The Community Health Corner
The National Extension Framework for Health Equity and Well-being recommends using community development strategies with education and health literacy programs to ensure that every person has the opportunity to attain their full health potential. The following tools and resources can be used to improve health access, equity and well-being to achieve Healthy Kansas 2030 objectives and contribute to the nation’s Healthy People 2030 outcomes.
READ NOW: Children living in neighborhoods where there are economic and social disparities may be at greater risk of hypertension. Research reported in the March 15, 2023 JAMA Open Network, revealed that this study of 65,452 Delaware Medicaid-insured youths aged 8 to 18 years, living in neighborhoods with high social and economic disparities, had 60% greater odds of a hypertension diagnosis. Using the Area Deprivation Index (API), which is an integration of social determinants of health with treatment and prevention, researchers concluded that it is important to consider the conditions that youth live in when assessing the presence of hypertension among young people or when planning programming to reduce hypertension risk.
ACT NOW: Medicaid eligibility reviews, which were paused since March 2020, are resuming in April due to changes in federal law. As each state steps back from federal emergency orders associated with the COVID pandemic, Kansas has announced steps so that KanCare members can reduce the risk of losing health coverage. One of three steps includes logging onto the KanCare website, click the red chat bubble in the lower right of your screen or call 1-800-792-4884 and give the KanCare Clearinghouse your most current address, phone number, or any other contact information that has recently changed. More information and other steps to continue KanCare health coverage beginning April are available here.
SHARE NOW: In 2021, the U.S. had one of the worst rates of maternal mortality in the country's history, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report found that 1,205 people died of maternal causes in the U.S. in 2021. That represents a 40% increase from the previous year. The three minute March 16 NPR podcast about this report is available here. State goals for improved maternal health for Kansans are available here.
For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu; and Stephanie Gutierrez, smgutier@k-state.edu.