July 30, 2024
The Community Health Corner
The National Extension Framework for Health Equity and Well-being recommends using community development strategies and health literacy programs to ensure that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. The following resources help us improve well-being for all, and achieve Healthy Kansas 2030 and Healthy People 2030 objectives.
Kansas Housing Conference: The Kansas Housing Office has opened registration for the annual state’s Housing Conference. August 20-22, in Overland Park. Currently in its 19th year, the annual event brings together housing professionals from across the state and region to network, learn, and explore the latest trends and innovations in affordable housing. Intended audience includes: Property managers and owner/agents; Housing developers; Lenders and bankers; Service providers; Economic and community development professionals; Housing and homelessness advocates; Elected officials and community leaders. Registration is open at: Kansas Housing Conference website.
Medical Debt Barrier to Mental Health Care: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reports that adults with depression or anxiety are significantly more likely to have medical debt than those without these disorders, a new study finds, and may be twice as likely to delay or forgo getting care. Using data from the CDC's 2022 National Health Interview Survey, researchers at Johns Hopkins found that even those adults without medical debt also put off getting care for anxiety and depression, but “medical debt appears to compound the problem.” More than 90% of people in the study had medical insurance, yet 19.4%–27.3% had medical debt—highlighting the role health systems play in creating barriers to those who need mental health care. Read more here.
For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu; and Stephanie Gutierrez, smgutier@k-state.edu