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Citizen Assist Program |
The REACH Foundation and the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City matched a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to help the Visiting Nurse Association expand a program that assists distressed individuals who use 9-1-1 for non-emergency needs. The VNA Citizen Assist Program trains 9-1-1 first responders to assess non-emergency situations; VNA connects the individuals with appropriate health, mental health and human services. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant and foundation matches supported expansion of the program into Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.
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Cultural Competency Initiative |
In 2008, REACH introduced an initiative to increase understanding and practice of cultural competency in health and human service organizations. The Foundation identified a national technical assistance consultant to guide the initiative. To begin, the Foundation undertook a review of its organizational policies and grant language and subsequently adopted a Policy on Diversity and Inclusion and made other adjustments to clarify its commitment to cultural competency. An Application for Technical Assistance was issued in 2009 and five organizations were selected in 2010 to receive technical assistance for their organization.
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Head Start-Trauma Smart |
Head Start-Trauma Smart is an expansion of a project developed by Crittenton Children’s Center in 2008 and funded by REACH that provides therapy for young children in Head Start centers who have been exposed to complex trauma and trains Head Start staff in Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC), a framework for identifying and responding to children’s trauma-induced behaviors. In 2009, REACH Foundation provided matching dollars for a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Local Funding Partnerships grant to implement the program in 14 Head Start programs in Wyandotte County, Kansas.
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HPV Vaccine Initiative |
In 2007, the REACH Foundation joined the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City to make the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine available free to more than 5,500 uninsured and underinsured females ages 9 to 26 in the foundations’ six-county funding area. As of 2009, more than 9,000 individuals had received the vaccine, with 30 percent of those being fully immunized. The vaccine is available through 31 community health centers, clinics and public health departments. In 2009, project leaders focused on increasing vaccination rates and vaccines series completion among African American and Hispanic teens and young adults.
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Medical Home Initiative |
In 2009, the REACH Foundation launched Phase II of the Medical Home Initiative to help safety net clinics undertake a transformation process leading toward adoption of key components of the patient-centered medical home model of care. The initiative began with four clinics in 2007, expanded to eight clinics in 2009 and added a ninth clinic to the initiative in 2010. Phase II of the initiative is focused on implementation of medical home standards set by the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA). The goal for 2010 is to help clinics continue to progress toward quality improvements and assist those that are prepared to apply for NCQA recognition.
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Midwest Health Journalism Fellowship Program |
The REACH Foundation has partnered with five regional health foundations to support a health journalism fellowship program for Kansas and Missouri journalists. To date, the project has sponsored three classes of fellows, with 10 in each class. Print and broadcast journalists participate in a year-long program of training, including briefings with national and regional medical science and health care experts, and state health policy makers.
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Nurse Shortage Initiative |
REACH and the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City have partnered to strengthen the capacity of public nursing schools to recruit and retain first-generation and minority nursing students. In 2008, the foundations awarded a second round of grants to five nursing schools to support their recruitment, retention and cultural competency programs. The foundations also matched a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant that established the Bi-State Nursing Innovation Workforce Center housed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
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Project Ready Smile: Children's Oral Health Initiative |
Project Ready Smile is a joint effort of REACH and HCF to improve the oral health of very young children by providing oral screenings, fluoride varnish treatments and oral health education.
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Regional Health Care Initiative |
REACH is among a group of metro area funders that invested in a three-year project to improve the effectiveness of the region’s safety net health system. The Regional Health Care Initiative at the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) has convened safety net leaders to explore areas for collaboration. MARC also is staffing a Mental Health Stakeholders group that is looking at service gaps and access issues.
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