Kansas sets a new benchmark in healthcare by blending innovation with top quality care, ensuring every community thrives.
The Kansas Health Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Wichita, but statewide in its focus. We work each day to pursue major goals and use a variety of strategies to achieve them. Please use the links below to learn more about our organization, view our purpose statement and key strategies, read about our thoughts on partnerships, and meet the people working to make it all happen.
OUR MISSION
At the Kansas Health Foundation, all of our work centers on our mission: To improve the health of all Kansans. We envision a culture in which every Kansan can make healthy choices where they live, work and play.
As the Kansas Health Foundation works to improve the health of all Kansans, one concept is interwoven throughout it’s work: health equity. From grantmaking to policy work to news and information, KHF is working to always put a focus on how its efforts can reach vulnerable populations and overcome systemic barriers.
Simply put, regardless of race, income, geography or education, the Kansas Health Foundation believes every Kansan has the right to be healthy where they live, work and play. On this page, find out more about the concept of health equity and how it plays a role in everything our organization does within its four impact areas.
WHAT IS HEALTH EQUITY?
According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health equity is often referred to as the highest level of health for all people. Achieving this type of equity often requires addressing health disparities related to social and economic factors, including conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
A key factor in the efforts to reach health equity comes from addressing what are known as the social determinants of health. This includes things like quality schools and housing, access to good jobs and healthy food, and safety of our neighborhoods.
BY THE NUMBERS
These types of health disparities exist everywhere, including in Kansas. The use of data spotlights inequities for specific population groups or by geographic location, which helps the Kansas Health Foundation (KHF) determine priorities and allocate resources most effectively. Below are a few examples of statistical disparities in our state.
- The median household income for most minority Kansans is below that of white households. (American Community Survey, 2020)
- Kansans of racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to be uninsured than white Kansans. (Kansas Health Institute)
- Disparities exist (by race, income and geography) in relation to access to broadband internet access, directly impacting Kansans access to remote learning and telehealth appointments during the pandemic. (Kansas Health Institute)
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