FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES GRANT FOCUSES ON SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

·     $371,203.00 multi-year grant to Shawnee County Medical Society’s HealthAccess and their partners as they coordinate a new collaborative program which aims to improve the health of low income, uninsured residents of Shawnee County.

         Partners in the collaboration are Stormont Vail Health, Harvesters, Valeo Behavioral Health and Washburn University School of Nursing. Through the partnership, low-income, uninsured residents of Shawnee County will have access to healthcare, healthy food, community resources and individualized support to reach goals related to the social determinants of their health.

         “While each of the five collaborating organizations are highly effective within their own areas of expertise, to address the health needs of our community at a deeper level, we will be making system changes within our own organizations and in how we work together,” said HealthAccess Executive Director Karla Hedquist. “This will involve changes to the way we communicate, make referrals, identify needs and track outcomes. Each of our organizations will align our work to achieve longer-term outcomes for our patients.”

         The Foundation moved to focusing on the social determinants of health in 2017 after learning about how a person’s zip code determines more about their health than their genetics or their health care.

“Our ‘Impact Topeka’ initiative is a direct result of learning about the relationship between health and education and economic productivity,” said Foundation President Marsha Pope. “Good health allows people to get a better education and be more productive. Education and income allow people to be make healthier choices.” 

         For 35 years, the Topeka Community Foundation has connected donors to causes they care about and provided leadership on important community issues. The organization began in 1983 with a $10,000.00 grant from the Junior League and now manages assets totaling $75 million. In 2018, almost $7 million was granted to programs and projects to improve the quality of life in Shawnee County.

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Topeka Community Foundation Mission:

Encourage philanthropy by providing leadership on key community issues, by connecting donors with their interests and community needs, and by ensuring accountability for effective investment of donor dollars.