Our Monthly News & Updates |
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COPE Presented at the 2022 Kansas Governor's Public Health Conference
On March 30, COPE team members participated in a panel discussion at the 2022 Kansas Governor's Public Health Conference. The panel was titled "Promoting Health Equity in the COVID Response and Beyond: Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE)." The discussions centered on answering this crucial question: What does it look like to incorporate equity and community input into COVID response in Kansas?
"Being able to directly hear about the project from the COPE team members breathed life into the project, rather than just seeing it on paper," said Dr. Joan Duwve, State Health Officer of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
The conference also provided the COPE team with an opportunity to collaborate and network with various organizations and current partners across the state. Potential training opportunities for Community Health Workers through the KDHE are also in discussions.
The panel discussants (from left to right) were: Julie Foster (Community Health Worker in Seward County), Ton Miras Neira (COPE Community Health Worker Project Manager), Jody Hoener (Regional Community Lead of the Southeast region), Christina Pacheco (COPE Project Director), Dr. Joan Duwve, MD, MPH, Kameelah Alexander (Local Health Equity Action Team Lead in Sedgwick County) and Dr. Sarah Kessler, PhD, MPH. Alix Guerrero, BA, was not pictured in this photo.
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Don't forget to visit our website for more news about COPE.
Image sources: Great Bend Tribune, The Derby Informer, and the University of Kansas Medical Center Intranet.
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Regional Activity Highlights |
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Welcome, Clarissa Carrillo, to our team! Carrillo is the Regional Community Lead of the West region.
Each region has successfully launched Local Health Equity Action Teams, many of which have started to advance on the 30-day action plans.
Below we spotlight our recent activities from touring Konza Prairie Community Health & Dental Center (top left), to a soft launch of Local Health Equity Team in Junction City (top right), to partnering with Evergreen food drive in Sedgwick County to distribute 300 COVID-19 test kits (bottom right), to a local resident holding an information bag that included COVID-19 test kits in South Church of God located in a historically underserved area in Seward county (bottom middle), and to Local Health Equity Team members distributing test kits to a public library in Bourbon County (bottom left).
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We continue to have openings for a Community Health Worker and Community Health Worker Supervisor in Sedgwick County, as well as a Community Health Worker opening in Mitchell, Barton, and Harvey counties.
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On March 31, Local Health Equity Action Team launched its first Statewide Learning Collaborative. The team built in an ice breaker activity that brought attendees across the region closer together.
Each Local Health Equity Team lead shared how they tailored activities and events to meet their region's diverse cultural and linguistic needs. The collaborative also discussed the 30-day action plan, introduced attendees to a professional training opportunity from Gallup's Strengths Finder assessment and previewed an equity exercise.
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Hi! I’m Nadine Long, the Regional Community Lead for the Central Region (which includes Barton, Cowley, Harvey, Mitchell, and Sedgwick counties). I feel very lucky to get to engage with amazing local stakeholders in each of these communities, and support them as they take on social determinants of health and equity issues.
I am a Wichita native who graduated with a degree in Political Science from Wichita State University (Go Shocks), earned my Masters in Public Administration from Kansas State University (Go Cats) and now work for the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk)!
My whole career has been dedicated to serving the common good in our beautiful state through the public sector, and I have experience that spans local government, nonprofits, and philanthropy. Much of that has focused on improving outcomes related to health and wellbeing for those facing the greatest barriers, and I am particularly passionate about initiatives that advance justice and build community. For this reason I am proud to also serve on the board for Destination Innovation, a nonprofit centered on building, leveraging, and celebrating the entrepreneurial and civic leadership capacity of our talented young people.
Outside of work you’ll find me enjoying time with my family, usually trying desperately to keep up with my two beautiful daughters, ages 5 and 7. My parents immigrated to the U.S. from Germany so you’ll also find us at Prost quite often (get the currywurst, you won’t regret it). I’m a huge Hallmark Christmas movie fan; I’ll usually start watching in August.
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Hi! I’m Ruaa Hassaballa-Muhammad, MPH. I am the Northeast Regional Community Lead Project Manager. I was born in Sudan and have lived in Seattle before moving to Kansas with family in 2004. Having lived in Sudan, Washington State, and now Kansas, I am fascinated by the influence of culture and language on community connectedness and health.
I graduated with my Master’s in Public Health in Epidemiology in 2018 from the University of Kansas Medical Center. I’m currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology with a focus on Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas.
My interest is in addressing the social determinants of health, particularly as it relates to Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and immigrant populations. I’ve trained, provided technical assistance and consultation on addressing COVID-19 in the African region in collaboration with the World Health Organization African Regional Office in Congo.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my four beautiful nieces, traveling, and making Sudanese tea and coffee.
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As the leader of the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, I have learned lessons as well as seen much success in gaining needed resources and community support for initiatives focused on addressing the social determinants of health. You can check out some of our current activities at HBCAT.org!
Living in a rural community has afforded me the opportunity to learn about building a culture of health through policy, systems, and environmental change. Our work has been recognized the prestigious Kansas State of Wellness Community Champion Award in May 2018, identified by the Kansas Hospital Association and Kansas Health Institute as a leader in the field and used in a toolbox for Kansas hospitals as an example of best practice approaches to address community health.
I am passionate about addressing health outcomes, enhancing quality of life and encouraging economic growth. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my two teenage daughters and traveling as much as I possibly can!
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My name is Susan Lukwago, and I serve as a Community Health Worker in Seward County for the COPE Project. Just prior to this, I worked for the RADX-UP project. I am fortunate enough to live and work a happy marriage between what I went to school for – nutrition and public health – and what I love – which is serving God and helping people to live the best lives that make sense to them. I have also had a blessed life that brought me from East Africa where I was born, to St. Paul, MN where I froze, to St Louis, MO which was wonderful, and then to Southwest Kanas which is home now.
Integrated with COPE, I also do my community health work through the Liberal Area Coalition for Families, through WIC Programs at County Health Departments and at Southwest Medical Center.
With all my leftover spare time, I am so lucky to serve on the Boards of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition and the Wild West Extension District. I am a member of First United Methodist Church of Liberal and also makes a home at the First Presbyterian Church of Liberal. Finally, I am a vegetarian who loves to exercise – especially walking and Zumba, doing jigsaw puzzles and supporting public radio.
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Hi! I’m Jeanette Collier, Executive Director, LMSW, CCAP (Certified Community Action Professional) at NEK-CAP, Inc. (Northeast Kansas Community Action Program) based in Hiawatha. NEK-CAP, Inc., is an anti-poverty program that has addressed the causes and conditions of poverty through various programs throughout Northeast and North Central Kansas for 56 years. We are very excited to be a part of the COPE Project and are committed to addressing health disparities and inequities experienced by vulnerable populations in Brown and Jackson Counties.
I graduated from Northeast Missouri State University in 1976 with a BS in Biology; earned a Teaching Certificate from Eastern Michigan University in 1985; and an MSW in Clinical Social Work from Washburn University in 2002. I have worked in the anti-poverty field for over 37 years as an adult educator in Michigan; case manager for several entities in Lawrence, Kansas; and administrator to NEK-CAP, Inc. since 2010. I was a member of Leadership Lawrence, KS, in 2009 and have participated in several Kansas Leadership Center trainings. I have also served in various leadership roles, including, Kansas and Michigan Sierra Clubs; Save the Tallgrass Prairie, Inc.; Kansas League of Women Voters; Michigan Air Pollution Control Commission/Michigan Ontario Transboundary Authority Public Representative; Kansans for Safe Pesticide Control lobbyist; Homeless Commissioner Lawrence, KS; and co-founder Just Food Bank in Lawrence, KS, and Brown County Healthy Foods Coalition; Practicum Supervisor for the University of Kansas School of Social Work indigenous students; and Kansas Association of Community Action Programs Board. My primary interests are in work related to policies and advocacy on behalf of economically challenged and vulnerable populations in the following areas: environmental, economic, climate, and social justice; healthy food access; affordable, safe housing; mental health; homelessness; economic mobility; and DEI practices.
I am an avid bird, bee, and butterfly watcher; want to be gardener; love cooking and music of all genre; and enjoy spending time with my three sons and friends.
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My name is Johnny Curtis-Parker. I recently began my journey with NEK-CAP as a Community Development Advocate and a Local Health Equity Action Team lead for Brown and Jackson Counties.
My background is in human services and case management, I am currently working to complete my degree in social work with an emphasis on children and families. I have enjoyed working with COPE and working to create positive change in our community. I am excited to see what the future holds.
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and I have lived in Brown County, Kansas for about 5 years now. Although I enjoy the quiet, I miss the city life tremendously. In my spare time, I spend time with my three kids, traveling and trying new foods.
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My name is Gloria Calderon, a Community Health Worker Supervisor based in Genesis Family Health. I am a married mother of six children ages 13 to 26. I am also a grandmother to 3 beautiful grandchildren: Achilles 2, Gaby 1, and Apollo 3 weeks. I was born in Wabash, Indiana and was raised in Texas and Mexico. I moved to Kansas when I was 19 and it has been my home ever since.
For as long as I can remember I have always loved helping others. Growing up in rural Texas, I learned at a very young age that equality and justice was lacking amongst the ever-growing Hispanic population. I was always advocating, translating or assisting people in need.
I love the teachings of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who always helped those less fortunate, not by doing huge acts but small acts to help those less fortunate. I would like to believe that the work that I do as a Community Health Worker will make a difference even if it's one small act at a time. I enjoy my work as a Community Health Worker and am grateful for all the support and education that the COPE project provides us with. COPE gives us tools we need to excel as Community Health Workers in our respective communities.
A fun fact about me, I love cooking for large crowds. My largest event was cooking for a priest ordination where I fed 600 people.
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Lately the expertise of our team members has been gaining attention from the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force (COVET) convened by Governor Laura Kelly.
COVET is a group convened by the Kansas Governor’s Office and is consisted of leadership in public health, faith communities and social services. Dr. Vicki Collie-Akers, Local Health Equity Action Team Advisor, and her team provide staff and facilitation support to COVET.
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On March 9, Mariana Ramirez (pictured left), University of Kansas Medical Center lead for the Western region and advisor in the Community Health Worker team, and Ian Knight (pictured right), Communications Team member, presented communications related to COVID-19 and equity to the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force (COVET). Ramirez's presentation was "Tailored communications and outreach to address barriers to COVID vaccine in Latinos." Knight's presentation was titled "RADx-UP Communications Lessons Learned."
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Congratulations to Christina Pacheco (pictured left), COPE Project Director, for being invited to join the COVET Native Working Group! We are so proud of you! |
Christine Schultz (pictured right) is matched into Family Medicine in Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Daniel Cirotski (pictured left) is matched into Pediatrics of Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughter in Norfolk, Virginia.
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Congratulations to Harshdeep Acharya, International Scholar for COPE, for having an abstract accepted by the University of Kansas Student Research Forum. The abstract is titled "“Improving the health of Kansans through Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE).” This will mark the first academic presentation of the COPE project.
Acharya will also start his residency program in June. He is matched into internal medicine at Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Jersey.
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An abstract led by Dr. Ithar Hassaballa, Ruaa Hassaballa-Muhammad, and Dr. Erin Corriveau has been accepted for oral presentation at the international Towards Unity for Health Conference. This abstract describes the role of Local Health Equity Action Teams and Community Health Workers in restructuring health services in Kansas. Congratulations!
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We would love to hear from you! Share any noteworthy stories and activities you'd like for us to include in our future newsletters. |
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Our quote this month came from Joy Harjo, a globally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Harjo is the first American Indian named Poet Laureate of the United States and is currently serving her second term in this position.
Her work interweaves compassion, healing and justice. We thought her quote below highlights how our actions could create a ripple effect in this world.
Image source: Joy Harjo Official Site
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Missed our prior issues? Want to share our work with community partners? Our prior issues can be found below.
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We are only as strong as our community. Share this with friends and colleagues in your network so they can learn about COPE.
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