Our Monthly News & Updates |
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Images (top to bottom): Test kit arrival day; Student volunteers assembling the test kits at the University of Kansas Medical Center; Family test kit assembly at a Regional Lead's home; Test kit assembly in the Central Region; Test kit distribution to communities in Jackson and Brown Counties. |
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COPE Mobilizes to Distribute 22,500 COVID-19 At-Home Test Kits |
Thanks to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), we received 22,500 COVID-19 at-home antigen test kits this month. Each county will receive 1,000 test kits with additional allotment given to high population counties.
Developing a plan to distribute test kits to 20 counties in three weeks can be daunting. But a joint effort among Regional Community Leads, Local Health Equity Teams and Community Health Workers helps determine distribution priorities and to high Social Vulnerability Index areas.
Supporting test kit users. To better support test kit users, each kit is branded in either Spanish or English. Each kit includes a COPE sticker and two flyers from KDHE on how to use test kits and what to do if tested positive for COVID-19.
Assembling these test kits is a labor of love. Test kit assembly is not a small feat. We mobilized a team of Local Health Equity Team members, Community Health Workers, volunteers, family and friends to complete the task. The first night the team completed 2,000 test kits. It truly takes a village to support this amazing work.
Questions? If you are a distribution team member and have questions, please email cope@kumc.edu.
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Images (left to right): Seward County receiving test kits on February 18; Test kits delivered to Mitchell County. |
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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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FOX4 Kansas City featured our project on February 22. The story not only described our test kit distribution efforts but also discussed our approach to facilitating access to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations in our participating counties. Read the news coverage here.
KU Today featured our project on February 24. Thanks to Anne Christiansen-Bullers, Assistant Editor in the Office of Communications at the University of Kansas Medical Center, for writing up this news release.
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Image: The Beloit Call print edition on February 25 featuring the COPE project
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Image source: FOX4 Kansas City |
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This month we'd like to spotlight a success story from Linda Gibson, a Community Health Worker from Geary County. She has been assisting a family to access housing and the family received their keys to their new home on February 18.
The power of housing stability cannot be understated. It creates opportunities and positive outcomes in employment, health and education for children, youth and adults.
This uplifting story from Gibson is a testament to the important work we do. Thank you to Ton Miras Neira, Community Health Worker Project Manager, for bringing this to our attention.
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Regional Activity Highlights |
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Each region has been making great strides in forming and launching Local Health Equity Action Teams (LHEAT), hiring Community Health Workers (CHW) and making connections with local agencies and organizations. We want to thank Jody Hoener, Nadine Long, Angela Scott, Ruaa Hassaballa-Muhammad and Mariana Ramirez for sharing these updates with us.
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West region: A successful launch of LHEAT in Thomas-Sherman commenced in early February. Ford County LHEAT is supporting COVID-19 workshops for people with disabilities. The team also welcomed Tim Bertrand, who is officially a lead of the LHEAT in Grant County. Finally, test kits have been distributed to various agencies in Seward County.
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Central region: Great teamwork from the Barton County LHEAT resulted in all 1,000 test kits being distributed to organizations, such as the Ellinwood Senior Center, Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas and the Family Crisis Center in a matter of days. The Mitchell County LHEAT has submitted its first official 30-day action plan, outlining initial steps in engaging the community around the distribution of the test kits. CHW opening positions are available in Mitchell, Barton, and Cowley counties. Please contact Angela Scott or Nadine Long if you have any questions.
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Northeast region: The team and partner organization NEK-CAP (Northeast Kansas Community Action Program) made several stops throughout Jackson and Brown Counties to deliver test kits earlier this month while also building collaborations with key partners. Deliveries were made to Kickapoo and Iowa tribes, as well as to the Sac and Fox Nation and NEK-CAP. The test kit drop off was especially timely for the Kickapoo tribe as a COVID-19 breakout was reported during the team's trip. The team also welcomed Johnny Curtis, who will serve as the LHEAT lead for Jackson-Brown Communities.
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Southeast region: Regional Community Lead Jody Hoener mobilized Fort Scott Middle School 8th graders and Fort Scott Community College Cheer Team to brand COVID-19 test kits. So far, the team has distributed 1,000 kits in Spanish and English to Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette and Montgomery Counties. The team also has successfully soft launched LHEATs in Montgomery, Bourbon and Cherokee Counties. Finally, Bourbon County LHEAT, led by Rachel Carpenter, is moving toward with 30-day action planning.
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Team Activity Highlights
Many activities have been bubbling away this month. On February 4, we hosted a Regional Community Lead retreat filled with fun team-building activities, interactions with various teams and a fruitful discussion on interpreting Social Vulnerability Index. An image on your left was taken during the segment with the Communications Team.
It featured Rev. Isaiah Shaneequa Brokenleg, MPH, MDiv. A Staff Officer for Racial Reconciliation of the Episcopal Church, Rev. Brokenleg led us through Hofstede's Model of Cultural Dimensions and how it can be applied to interpersonal communication. She introduced us to the following thought-provoking questions: (1) What assumptions do you bring to healing/reconciliation that impacts how you relate to others?; (2) What cultural practices do you use to support your work? (3) What are some concrete first steps you (individually and collectively) can take on the journey toward right-relationship? We hope these questions will inspire you to examine how our knowledge of cultures play a role in our work. Check out the seminar recording here.
On February 25, Community Health Worker team launched the very first State Collaborative attended by community health workers and their supervisors. The agenda covered the role of community health workers, ways to document and use data tracking tools and United Healthcare collaboration.
The team also introduced Strengths Finder from Gallup, a professional development opportunity that recognizes a deepened connection among strengths, engagement at work and increased well-being. Communications Team also shared a sneak peek of the COPE Newsletter Issue 2 and encouraged attendees to share their journey and lessons-learned with their supervisors and Communications Team.
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Hello, I am Angela Scott, the Community Health Worker Field Supervisor for the COPE project. I have worked with Community Health Workers as a supervisor for 5 years in both clinical and community-based settings. In my role as a supervisor, I have enjoyed training and supporting Community Health Workers, and I have had a wonderful experience working with people who are very passionate about their communities. What I find most exciting about being a part of this work is we have the opportunity to impact our communities we live in through advocating for access to resources that will help in the overall health and well-being of the individuals we serve.
In my spare time I enjoy spending time with family and serving others through ministry.
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I’m Mariana Ramirez, KUMC lead for the Western region and advisor in the fantabolous Community Health Worker team! I have over a decade of experience working with medically underserved communities in the US and Mexico. As the director at the JUNTOS Center for Advancing Latino Health, I’ve worked with amazing Community Health Workers and Promotoras throughout the state implementing programs focused on chronic disease prevention and health education. I serve on the Kansas City Regional Community Health Worker Collaborative’s Executive Committee and have been involved with the Kansas Community Health Worker Coalition Symposium Committee.
I’m originally from Mexico. I love to travel and try new foods. One of my must stops in Liberal, KS is Gorditas to Go! I enjoy hiking and paddle boarding with my family. Last summer we lost our paddle at Wilson Lake!
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Hi! I’m Harshdeep Acharya, MBBS and I’m trying to make my contributions to COPE as an international scholar. I received my medical training at CMC Vellore, a prestigious institution in Southern India. This huge establishment started off as a small nursing home for the community in 1900 and was established by American missionary Dr. Ida Scudder. I had the opportunity to serve the community during the 8 years I lived there. This was an experience that guides me until today in helping Kansans through this difficult time.
When we get through this pandemic, and we will, I want to learn ice skating and join a baseball team!
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Hello, my name is Ton Miras Neira, Community Health Worker Project Manager of the COPE project. I am also the Project Coordinator at JUNTOS Center for Advancing Latino Health. I was born and raised in Galicia, Spain where I studied Sign Language Interpretation and worked as an Interpreter, and later an advocator, for more than a decade. I moved to the U.S. in 2012 and worked as a Community Health Worker helping those in need. My passion is to help and advocate for those whose voice can’t be heard in the community. I’ve been supervising Community Health Workers and assisting them to impact the community and helping them grow as professionals. I became a Community Health Worker Project Manager in 2017 and I was able to build Community Health Worker programs from scratch meeting the needs from the community.
I enjoy being in the wilderness as much as I can with my dog, Luke, spending time with family and friends and rock climbing.
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Her collaborative project, titled "Envisioning Racism and Repair: An Oral History and Photovoice Project," asks: (1) How can academic medical centers repair the harms caused by 1) centuries of neglect, exploitation and abuse of people of color in clinical encounters and 2) biomedical systems of knowledge that have justified this mistreatment by generating and upholding theories of race, racial difference, and racial inferiority?"
Dr. Lumpkins' collaborators include faculty from History, Philosophy of Medicine and School of Nursing as well as the Executive Director of the Black Archives of Mid-America.
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May Maloba, Country Director of Global Health Innovations in Kenya and a Ph.D. student in the KUMC Online School of Nursing Ph.D. program, and Dr. Sarah Kessler, COPE Project Lead, gave a presentation on February 22.
This presentation, titled "Building Partnerships and Learning Lessons in Global Health,” was a part of the Black History Month - Research Day sponsored by the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Maloba and Kessler are pictured above in one of Dr. Kessler's research trips to Kenya pre-pandemic.
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Harshdeep Acharya, international scholar of COPE, recently enjoyed his very first hockey game in the U.S.
"Hockey is my new favorite American sport," said Acharya. He is pictured with Christina Pacheco, COPE Project Director, watching the Kansas City Mavericks vs. Idaho Steelheads in action at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Mo.
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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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Quote of the Month
This month we will feature a poem by Nikki Giovanni.
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BLK History Month
BY Nikki Giovanni
If Black History Month is not
viable then wind does not
carry the seeds and drop them
on fertile ground
rain does not
dampen the land
and encourage the seeds
to root
sun does not
warm the earth
and kiss the seedlings
and tell them plain:
You’re As Good As Anybody Else
You’ve Got A Place Here, Too
Sources: Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea (HarperCollins Publishers, 2002) and nikki-giovanni.com
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What You Can Do to Continue to Honor Black History Month |
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March 1 marks the end of the Black History Month celebrations. But, we firmly believe that honoring Black heritage should be extended beyond February.
Click here to browse books by Black Kansan authors who instill their historical and cultural impact through words that move us.
Check out a Special Exhibition in the Johnson County Museum on Redlined: Cities, Suburbs and Segregation. This new special exhibit "shows how Johnson County and the region both shaped and was shaped by the federal policy of redlining. An art exhibit within the history exhibit featuring works from the African American Artists Collective provides opportunities for people to reflect on redlining from different perspectives. This special exhibition will run from January 29, 2022 to January 7, 2023."
Take historical tours to explore sites significant to Black and African American history.
Sources: Johnson County Library, National Geographic Kids, Johnson County Museum and the University of Kansas Medical Center/Image: the University of Kansas Medical Center
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Missed Out on Our Inaugural Newsletter? |
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You can read it here. OR, watch this video for a quick recap.
In this video, Christina Pacheco, Project Director, and Dr. Sarah Kessler, Ph.D., MPH, Project Lead and Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center, talk about how we plan to build trust and enhance equity to respond to community needs that have been historically overlooked in our participating 20 Kansas counties.
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Produced by Jeffrey Field, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. |
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