Listen to this article 3 min
The University of Kansas Health System and Kansas State University are partnering to enhance health care delivered to rural counties throughout Kansas.
“It's still hard to get to rural populations as much as we would like to,” University of Kansas Health System CEO Bob Page said at a press conference Thursday. “(K-State) has a great reputation, and is just another avenue for us to get our resources, our expertise to perhaps reach even more Kansans in rural areas.”
KU Health System specifically will work with the K-State 105 initiative, which has presences and partnerships with organizations across the state’s 105 counties. Those partnerships address issues in workforce, technology, housing and health care, K-State 105 director Jessica Gnad said. Existing K-State 105 partnerships have focused on educational, entrepreneur and technology initiatives.
The partnership with KU will specifically focus on improving health care access across Kansas, particularly in rural counties, Gnad said.
KU Health System previously has expanded its network into Western Kansas, including through an earlier partnership with Hays Medical Center formalized in 2017, though that deal ended in April 2021. The health system made additional expansions into Kansas by purchasing St. Francis Health in Topeka with its venture partner Arden Health Services in 2017. In 2014, KU launched its Care Collaborative, a member network that provides health care training programs and resources to rural communities in Kansas, according to its website.
KU Health System COO Tammy Peterman said the two organizations are working on outlining next steps. They plan to identify health care needs in the communities across Kansas, then determine how KU Health System can address those need.
The partnership could include supporting health care providers and caregivers in the counties, educational opportunities or increasing access to telehealth resources, said Marshall Stewart, senior vice president for executive affairs at K-State.
“We already have recognition (in these communities) through K-State Research and Extension. We already have trust. There are people on the ground working every day in those communities,” Stewart said. “We're able to bring that knowledge of what's happening in community to KU Health system, and they in turn are able to bring the solutions into that community.”