Rural Kansas targets diabetes
A group of rural Kansas hospitals working together as part of the Kansas Frontier Community Health Improvement Network received a three year, $600,000 grant to measure and improve the patient experience for diabetic patients.
The grant from Health Resource Service Administration will create new opportunities for patient engagement through the creation of patient experience groups and other promising practices. Network members will share these educational experiences among the rural and frontier members of our network and eliminate many of the barriers often associated with quality improvement strategies in very small organizations.
The project will focus on creating improved health outcomes for diabetic patients by focusing on developing strategies to address challenges raised by the patients themselves.
The grant, which will be administered by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, Hutchinson, Kansas, will benefit six rural Kansas hospitals and health care centers. They are Greeley County Health Services, Tribune; Minneola Health Care, Minneola; Kearny County Hospital, Lakin; Citizens Medical Center, Colby; Phillips County Hospital, Phillipsburg; and Sheridan County Health Complex, Hoxie.
The six participating hospitals are members of the Kansas Frontier Community Health Improvement Network, a network of rural hospitals in western Kansas that is focused on pooling information and resources for the betterment of health care delivery in rural Kansas hospitals.
