Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) announces it has selected Healthy Harvey Coalition in Harvey County, along with 18 other communities, as grantees for its third phase of the Pathways to a Healthy Kansas (Pathways) initiative. BCBSKS will be partnering with these community coalitions to improve healthy eating, active living, commercial tobacco prevention and mental health.
Since the Pathways initiative began in 2016, BCBSKS has facilitated 748 grants/projects in communities throughout Kansas, including Harvey County. The Pathways program was created to inspire long-lasting, community-wide health and well-being in communities across Kansas.
“We’ve seen the commitment from Healthy Harvey Coalition and know they are ready to continue the work to improve the health and well-being of the communities they serve,” said Matt All, President/CEO of BCBSKS. “For more than 80 years, we have been dedicated to helping not only our members, but all Kansans live better, healthier lives. Through our Pathways initiative, we are helping remove barriers to accessing healthy foods, increasing physical activity, preventing commercial tobacco use and improving mental health. We are thrilled to continue this program with our new and returning Pathways grantees and can’t wait to see the difference they make in their communities.”
Each Pathways community will receive coordination assistance from BCBSKS to get started and, in addition, organizations within the Harvey County community will have the opportunity to apply for non-competitive implementation grants to fund projects that will help reach the Healthy Harvey Coalition’s goals for the initiative.
Over the past seven years, several health initiatives in Harvey County can be attributed to the Pathways to a Healthy Kansas initiative. Some programs have included Food as Medicine prescription program, focusing on healthier food choices implemented by Health Ministries Clinic; walking and bike path extensions in North Newton, Newton and Halstead; food pantry choice program at Hesston Resource Center; fitness courts at Kansas Learning Center for Health in Halstead and the NMC Health campus in Newton, plus so much more.
“We are graciously thankful for the funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield to invest in Harvey County’s health priorities,” said Lynnette Redington, Harvey County Health Department director. “It has brought a number of partners into collaborations that before this may have never been in the same room. It’s helping to make us a healthier Harvey County.”
Now under the facilitation of United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties, the Healthy Harvey Coalition will focus on five Pathways to address social determinants of health in our community. For phase three, the Coalition will continue working with food pantries by partnering with New Jerusalem Missions in Newton in order to increase access and healthy options to clients utilizing their pantry. In addition, the Coalition will focus on the other Pathways like Neighborhood and Built Environment – working on a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, Social and Community Context – Healthier Communal Meals – working to increase access to food, and others.
“The Pathways initiative has provided our community with the tools and resources needed to take our work to the next level,” said Dalton Black, United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties executive director. “We are looking forward to partnering with other organizations to help make Harvey County a healthier place for all.”
The Pathways initiative combines community-wide, evidence-based solutions and practices to help Kansas communities improve active living, healthy eating, behavioral health and commercial tobacco prevention and is structured around five pathways that require collaboration across a community. These pathways include economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhoods and built environment, and social and community context. To learn more about Pathways, visit bcbsks.com/blue-health-initiatives/pathways.
The United Way 