Blue Health Initiatives 2016-2017 Impact Report

Other Initiatives
Maternal Infant Health Coalition
One of the basic indicators of the health of a community
or state is infant mortality (the death of an infant before
one year of age). For this reason, BCBSKS partnered
with Dr. Nikki Keene-Woods and the Maternal Infant
Health Coalition (MIHC) in Sedgwick County in support
of their community-wide work to improve maternal and
infant health outcomes.
MIHC is dedicated to making Sedgwick County the best
place for children to be born and grow. Their mission
is to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in
Sedgwick County by assuring quality preconception and
perinatal care and using data driven, evidence-based
practice and quality improvement processes. A one-year
grant was awarded for $25,000 in 2017 in partnership
with the Wichita State University Foundation, who
served as the fiduciary agent.
Healthy Happy Holidays Flu Shot Campaign
Every year, millions of people get the flu. The good
news is that Kansans can lower their risk by getting the
influenza vaccination. In Fall 2016, BCBSKS partnered
with Dillon’s Pharmacy to offer seasonal influenza
vaccinations to Kansans ages six and over, regardless
of insurance coverage. Flu shots were administered at
57 Dillon’s Pharmacy locations statewide. Additionally,
four one-day winter preparedness clinics were hosted
in Topeka, Junction City, Emporia and Manhattan, in
partnership with WIBW’s Jeremy Goodwin.
Over 10,000 more vaccinations were provided during
this campaign period compared to the same period in
2014, and over 4,000 more than in 2015. Though this
has been a positive partnership, there has also been an
increased awareness of the availability of the vaccination
at pharmacies in the past two years, and numerous other
organizations are now doing similar promotions. For
this reason, BCBSKS directed resources to other health
initiatives in 2017.
Next Steps
When reviewing the 2016-2017 Impact Report, it is clear
that these years were comprised of identifying needs,
establishing new partnerships, and launching new
initiatives. As we look at 2018 and beyond, it is critical
we continue to collect and evaluate the data submitted
through our partners’ reporting – and equally important
that we resist making significant changes to initiatives
that are just beginning to demonstrate success. The
consistent, enduring support of BCBSKS is an important
factor contributing to our community partners’ ability
to develop the long-term solutions needed to improve
health outcomes in Kansas communities.
Even so, there are early lessons that will impact our
strategies moving forward. The alignment of the
initiatives under three pillars – Pathways, Trailblazers,
and Healthy Lifestyles – is an intentional effort to
clarify the mission and tactics of Blue Health Initiatives.
Streamlining will enhance our ability to reach new
audiences and clarify the message.
2018 priorities include increasing visibility of these
initiatives, cross-sharing promising practices across
various sectors and communities, and continuing
to strengthen BCBSKS’ role as a thought leader in
improving the social determinants of health.
The success of Blue Health Initiatives depends on
all of our involvement to improve the places where
Kansans live, work and play. We hope you’ll join us in
improving the quality of life of all Kansans – today and
for future generations!
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