By Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore, M.Sc.

This week is National School Lunch Week, an annual celebration of the National School Lunch Program and those who run it. Did you know that during the 2023–2024 school year, half of Kansas students (47.6 percent) received either free (40.6 percent) or reduced-price (7.1 percent) lunches? That’s 240,869 Kansas students. In addition, the Summer Food Service Program, or SUN Meals, provides free nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income areas. In this edition of Transforming Public Health for the 21st Century: Bridging Theory to Practice, we pause to celebrate the incredible work happening to feed our kids throughout the school year and beyond.

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By Tatiana Y. Lin, M.A. and AAron Davis, M.P.A., M.B.A (WSU-CEI)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has existed for many years, but it rapidly became a familiar term when OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022. This development sparked widespread interest in exploring the capabilities of Generative AI (GenAI) and other forms of AI technologies. However, many organizations hesitate to explore AI due to a lack of comprehensive guidelines and AI expertise, as well as concerns about ethical, legal and social implications. As the landscape of AI continues to evolve, a clear roadmap is essential for guiding organizations on how to responsibly explore AI. Public health is uniquely positioned to shape the development of AI roadmaps, leveraging its expertise in data-driven decision-making and its commitment to addressing health disparities and advancing health equity. Additionally, its interdisciplinary approach and proactive risk management make it uniquely suited to identify ways to integrate AI across initiatives while tackling potential concerns related to AI systems, such as data privacy and algorithmic bias. This blog focuses on the reasons why public health should be at the forefront of AI dialogue at all levels, highlights several AI-related efforts in Kansas and provides ideas for next steps.

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By Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

At the Kansas Health Institute, our Transforming Public Health blog series is designed to cultivate a space for innovative ideas and voices that can create the conditions conducive to change in public health. Many of the ideas in this blog series stem from disciplines outside of public health, such as business or public administration. However, recently I found inspiration from an unexpected place – the football field. In this blog post, I will share four key lessons learned from my sons’ youth football program. These lessons offer valuable insights for public health leaders striving to build a more robust and effective public health system. Learn more in our latest edition of Transforming Public Health for the 21st Century: Bridging Theory to Practice.

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By Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

Kansas was once one of the healthiest states in the nation. However, the past three decades have seen a significant decline in our state’s health status compared to the rest of the country. In 1991, Kansas was ranked as the eighth healthiest state in the nation by America’s Health Rankings. Fast forward to today, and our rank has slipped to 29th. This blog post explores several statewide initiatives that have been launched to reclaim Kansas’ position as one of the healthiest states in the nation.

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By Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

Leading authorities state that public health organizations operate in a chronically underfunded state. Additionally, a majority of local health departments serve small populations and many of them lack the capacity to support the 10 Essential Public Health Services. Developing multi-county health departments has been an approach suggested to build capacity and economies of scale. However, there are only about 250 multi-county health departments nationwide, and just two in Kansas. To gather in-depth insights on the benefits and challenges of leading a multi-county health department, the Kansas Health Institute interviewed Becky Johnson, Administrator of the SEK Multi-County Health Department in southeast Kansas. She discussed several benefits and challenges of leading a multi-county health department. Her insights reveal some potential lessons learned and opportunities for advancing multi-county health departments as a strategy for improving public health systems. Learn more in our latest edition of Transforming Public Health for the 21st Century: Bridging Theory to Practice.

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By  Tatiana Y. Lin, M.A.

Decisions made at all levels not only shape how our community looks but also how we experience everyday life and the subsequent impacts on health. Many decisions are implemented through policies and regulations. Often, the potential connections between these decisions and their effects on health are not immediately clear. This blog post explores how embracing and centering a Health in All Policies approach to decision making ensures that health considerations are integrated into the fabric of policies across all sectors, leading to more informed, equitable and sustainable outcomes that positively affect the well-being of all community members.

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By Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

In the previous post, we highlighted the significance of adopting a portfolio approach for public health innovation. In this post, we delve deeper into the topic of innovation, exploring what a culture and process of innovation might look like in public health. Innovation can help solve deep-seated public health challenges and there is a desire among many public health professionals to work in innovative organizations. As such, we hope this blog post helps to guide public health leaders as they craft a culture and process for innovation.

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By Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

As one of the National Network of Public Health Institutes’ Regional Innovation Hubs, KHI supports public health innovation in HHS Region 7 for the Public Health Infrastructure Grant. Organizations, especially those operating in an interorganizational context such as the Innovation Hub model, often use a portfolio approach for innovation. A portfolio approach ensures that a mix of different types of innovations are incorporated, increasing the odds of breakthrough success. This post explores how innovation is defined and different dimensions of innovation that can support the development of an innovation portfolio.

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By Andrea McMillin and Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

In our previous post, we showed how burnout and moral injury were systemic threats to the institution of public health and the health of the nation. Public health leaders will need to take bold action to address these issues. PHAB’s 2022 Standards and Measures includes a section devoted to “Building a Supportive Work Environment.” This standard empowers public health institutions to invest in their work environment, focus on wellness, work-life balance, employee recognition, inclusive culture and using employee feedback to drive institutional change. In this post we lay out six strategies that public health leaders can use to meet these PHAB standards and create a culture of well-being that permeates throughout the public health system.

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By Andrea McMillin and Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

To safeguard and enhance the health of the public, public health leaders need to cultivate a thriving, dynamic workforce deeply connected to their roles and purpose. At the heart of a high-performing team lies employee engagement — a multidimensional concept encompassing organizational commitment, job satisfaction, alignment with the entity’s mission, and vigor within their professional roles. But how can public health professionals be fully engaged in their work when they are also burning out from the COVID-19 pandemic and other continuing public health crises? In this post, we explore how burnout has affected the public health workforce. In the next post, we will explore how public health leaders can create a culture of well-being across the public health system.

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By  Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

Public health is at a pivotal juncture. As we grapple with the complexities and demands of the 21st century, there is an undeniable urgency for introspection, innovation and change. In the latest Transforming Public Health for the 21st Century blog post, we reflect on ideas that emerged at the recent 2023 Kansas Public Health Association Annual Conference. The Kansas Health Institute facilitated a collaborative round table discussion with nearly 100 public health professionals focused on reimagining the Kansas public health system, focusing on the value proposition, innovating for the future, communicating with key stakeholders, and bolstering collaboration across the broader public health system. The information here represents common themes and poignant insights from the round table.

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By Kevin Kovach, Dr.P.H., M.Sc.

Public Health 3.0 and the role of the Community Chief Health Strategist provide a dynamic vision for how public health will evolve to meet the challenges of the 21st century. While these paradigms resonate with public health professionals, their impact on broader stakeholders remains ambiguous. Surveys indicate that only a third of Americans give the public health system a positive rating for protecting the public from health threats and preventing illness. Furthermore, conflicts between public health entities and elected officials are not uncommon. Thus, public health leaders are tasked with the challenge of articulating a vision for change that aligns with and engages key stakeholders. In this post, we look at insights public health could glean from other sectors to effectively convey a transformative vision.

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