Center for Public Health Initiatives assists communities to prevent obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke Center for Public Health Initiatives assists communities to prevent obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke

Through a multimillion-dollar grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is working with the Center for Public Health Initiatives (CPHI) at Wichita State University's Community Engagement Institute to help address chronic disease in seven Kansas communities. Chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in Kansas and accounts for 75% of health care costs in Kansas. The Center for Public Health Initiatives is providing support to participating communities through facilitation of local implementation team meetings. They are also providing evaluation support for various aspects of the grant process and technical assistance for KDHE and communities.

A group has formed in Sedgwick County around the initiative called Health ICT. The initiative is led by Project Manager Becky Tuttle.

"The Community Engagement Institute has been instrumental in helping increase communication across all seven communities," said Tuttle. "Their support has helped us gain a better understanding of the struggles and successes being seen across the state as part of this effort."

In addition, to assistance to communities, the Center for Public Health Initiative staff will host webinars and Community of Practice seminars for communities to increase the flow of information around the 15 strategies each community is working to address as part of the grant. Strategies are focused around the implementation of environmental, health systems and community-clinical linkage strategies to address multiple risk factors and chronic diseases.

For more information about CPHI, this effort, or other public health projects the center is involved with, contact Sonja Armbruster at Sonja.armbruster@wichita.edu.

For more information about the CDC's efforts to address chronic disease, go to http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/