By Rebecca Garza on July 26, 2018
Unified Government Health Department
Tobacco Free Wyandotte Coordinator
Do you ever look at your next project and just wonder, “how the heck are we going to get that done?!” Well in the summer of 2017, I started working with the KCK Housing Authority (KCKHA) on the long road to creating a smoke-free environment in their 2050 public housing units. Public housing provides a […]
By Michelene Krueger, M.A. on December 14, 2017
Chronic Disease Program
Johnson County Department of Health & Environment
In 2015, Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) partnered with Shawnee Mission Health to conduct its most recent Community Health Assessment. Staff and volunteers surveyed over 500 households and gained valuable insight into the health of our community. The Johnson County Community Health Assessment and Community Profile was released in 2016. Using that […]
By David Toland on September 19, 2017
Executive Director
Thrive Allen County
It is with tremendous excitement that we announce that our home — Allen County, Kansas — has been named as a 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize winner. The Prize honors communities for their unwavering efforts to ensure all residents have the opportunity to live healthier lives. And that certainly describes what […]
By Hilary Gee, MSW on May 4, 2017
Kansas Government Relations Director
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Kansas is broke. The Legislature needs to raise $1 billion to $2 billion in new revenue just to get through the next two years. Plus, the Legislature needs to come up with a new plan – and revenue — to fund K-12 education and comply with a state Supreme Court ruling. Each Kansas household – […]
By Jessica Hembree on February 2, 2017
Policy Officer
Health Forward Foundation
This past week, we published our 2017 policy agenda, found here on our website. Setting policy goals is an annual activity for us and one that requires much consideration from both internal and external sources about our previous year’s policy results, the political and economic climate, and health trends. It’s neither a quick nor easy process […]
By Jessica Hembree on December 8, 2016
Policy Officer
Health Forward Foundation
As 2016 winds down, we begin our annual blog series where Health Forward associates review highlights from our work this past year. In our fifth post, Jessica Hembree examines why Tobacco 21 policies were well-received in the area. Join us as we look back on 2016. As reflected in the national decline in smoking rates, there […]
By Cindy Calender on November 17, 2016
Public Health Specialist
Independence Health Department
It is widely known that the use of tobacco products and secondhand smoke exposure put many at risk for tobacco-related health conditions that include: cancer, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory diseases. To make matters worse, tobacco kills more than 480,000 people each year in the United States, with most adults becoming addicted to tobacco products before […]
By Jessica Hembree on November 14, 2016
Policy Officer
Health Forward Foundation
Now that we’ve had some time to process the outcomes of this general election, I wanted to provide a recap of Tuesday’s election results and some thoughts about how the election results will impact Health Forward’s policy work in the coming years. National Election Results While it is too early to know the impact of […]
By Michael O’Dell, M.D., M.S.H.A., FAAFP on September 28, 2016
Health Forward Board Member
Health Forward Board of Directors
‘Tis better to do nothing than to do something stupid. Two proposals are being circulated for placing tobacco tax increases before Missouri voters on the November 2016 ballot. Each proposal will need to collect upwards of 100,000 signatures before the May 8 filing deadline. Neither initiative is effective in impacting price-sensitive choices of young smokers. […]
By Bridget McCandless, MD on September 21, 2016
President and CEO
Health Forward Foundation
The tobacco tax is a powerful public health tool. Tobacco taxes are like antibiotics— dose matters. A drop here and there does nothing. With tobacco taxes, the dose needs to be strong enough to affect the choices of purchasers. This makes phased-in taxes ineffective. The bare minimum to change behavior is an increase of 10 […]
