Promoting Responsive Health Policy

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Making public policy work for Kentuckians' health

The Foundation aims to make public policy in Kentucky more responsive to the health and health care needs of Kentuckians. In 2016, through its Promoting Responsive Health Policy initiative, in the Foundation worked to assure that policymakers at all levels were more aware of findings from relevant health policy research and of the views and concerns of Kentucky residents.

Priority Areas

Increasing access to care
Improving children’s health
Strengthening local public health
Increasing the proportion of Kentuckians in smoke-free jurisdictions.

The organizations funded through PRHP include:

Kentucky Voices for Health KVH
Kentucky Equal Justice Center KEJC
Kentucky Youth Advocates KYA
Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy KCSP
Kentucky Population Health Institute KPHI

Highlights of PRHP grantees’ work in 2016 include:

Advocating for access to safe and effective integrated health services by protecting health coverage gains and reducing barriers to coverage. KVH is the lead agency in the Insure Kentucky campaign (formerly Keep Kentucky Covered) which informed the changes to Medicaid, including the 1115 Medicaid waiver submitted by the state to the Federal government, and advocated to address the health insurance needs of Kentuckians. The work of KVH and KEJC also helped increase enrollment through strategic outreach efforts to populations that were missed or underrepresented, as well as created an effective feedback loop for influencing policy that leveraged both grantees’ work in communities and their relationships with public officials.

Improving children’s health provides opportunities for synergy with key stakeholders and aligned initiatives. In coordination with the Foundation’s Investing in Kentucky’s Future initiative, PRHP grantee KYA worked to ensure insurance coverage and access to integrated health services for children. KYA established and participated in several key structures that facilitated collaboration, including chairing the Children’s Health Technical Advisory Committee for Medicaid and chairing KVH’s Children’s Health Task Force.

Strengthening local public health by bolstering the capacity of local health departments. Policy maker education efforts shifted to focus on growing local public health director capacity and influence. KPHI is building local public health infrastructure through accreditation, quality improvement, and effective local boards of health governance.

Advocating for smoke-free jurisdictions by intensifying the focus on local policies. While the lack of ability to advance a statewide smoke-free law was disappointing for smoke-free advocates, it led to the recognition of an opportunity to increase momentum locally. KCSP elevated this theme at their April 2016 statewide convention: Mobilizing an Army of Smoke-free Advocates, and provided increased technical assistance and materials to support the work of local jurisdictions in passing effective smoke-free ordinances.