The K-State 105 project is uniting 12 partners, including Kansas State University units, other higher education institutions, and health organizations, to enhance rural and agriculture-related health throughout the state.

The Rural Ag Health Community Health Worker project aims to promote the health and safety of rural Kansans and the agricultural workforce. It involves setting up resource and service hubs staffed by community health workers, who are co-supervised by local K-State Research and Extension units and healthcare partners. This project has been funded and supported through the K-State 105 initiative.

“K-State 105 is focused on bringing people and partners together for the good of Kansas, and that’s exactly what this project is doing,” said Jessica Gnad, K-State 105 director. “We’re building an ecosystem of support to help address a key area — in this case, health care — that is affecting economic prosperity in Kansas.”

The community health worker project will include work in 16 counties: Allen, Bourbon, Clay, Cloud, Crawford, Jackson, Jefferson, Labette, Marshall, Montgomery, Nemaha, Neosho, Republic, Washington, Wilson, and Woodson.

The K-State units participating in the project include five K-State Research and Extension units across the state, the College of Health and Human Sciences, the College of Agriculture, and the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering.