The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announces a $500,000 grant awarded to the Bureaus of Health Promotion and Disease Control and Prevention to support Kansas Community Health Workers (CHW) in assisting individuals living with HIV in rural areas. Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kansas, two other states, and Puerto Rico received this grant.

The project will hire, train, and deploy CHWs over three years to aid those with HIV who are not currently receiving care or are not virally suppressed, focusing on mental health, substance use, and social determinants of health. CHWs will coordinate medical visits, transportation, and medication adherence. Currently, 559 individuals living with HIV reside in Kansas’s rural and frontier areas, with populations under 40 per square mile.

According to Jackie Catron, KDHE section director for Community Health Workers, Bureau of Health Promotion, KDHE Community Health Workers connect hard-to-reach individuals with essential social and healthcare services. Debra Guilbault, KDHE section chief, added that the addition of CHWs will help bridge the gap in HIV care in rural areas, improve testing, and enhance health outcomes. The funding will enable KDHE to collaborate with community partners to increase care access, reduce stigma, and support viral suppression for Kansans with HIV.