Kansas Resources
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The Public Health Law Center works with public health organizations and communities in Kansas to support progress towards achieving healthy behavior goals. This work includes supporting efforts to improving access to healthy, affordable food and clean water, supporting a robust local food system, increasing physical activity opportunities, increasing access to affordable housing and child care, and reducing commercial tobacco use.
We work with Kansas communities to identify and understand the dynamics of equity and social determinants of health, so communities can use policy and systems change to support health for all. We tailor our publications, trainings and individualized legal technical assistance to fit the unique contexts facing Kansas communities.
Since 2013, we have worked with grantees and partners with funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, the Kansas Department of Health and Education, Pathways to a Healthy Kansas (a grant program of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas), Kansas Action for Wellness (a program of the American Heart Association), KC Healthy Kids and other public health partners.
For more information, please email Mary Marrow or Natasha Frost.
Featured resource collections are below. Other relevant resources in right sidebar (desktop/tablet), or end of page (mobile).
Kansas Healthy Food Resources
Increasing access to healthy food is emerging as a priority in Kansas as local governments and communities are taking action to address food insecurity, support local producers, and improve healthier food and beverage options. These resources provide an overview of Kansas laws that support access to healthy and affordable local food and influence initiatives that provide healthier food environments.
Kansas Bicycling and Walking Resources
Kansas communities are taking action to promote health, prosperity, and economic vitality by increasing physical activity through bicycling and walking. These resources provide an overview of laws and policies impacting bicycling and walking to support these efforts.
Kansas Tobacco Resources
These Kansas specific resources provide guidelines on drafting smoke-free school policies and information about adopting smoke-free policies within multi-unit public housing.
Farm and Local Food Taskforce Resources
Creating a food council through resolution is a powerful tool that a local government can utilize to interact with the community in policymaking and seek guidance on complex issues. Food councils are becoming more commonly used in Kansas and have proven to be an effective process for implementing and executing state and local food policies. No food council is set up or run exactly the same; each one can be adapted to the specific needs of each community.
Farmers' Market Resources
Interest in farmers' markets is growing across Kansas, with the number of these markets increasing more than four-fold in the past two decades. The growth of farmers' markets is closely tied to community efforts to support local producers (sources of fresh, local, and healthy foods) and grow local economies.
Webinar: Promoting Physical Activity Through Community Use: Expanding Opportunities in Kansas (2016)
This webinar provides an overview of the benefits of opening up school property for public use, discusses how community use can address health disparities, identifies some common barriers related to implementing community use including liability issues, and highlights best practices and risk management strategies for overcoming these barriers.
Kansas Local Government Resources
Local governments play a significant role in establishing local policy initiatives to ensure that community members have access to healthy local food and a viable transportation and recreation system. This collection of fact sheets highlights the policies local governments use to increase access to local healthy foods, support the growth of local economies, and encourage physical activity in Kansas.
Kansas Child Care Resources
The Public Health Law Center has developed a series of resources designed to inform and support Kansas efforts to cultivate child care settings that promote healthy eating, positive exercise habits, reduced screen time, and support tobacco-free environments.
Kansas Rules and Regulations Resources
State rules and regulations govern many aspects of our lives, including: food safety, nutrition, and active play requirements in the child care setting; accessibility of clean water; governance of land; and training standards for teachers and nurses. Understanding how rules and regulations operate is critical for Kansans who wish to improve access to healthy food and physical activity.
What is Legal Technical Assistance?
The Public Health Law Center provides specialized assistance to promote healthy eating and physical activity policies for all settings where we live, work, study, shop, and play. This resource outlines how we can assist with legal research and analysis, educational publications and resources, policy drafting assistance, trainings and litigation support.
Drafting Effective Policies; Policy Checklist
These resources outline different steps to draft an effective policy. It was developed for specifically for on-going Kansas efforts to improve the food and physical activity environment. The tool is meant to be used in conjunction with technical assistance, including that provided by the Public Health Law Center.
Webinar: Policy Development Efforts in Kansas to Support Public Health (2016)
In this training, explore how to draft effective written documents to create meaningful, equitable and enforceable community initiatives to support healthful behaviors. This session outlines key Kansas laws impacting local initiatives, and helps communities incorporate an equity lens into efforts to increase access to healthy food, physical activity, and reduce tobacco use.