Family and Community Wellness
K‑State Extension is a leader in providing research‑based information and education that strengthens Kansas communities. We work to improve family health, nutrition, and relationships; build consumer and financial management skills; and help Kansans balance the demands of work, family, and community life.
Key Programs Offered
Senior Health Insurance Counseling Kansas (SHICK)
Every day, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65, and many find Medicare overwhelming. Extension Agents trained as SHICK counselors can help educate individuals and correct confusing or inaccurate information that may lead to late enrollment penalties, gaps in coverage, strained finances, and delayed healthcare treatment.
Meade County Extension has made it known that, as part of SHICK, we are a trusted, confidential, free, and unbiased source of education and information. We help participants choose their Part D Medicare Prescription Drug Plan and assist in finding other supplemental coverage as needed.
Hypertension Awareness Prevention (HAPp):
In Kansas, hypertension is notably prevalent, with approximately 34.3% of adult Kansans
having been informed by a health professional that they have high blood pressure,
surpassing the national average of 32.4%. This highlights the urgent need for intervention in
the state.
By leveraging partnerships with local employers, healthcare providers, and community organizations, HAPp and HAPp Works strive to create supportive environments that encourage healthy lifestyle choices, reduce the incidence of high blood pressure, and ultimately improve overall cardiovascular health across Kansas.
HAPp Signature: A 4-month program that empowers participants to self-measure their blood pressure and make sustainable lifestyle changes that support heart health.
- Healthy Heart Ambassadors (Agents) will support and encourage participants through the following
activities:-
- Holding Office Hour meetings twice a month (20 minutes each).
- During these sessions, participants take their blood pressure, review progress, and discuss lifestyle topics such as nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and sleep hygiene.
- Holding Nutrition Education Workshops once a month (60–90 minutes each).
- These sessions are open to participants, their families, friends, and the public, and focus on reducing sodium intake, reading nutrition labels, grocery shopping tips, and preparing balanced, low-sodium meals
- Holding Office Hour meetings twice a month (20 minutes each).
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HAPp Works: An 8-week worksite wellness initiative that empowers participants to self-measure their blood pressure and adopt healthy lifestyle changes.
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- Coaches will support and encourage participants through the following activities:
- Holding worksite SMBP and Lifestyle Education Workshops once a week for 8 weeks.
- 90-minute workshops.
- 45-60 minute workshop.
- 30 minutes of Q&A as needed.
- Coaches will support and encourage participants through the following activities:
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Question Persuade Refer (QPR):
Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.
QPR can be learned in our Gatekeeper course in as little as one hour. Gatekeepers can be anyone, but include parents, friends, teachers, ministers, nurses, office supervisors, squad leaders, foremen, police officers, caseworkers, firefighters, and many others who are strategically positioned to recognize and refer someone at risk of suicide.
As a QPR-trained Gatekeeper you will learn to:
- Recognize the warning signs of suicide
- Know how to offer hope
- Know how to get help and save a life
Want to know more? Call the Extension office at (620)-873-8790