THREE AND A HALF HOURS to Denver. Four hours to Salina, and five hours to Wichita. When scheduling a CAT scan means scheduling an overnight stay, you may choose to delay. And that delay could be much more costly than the expense of a hotel room and out of town meals.

That’s just one reason Greeley County Health Services is so valuable to the residents of Tribune and the surrounding communities. GCHS integrates the services of a hospital, long-term care, three family practice clinics, a home health agency and a variety of outpatient and ancillary services.

To grow and replicate this model in other rural counties, Sunflower Foundation is providing a two-year grant. Chrysanne Grund, project director for GCHS, says the grant will support overall infrastructure, but also will provide assistance with leadership development and training programs. Strengthening and supporting primary care givers, including recruiting and retaining providers, are among the major goals.

The emphasis goes beyond simply finding a good physician. It’s important that health care providers are also willing and excited to be part of the community. “Our physicians’ responsibilities don’t start and stop in an exam room. They’re helpers in the high school and leaders in our churches,” Chrysanne says. “They care about their neighbors and they care about health in the broadest sense.”

The funds also help leadership development efforts. “If one of our employees expresses an interest in going deeper in her field, we can provide training.” Chrysanne says. “We’re also talking with kids about careers in health.”

Also covered in the grant are outreach and education, professional and layperson training programs, and overall program development.

But the real impact of the grant is seeing how it touches the lives of people in the community. “A young mother struggling with breast cancer and no health insurance had been told she was not eligible for Medicaid. But Sharon, our resource specialist in Wallace County, is helping her reapply for Medicaid and access other resources for her treatment costs,” says Chrysanne. “This has been such a huge relief for this family to have someone really help them navigate the process at such a difficult time.”

Sunflower Foundation’s commitment to increasing access to quality health care in rural areas is key. “The challenges we face in rural, western Kansas are far different than those in urban, northeast Kansas,” Chrysanne says. She points out that providing quality health care is important not just for residents but for the community itself. “The connection between meeting health care needs and economic growth is a close one. In western Kansas, agribusiness is a major part of our economy. We need a quality health care system that attracts and keeps businesses, families and employees in our communities.”

“Greeley County Health Services cares about the community just like families care about each other. We’re here to take care of our neighbors – we ‘re here to go the extra mile so they don’t have to.”