The 2022 Kansas Governor’s Public Health Conference. The panel was titled “Promoting Health Equity in the COVID Response and Beyond: Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE).” The discussions centered on answering this crucial question: What does it look like to incorporate equity and community input into COVID response in Kansas?

“Being able to directly hear about the project from the COPE team members breathed life into the project, rather than just seeing it on paper,” said Dr. Joan Duwve, State Health Officer of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).

The conference also provided the COPE team with an opportunity to collaborate and network with various organizations and current partners across the state. Potential training opportunities for Community Health Workers through the KDHE are also in discussions.

The panel discussants were: Julie Foster (Community Health Worker in Seward County), Ton Miras Neira (COPE Community Health Worker Project Manager), Jody Hoener (Regional Community Lead of the Southeast region), Christina Pacheco (COPE Project Director), Dr. Joan Duwve, MD, MPH, Kameelah Alexander (Local Health Equity Action Team Lead in Sedgwick County) Dr. Sarah Kessler, PhD, MPH and Alix Guerrero, BA,.