MERRIAM — The REACH Healthcare Foundation announced today that it has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants to 17 programs in Kansas and Missouri for operating expenses in 2013.

The grants are meant to ensure access to health services for the region’s poor and medically underserved children and adults. The region includes Allen, Johnson, and Wyandotte counties in Kansas; Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties in Missouri.

Nine grants were awarded to mental health centers and safety net health care clinics to support behavioral health, oral health and primary medical care services, staff expenses, equipment and other operational needs. Eight grants were awarded to regional and statewide advocacy and policy organizations, consumer coalitions and a rural health coalition to support educational activities, research and efforts aimed at ensuring access to care for uninsured and medically underserved people.

Here is a listing of the grant categories, recipients and amounts:

Mental Health Services

• Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. — $100,000

• Johnson County Mental Health Center — $100,000

• PACES — $100,000

• ReDiscover, Inc. — $100,000

Safety Net Services

• Duchesne Clinic — $100,000

• Health Partnership Clinic of Johnson County — $100,000

• Kansas City Free Health Clinic — $100,000

• Silver City Health Center — $100,000

• Turner House Children’s Clinic — $100,000

Advocacy

• Communities Creating Opportunity — $100,000

• Health Care Coalition of Lafayette County — $100,000

• Kansas Action for Children — $80,000

• Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved — $100,000

• Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, Inc. — $50,000

• Missouri Budget Project — $50,000

• Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance – $75,000

• Oral Health Kansas, Inc. — $75,000