There are many factors that shape health, including education, economic status and access to essential goods and services.
On April 9, 2024, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, Sedgwick County government, Kansas Health Foundation and the Kansas Health Institute co-hosted a Data Walk to examine why more than 20 percent of the children removed into foster care in the state of Kansas are from Sedgwick County.
Approximately 100 community leaders, partners, government officials and business leaders attended the event, which was designed to raise awareness and mobilize community action related to improving the foster care system and reducing community need for foster care. Attendees ‘walked’ through and discussed eight points of data that spotlighted foster care in Sedgwick County. The data points included:
- Child poverty by single and two parent households
- Adverse childhood experiences
- Graduation rate
- Youth transitioning out of foster care
- Foster care by race
- Foster care primary reason for removal from their homes
- Children removed from their home into foster care
- Food insecurity
Improving the factors that shape health often requires a multifaceted approach that begins with mobilizing the community to act. During the Data Walk, participants met with other community members and offered new and challenging interpretations of the data as well as unique ideas to get at the root causes of these complex issues in Sedgwick County. The group heard from organizers and supporters of the event, including Dee Nighswonger, Wichita Regional Director of Kansas Department for Children and Families, County Commission Chair Ryan Baty and Ed O’Malley, President and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation.
This was the fourth community in which KHI has been involved in Data Walks in Kansas. Other Data Walks were held in Cowley County and Shawnee County, and one was hosted by the Wichita Business Journal.
