Benefiting the Communities We Serve

As part of an academic health system serving the people of Kansas, the region and beyond, The University of Kansas Health System will enhance the health and wellness of the communities we serve. This is our mission.

We are committed to providing the highest quality care to all Kansans – not only in Kansas City, but across the state and region. It's our responsibility to extend the reach of academic medicine to more Kansans so patients can stay closer to home and receive the most advanced care possible.

We've been working to fulfill this mission since 1998, when The University of Kansas Hospital began as an independent authority.

When people get their healthcare close to home, they can focus on healing rather than the many stresses of travel. That's why we support keeping care close to home.

We do this by supporting the continued operation of hospitals and clinics and by expanding into communities across Kansas:

• Main Campus in Kansas City, Kansas
• Great Bend Campus, including Great Bend Family Medicine and St. Rose Medical Pavilion, in Great Bend
• Indian Creek Campus in Overland Park
• St. Francis Campus in Topeka

We also keep care close to home by using technology and communication to bring advanced healthcare services into communities across the state. Examples include:

Investing in technology

Through technology, we can expand our services to patients while they remain in their communities. For example, people in western Kansas with complex neurological disorders like ALS participate in telemedicine appointments with neuroscience specialists in Kansas City. These specialists work with a local care team to assess each patient's condition and provide ongoing care.

Providing expert physicians to more communities

Our physicians, many of whom specialize in treating complex illnesses, travel to communities throughout Kansas to provide care that would otherwise not be available. For example, our kidney transplant physicians based in Kansas City conduct clinics in Wichita for those who are waiting for organ transplantation and those who need follow-up care after transplant.

Improving care through The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative

Our physicians and other clinicians collaborate with care providers across Kansas through this network of more than 50 hospitals, plus additional clinics and EMS teams, in 56 Kansas counties. Together, collaborative members work to improve the health of people living in rural and urban communities, using evidence-based models of care to improve outcomes and decrease costs. Care areas include heart attack, stroke, heart failure and sepsis.

Partnering in joint ventures

Our health system partnered with Ardent Health Services to ensure continued healthcare services for the Topeka area. Together, we purchased St. Francis Health, which otherwise would have closed, to form The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus. This joint venture also preserved hundreds of jobs at the hospital.

Acquiring facilities when it makes sense for the communities

In today's healthcare environment, smaller communities can find it difficult to sustain their local hospitals. By joining The University of Kansas Health System, hospitals within these communities ensure access to better healthcare close to home. They also preserve a key driver of the economy in their community.