The Kansas Health Foundation (KHF) has announced six grants totaling $3.5 million to organizations in the Wichita area to ensure residents of Sedgwick County impacted by groundwater contamination have access to free health testing.
In the fall of 2022, residents of neighborhoods close to 29th and Grove learned a large chemical spill, believed to have happened in the 1970s, had contaminated groundwater beneath their homes. KHF was selected serve as the grant program administrator for the public-private effort to inform residents about exposure, risks, and testing availability. Recipients include HealthCore ($1.3 million), GraceMed ($603,750), Hunter Health ($603,750), and the Wichita Black Nurses Association ($603,750).
Administered by KHF, the grants include contributions from the State of Kansas ($2.5 million) and KHF ($500,000), as well as funding from the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County, Fidelity Bank, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, and the Wichita, Stand Together, and Sunflower foundations. In addition, KHF contributed $100,000 in funding beyond the grant program to ensure communication with residents…