HEALTH & WELLNESS
Health Focused, Progress Driven.
Health Focused, Progress Driven.
Community Services We Offer:
Insurance Enrollment
(click for more)
Housing Assistance
(click for more)
Application Services
(click for more)
Kansas Cares
Kansas Cares
Since 2013, Thrive has offered enrollment assistance services to Allen County residents for Marketplace insurance and other health and safety net services through its Coordinating and Assisting Reliable Enrollment Services (CARES) program.
Thrive’s Care Coordinators are crucial fixtures in the community health ecosystem, providing a personal connection to those in need. They were instrumental in lowering Allen County’s uninsured rate from 21% in 2013 to under 9% in 2018. Since 2021, Thrive has partnered with agencies across Kansas to bring these services statewide.
The Kansas CARES program provides Navigator health insurance enrollment services to underserved communities, focusing on rural and diverse populations, and our Navigators also assist community members with a variety of services, including enrollment in Food Assistance programs such as The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Visit the Kansas CARES website to learn more and get help with Care Coordination.
Visite el sitio web de Kansas CARES para obtener más información sobre los servicios de coordinación de salud y bienestar.
Food Assistance
Food Assistance
S.N.A.P. Assistance
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is one of the most powerful tools for addressing hunger in our community. This federal nutrition program, administered by the state, uses an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, much like a debit card, to help eligible people stretch their food budgets and buy the healthy foods they need at authorized locations. Thrive Allen County’s Kansas CARES program Navigators provide assistance to anyone who wants to learn more about the program and apply for benefits.
Find out if you qualify:
Our team can help determine if you are eligible. Contact our office at (620) 365-8128 or fill out the contact form below. We will conduct a brief, free and confidential screening over the phone to determine if you would qualify, and then assist you with completing and filing your application. For more information, visit the official SNAP website.
Bilingual services in English and Spanish are available.
Servicios bilingües en Inglés y Español están disponibles.
Improving Health Conditions
Improving Health Conditions
Knowing this, Thrive works collaboratively across organizations and sectors to find ways to improve the conditions that impact quality of life. This means everything from recruiting doctors and dentists to building trails.
We’ve provided the tools below as resources to help you better understand what we’re facing in Allen County, and different strategies that we can use as a community to address these conditions.
Our County Health Ranking
Allen County’s health ranking tends to fluctuate over time — #94 in 2011, #93 in 2012, #86 in 2013, #79 in 2014, #87 in 2015, #91 in 2016, #92 in 2017, #84 in 2018, and #38 in 2019 — but the challenge is clear. We’ve made some progress, but we can–and must–do better. Learn about our county health ranking by using the University of Wisconsin/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “County Health Rankings and Roadmap” at countyhealthrankings.org.
Kansas Health Matters
Kansas Health Matters is a one-stop source of non-biased data and information about community health in Kansas. It is intended to help hospitals, health departments, policy makers, community planners and members learn about issues, identify improvements and collaborate for positive change. Check it out at kansashealthmatters.org.
Improving Health With The County Health Calculator
Thrive uses tools that include the County Health Calculator to develop strategies for improving the health and well-being of our residents. For example, we’ve learned here that “In Allen County, Kansas, if 5% more people attended some college and 3% more had an income higher than twice the federal poverty level we could expect to save 4 lives, prevent 40 cases of diabetes, and eliminate $200,000 in diabetes costs every year.” Learn more about how we can improve Allen County using this easy-to-use tool at www.countyhealthcalculator.org.
Kansas Health Institute
The Kansas Health Institute (KHI) provides information to policymakers, as well as everyday citizens, to help improve the health of Kansans. Their news service is a particularly helpful source of timely happenings in Topeka that affect us in Allen County. Thrive and KHI have partnered on projects to help improve health conditions in Allen County and across Southeast Kansas. Learn more at www.khi.org.
REACH Healthcare Foundation & Health Forward Foundation
REACH Healthcare Foundation and Health Forward Foundation are key strategic partners to Thrive and our county as a whole in the effort to improve our health. The two foundations were established after the sale of the non-profit Health Midwest System to HCA, a for-profit company. Allen County Hospital was leased by Health Midwest and acquired by HCA, which meant that Allen County became one of six counties (Allen, Johnson and Wyandotte in Kansas, and Jackson, Cass and Lafayette in Missouri) served by the two foundations created after the sale. Both REACH and Health Forward fund health-related efforts in Allen County; visit their websites to learn more.
Alliance For A Healthy Kansas
Thrive Allen County is proud to be a member of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, which is working to expand Kancare to better insure ALL Kansans have adequate healthcare coverage. For more information, visit their website: Alliance for a Healthy Kansas
Other Local Health-Related Resources
Meet The Team
Rhonda Culp
Heather Patterson
Greta Ingle
Lorraine Kuzen-Stephens
Andrea Campbell
Rhonda Culp
Director of Care Coordination
Rhonda Culp is our Director of Care Coordination. She serves as a community health worker, assisting consumers with safety net services and non-emergent transportation needs. She can also go into the homes of consumers to help them complete marketplace applications, LIEAP applications, Medicaid, and Food Stamp applications for those consumers who may not be able to come to the office for assistance.
Prior to joining Thrive, she worked in long-term care for over fifteen years as a Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Record Coordinator, and Administrative Assistant. From 2015 until 2021, she joined the Allen County Regional Hospital as an Office Patient Coordinator for their Senior Life Solutions Outpatient Program.
Rhonda was born and raised in Iola, Kansas. She has two grown sons and one young stepdaughter, and she has three grandchildren. When she not working, she spends time with the grandbabies.
Contact: rhonda@thriveallencounty.org
Heather Patterson
Navigator Program Officer
Heather Patterson is Thrive Allen County’s Navigator Program Officer for communities across Kansas. Heather will oversee sub-awardees and individuals to help navigate through Federal Facilitated Marketplaces and other safety-net resources.
Heather has her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and before coming to Thrive, she worked as a Parent Support Specialist in Mental Health as well as an Early Childhood Educator before that. Heather is excited to be working remotely and meeting new people. Outside of work, Heather has a grown son and daughter and enjoys spending time with family.
Contact: heather@thriveallencounty.org
Greta Ingle
Lead Care Coordinator
Greta Ingle is our lead Care Coordinator, assisting consumers in enrolling in insurance plans on the Federal Marketplace. She is also a SHICK Counselor, helping seniors understand and enroll in Medicare Insurance. Greta also assists consumers with Medicaid, SNAP, and LIEAP applications, as well as other assistance areas consumers may need.
Greta grew up in Chanute, KS, and moved to Humboldt in 1999. She has worked for Thrive Allen County for five years. Greta is a single mother of a daughter, Nisha, who is attending K-State. Greta likes watching football, going fishing, and camping. She spends her free time volunteering with various projects and also works with the Farmers’ Market in Iola and the Allen County GROW Council.
Contact: greta@thriveallencounty.org
Lorraine Kuzen-Stephens
Bilingual Care Coordinator
Lorriane is the bilingual care coordinator at Thrive. She has a multicultural background. Born and raised in Chile, she moved to the US many years ago and considers Kansas her home now. She majored in Business Communications from Fort Hays State University.
In her long career she has worked extensively in the financial, accounting and academic fields but after years of being a community advocate she realized her calling was in the social services.
An avid traveler, she has come in contact with many different cultures and backgrounds and has learned to appreciate the diversity the world has to offer. In her spare time she loves to read, do research and, and cuddle with her cats.
Contact: lorraine@thriveallencounty.org
Andrea Campbell
Care Coordinator
Andrea Campbell is a Care Coordinator with Thrive Allen County, located in El Dorado, Kansas in Butler County. She assists consumers with enrolling in insurance on the Federal Marketplace. As a SHICK counselor, Andrea also helps seniors enroll in Medicare insurance. Andrea assists consumers with Medicaid, CHIP, and SNAP, and other safety net and community resource programs.
Andrea grew up in the Wichita and El Dorado area. A graduate of Butler Community College, she also holds a paralegal certificate from Johnson County Community College and is currently finishing her Bachelor's of Global Studies at the University of Kansas.
Andrea is a mother of five and a grandmother of one. Andrea enjoys spending time with the kids, especially at the lake or scuba diving when she can get to the ocean.
Contact: andrea@thriveallencounty.org
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Medicare Enrollments
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Medicaid (Kancare) Assistance
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Marketplace Insurance Enrollments
Bilingual services in English and Spanish are available.
Servicios bilingües en Inglés y Español están disponibles.
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LIEAP (Utility Assistance)
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HUD Applications
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Weatherization Options
Bilingual services in English and Spanish are available.
Servicios bilingües en Inglés y Español están disponibles.
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Disability
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Unemployment
Bilingual services in English and Spanish are available.
Servicios bilingües en Inglés y Español están disponibles.
Get Involved
Volunteer
Volunteer with Thrive Allen County!
Work on trails, clean up communities,
and build a healthier tomorrow.
Visit our Volunteer Opportunities Page
for more info and to sign-up!
Thrive at Home
Connect and Grow with Your Neighbors!
Thrive at Home is a trusted exchange
of community expertise through
your favorite Allen County classes,
workshops and meetings.
Donate
Support our transformative work in
Allen County and beyond. Your support of
Thrive Allen County empowers communities
and enhances health in Allen County
far beyond what grants can fund.