Rush County

Last updated January 2012

Rush County is served by the Southwest Office of KU Medical Center's Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) in Garden City, which provides quality professional education for health care providers and serves the eastern part of the state through health screenings, presentations and clinics.

Enhancing Student Education

• 3 students from Rush County are currently studying at KU Medical Center
• 3 K-12 students in Rush County participated in activities during 2011 that showcased the rewards and exciting challenges of careers in health care, hosted by the Area Health Education Centers and health professions pipeline grants.
• Rush County is part of the Northwest Medical Education Network with Michael Machen, MD, a resident of Quinter, serving as the Medical Education Director. The medical education director helps coordinate the School of Medicine's efforts to mentor, train and place physicians throughout Kansas.

Strengthening the Health Care Workforce

• 2 KU Medical Center graduates live and/or practice in Rush County
• 1 health care provider has been placed in Rush County through the Kansas Recruitment & Retention Center, which provides placement assistance to rural health organizations and seeks to enhance the quality and quantity of health care professionals in rural Kansas since 2003.
• 1 temporary physician coverage allowing Rush County physicians time off in 2011, made via Kansas Locum Tenens and Kansas Medical Resource.
• 14 health care professionals from Rush County participated in continuing education courses and conferences from July 2010 to June 2011.

Researching to Improve Health

• Occupational therapists at KU Medical Center provide professional support and development for Kansas' Infant-Toddler Services. Working in every county, KUMC professionals evaluate effectiveness of early intervention services provided to families. Principal investigators Winnie Dunn, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, and Ellen Pope, Med, OTR, facilitate this ongoing project with the Kansas Department of Health & Environment.

Advancing Health Care Access

• 3 outreach clinic visits with Rush County residents and KU Medical Center health care providers were made in 2011.