Wilson County

Last updated January 2012

Wilson County is served by the East Office of KU Medical Center's Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) in Pittsburg, 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

• 2 students from Wilson County are currently studying at KU Medical Center
• 11 K-12 students in Wilson 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.
• Wilson County is part of the Eastern Medical Education Network with Robert Haskins, MD, a resident of Pittsburg, 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

• 12 KU Medical Center graduates live and/or practice in Wilson County
• 1 Wilson County employer exhibited with 2011 Kansas Career Opportunities, which is designed to introduce medical students, residents and other health care professionals to rural communities seeking health care providers.
• 4 health care professionals from Wilson County participated in continuing education courses and conferences from July 2010 to June 2011.

Researching to Improve Health

• Hospitalization has been identified as a teachable moment in which patients may be more likely to quit smoking. Wilson County is one 27 counties in Kansas to participate in Kan Quit II, an innovative research intervention that provides smoking cessation counseling, treatment and case management services to evaluate the effectiveness of the smoking cessation services. The project is led by Edward Ellerbeck, MD, MPH, and is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health.
• Wilson County is one of nine Kansas counties participating in a research study investigating the prevalence of developmental disabilities in rural children with epilepsy. The study is led by Suzanne Hawley, PhD, MPH.
• 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

• 1 outreach clinic visit with a Wilson County resident and KU Medical Center health care providers was made in 2011.
• 12 visits with Wilson County residents by KU Medical Center health care providers via telemedicine, an interactive video technology that connects providers and patients when distance separates the two, in 2011. To learn more about KU Medical Center's telemedicine services, click here.
• 100 Kansans received free medical attention through preventive screenings and events hosted in Wilson County with support from KU Medical Center in 2011.