Shaping the future of integrated care in Kansas
Sunflower Foundation has long supported improving Kansans’ access to integrated care, a holistic approach involving providers in different fields of health care working together to deliver a seamless, patient-centered continuum of care. Evidence shows that such models of care improve patient outcomes, increase patient and provider satisfaction, and curb health care costs.
With a goal of advancing a statewide vision and providing a roadmap for improving access to integrated care services, the foundation is partnering with key subject matter experts and technical assistance providers to deliver training and technical assistance opportunities to health care clinics across Kansas that are interested in exploring or implementing more integrated models of care.
In September 2025, the foundation launched the Integrated Care Learning Network with a day of learning, networking and conversation about the future of integrated care in Kansas. Representatives of clinics from across the state joined key partners and stakeholders at the Sunflower Nonprofit Center, where experts from the University of Colorado’s Farley Health Policy Center talked about the foundations of integrated care and representatives from HealthTeamWorks spoke about technical assistance they can provide clinics interested in implementing more integrated models of care.
Then, starting in October 2025 and continuing through summer 2026, clinics are participating in a series of monthly Learning Community Calls focused on various on the Building Blocks of Behavioral Health Integration. This is a chance to hear from experts at the Farley Center and Health Team Works and network with peers from around the state. The monthly calls are scheduled for noon to 1 p.m. on the third Friday of each month.(See schedule and registration link at right).
The Farley Center also is providing a free Building Blocks of Behavioral Health Integration e-Learning module. Participants in this virtual training opportunity can earn one hour of category 1 continuing medical education (CME) credit from the American Academy of Family Physicians. See instructions below for how to register for the e-Learning module.
Any clinic in Kansas that is interested in providing more integrated health care services is encouraged to register for the monthly calls and e-learning module.
Last fall’s launch event also served as a starting point for a group of integrated care system stakeholders to begin working to identify opportunities to improve the accessibility and sustainability of integrated health services in Kansas. Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute will be supporting the work of the system stakeholder group over the next year.
The Integrated Care Learning Network is supported, in part, through funding from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. We also want to thank the Patterson Family Foundation for its engagement with this work and its shared interest in improving and expanding health care services to help rural communities thrive.
Learning Community Calls
The next series of Integrated Care Learning Network sessions monthly Learning Community Calls, led by HealthTeamWorks, will focus on the practical work of implementing, sustaining and expanding behavioral health integration.
Upcoming sessions will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on the third Friday of each month, with the exception being in June, when the session will be held on the fourth Friday.
These calls are a great opportunity for behavioral health managers, behavioral health consultants, clinic managers or other champions of integrated care in the clinic to network with peers and connect with expert technical assistance providers.
Signing up once registers you for all calls.
Sessions topics are as follows:
- April 17 – Integration Models that Fit your Setting
- May 15 – Billing and Coding for Integrated Care
- June 26 – Sustainability and Financial Models for Integrated Care
- July 17 – SUD Integration and Higher Level of Care Referral Pathways
- August 21 – Topic TBA
- September 18 – Topic TBA
Want to learn more about Sunflower’s work in integrated care and the Integrated Care Learning Network? Sign up to for our integrated care e-news.
e-Learning Modules
The e-Learning modules are for everyone! Integrated care takes teamwork, and these modules are a flexible tool to help build a collaborative team. To register:
- Go to https://cuelearning.org
- Click on the Register link
- A pop-up box will appear to enter your email and set up your password.
- For Registration Code, enter: SUNFLOWER
You then will be redirected to your My Account page, where you will have access to the module. To receive one hour of category 1 CME credit from the American Academy of Family Physicians for completing the Building Blocks of Behavioral Health Integration e-Learning module, you must complete the evaluation at the end of the module.
What Does Integrated Care Mean to You?
A number of health clinics, partners and stakeholders interested in helping advance the delivery of integrated health care services across Kansas attended the Integrated Care Learning Network launch event. We asked some of them “What does integrated care mean to you?”
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Questions about Integrated Care at Sunflower?
