The Barton County collaboration, Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) plans to get walking in support of expanding health care in Kansas.
COPE members are joining with Alliance for a Healthy Kansas for the Walk the Gap event at Veterans Park on Tuesday, Nov. 1. All the states bordering Kansas have expanded their Medicaid programs, so the goal is for participants to walk a combined 1,250 miles - the perimeter of Kansas - to bring attention to the thousands of Kansans who are uninsured because KanCare has not been expanded. COPE Lead Callie Miller said the walk is all about bringing awareness to shortcomings in Medicare and KanCare.
"Our purpose is to bridge the gaps to our underserved community members," she said. "The gap in Medicare is huge, so it's definitely something we can get behind for them expanding who they cover and what they cover."
The goal of the COPE program is to identify and reduce barriers to health and well-being that members of the community face, especially those in high-risk and under-resourced communities. Locally, the COPE action team is currently comprised of 16 members from across Barton County who meet two times a month to discuss and prioritize action strategies based on community need.
Registration for Tuesday's event is free. Those who register by Monday can also receive a free T-shirt. The group will meet Tuesday at noon at Veterans Park for a photo before the lap around the park.
Register for free by CLICKING HERE. Those who wish to participate but cannot attend can log their miles by CLICKING HERE.