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Kansas Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program

When the Foundation launched its Rural Health Initiative in 1988, one of the first findings was the lack of access to quality, affordable primary health care for Kansans in rural areas. At that time, nearly 60 percent of Kansans were living in what was considered to be underserved areas from a health care standpoint.

One way to help fill the gap of primary care professionals was by using nurse practitioners as the primary means of care in these areas. But, while these professionals could drastically help fill this gap in care, by 1991 there were only 197 certified nurse practitioners in Kansas, and both the University of Kansas and Wichita State University had suspended their respective programs due to lack of funding.

Beginning with an initial grant for faculty development in 1991, the Foundation provided four total grants to fund the overall start-up and structuring of a cooperative nurse practitioner training program at KU, WSU and Fort Hays State. The universities’ willingness to share existing and proposed resources resulted in a curriculum that was heavy on meeting the needs of students. Additionally, it served as a tool to train health care professionals to provide primary care services in underserved areas.

By 1997 the program had graduated 145 students, with 73 percent practicing in underserved areas of Kansas. As of 2000, that number had grown to more than 500 graduates, with more than 300 practicing in Kansas. Following the original intent of the grants, the programs are sustained today through other funding sources.

Over the years the innovative and collaborative nature of the project has drawn widespread media attention at both the state and national level. This included a Time magazine article and a story on CNN.

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