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COMMUNITY CASE STUDY article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Life-Course Epidemiology and Social Inequalities in Health

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1662968

Building Equity from the Ground Up: A Community-Academic Model in Seward County, Kansas

Provisionally accepted
Kara  KnappKara Knapp1*Clarissa  CarrilloClarissa Carrillo1Sarah  ForemanSarah Foreman2Susan  LukwagoSusan Lukwago2Julie  FosterJulie Foster2Kay  BurtzloffKay Burtzloff2Vicki  Collie-AkersVicki Collie-Akers1Katherine  AtchesonKatherine Atcheson1Sarah  Finocchario-KesslerSarah Finocchario-Kessler1Christina  PachecoChristina Pacheco1
  • 1University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, United States
  • 2Liberal Area Coalition for Families, Liberal, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Academic-community partnerships are vital to addressing health disparities, particularly in rural and diverse communities. This case study highlights a partnership between the Liberal Area Coalition for Families (LACF) and the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) formed through the Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) initiative. Located in Seward County, Kansas-a region marked by cultural diversity, linguistic complexity, and high social vulnerability-this collaboration leveraged community strengths and academic resources to co-develop and implement equity-driven strategies.The partnership established a Local Health Equity Action Team (LHEAT) composed of community members, stakeholders, and public health professionals, supported by a Regional Community Lead (RCL) and Community Health Workers (CHWs). The LHEAT addressed barriers to food access, COVID-19 testing and vaccination, and sustainable public health services through inclusive bilingual engagement models, culturally relevant services, and data-informed planning. Within two years, the LHEAT grew to over 50 members, launched 33 initiatives, and met nearly 90% of 647 identified client health needs.Discussion: Lessons learned emphasize the importance of beginning with local assets, adapting strategies to context, and building trust over time. The LACF-KUMC partnership showcases how community-led coalitions, supported by responsive academic institutions, can drive upstream systems change. This model underscores the need for flexible, sustained investment in local leadership and participatory evaluation to foster resilience, improve health outcomes, and promote equity across underrepresented communities.

Keywords: Community-academic partnership, health equity, Rural Health, COVID-19, Community Health Workers, Community coalitions, social determinants of health

Received: 09 Jul 2025; Accepted: 12 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Knapp, Carrillo, Foreman, Lukwago, Foster, Burtzloff, Collie-Akers, Atcheson, Finocchario-Kessler and Pacheco. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Kara Knapp, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, United States

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