Communications

(Aug. 8, 2025) – I am pleased to announce that this year's winner of the Donald A. Wilson Visionary Award for 2025 is the Protect Wichita Firefighters Initiative.

The Kansas Hospital Association established this award to recognize individuals who have made an outstanding, innovative contribution to health care delivery, health care financing or other initiatives to improve the health and clinical outcomes of their community. The Donald A. Wilson Visionary Award provides KHA members the opportunity to recognize individuals who have truly been agents for change in their community and the hospital industry.

Individuals at four organizations led the Protect Wichita Firefighters: Via Christi St. Francis (Keisha Humphries, Dr. Brett Grizzell, Andrea Gallardo), City of Wichita (Council Member Becky Tuttle), Wichita Firefighters (Chief Becky Snow), and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 135 (President Ted Bush). The initiative directly addresses a critical and emerging challenge in health care: the alarmingly high rates of occupational cancer, heart and lung diseases among firefighters.

Data from the International Association of Fire Fighters highlights that occupational cancer accounts for up to 70 percent of line-of-duty deaths for career firefighters, representing a significant health disparity for these vital community members. This initiative provides a much-needed solution to a population historically underserved by comprehensive, targeted preventive care. By offering specialized, early detection health screenings and ongoing nurse navigator support, the program improves clinical outcomes by identifying issues at their most treatable stages. Furthermore, by aiming for widespread replication, this initiative has the potential to influence health care financing models by shifting towards preventive care, ultimately reducing long-term costs associated with advanced disease treatment for this high-risk group.

The Protect Wichita Firefighters Initiative took the lead in designing and implementing a specialized, annual screening program tailored to the unique health risks of firefighters. This proactive approach includes comprehensive medical exams, cancer screenings and cardiovascular and pulmonary screenings, all guided by dedicated nurse navigators. This commitment to early detection and preventive care for a specific high-risk population showcases visionary leadership in shifting the paradigm of health care from reactive treatment to proactive wellness. This integrated, firefighter-centric approach represents a novel model for occupational health and preventive care that prioritizes convenience, support and trust.

The Protect Wichita Firefighters Initiative demonstrates close collaboration at multiple levels and has significant potential for wide application. It is a direct result of a partnership between Via Christi, the City of Wichita, Wichita Firefighters and IAFF Local 135. This local partnership effectively pooled resources and expertise to develop and implement the program. The initiative has actively engaged with a broad state-level coalition of fire departments and unions, including numerous IAFF locals across Kansas and the Kansas Fire Chiefs Association, to advocate for legislative support (House Bill 2024). This extensive network of support underscores its replicability.

With funding secured from the Kansas Health Foundation to replicate this model across the state, the Protect Wichita Firefighters Initiative has already proven its capacity for wide application, serving as a blueprint for other communities to address critical occupational health needs. Other firefighter municipalities and law enforcement agencies have approached the group to learn how they, too, can implement this innovative model in their communities.

The initiative has already made a profound difference in improving health care delivery and clinical outcomes within the firefighter community. By providing specialized and convenient early detection screenings for cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, the program directly addresses the disproportionately high rates of these conditions among firefighters. This proactive approach significantly enhances the quality of health care delivery by allowing for early diagnosis, which is crucial for successful treatment and improved prognoses. Since the program launched in February, 307 Wichita firefighters have signed up, leading to the identification of multiple cancers and cardiac diagnoses. While direct financial impact data is still emerging, by focusing on prevention and early intervention, the program has the potential to improve health care finances by reducing the need for costly late-stage treatments.

Congratulations to the Protect Wichita Firefighters Initiative. We look forward to officially presenting this honor during the KHA Awards Luncheon on Friday, Sept. 5, at the KHA Annual Convention in Wichita. I invite you all to attend and join us in honoring this visionary work and the organizations and individuals behind it … as well as other health care leaders who will be recognized.
--Chad Austin