Community Health Corner
May 5, 2026
Submitted by Elaine Johannes and Stephanie Gutierrez
America’s Health Ranking Kansas Summary Report for 2025, lists Kansas as number 27 of the 50 states in overall health of its residents. Let’s all pull together to raise that ranking! K-State Extension is working with others to improve everyone’s health.
From urban, metro, suburban, rural and frontier locations, extension works in partnership with communities to deliver meaningful, timely relevant programs and initiatives for health and well-being. The following resources help us improve well-being and achieve national Healthy People 2030 objectives.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month-More Good Days Together: Using nationally representative data from the Gallup World Poll, the annual World Happiness Report highlights the current state of happiness across nearly 150 countries.
The 2026 World Happiness Poll reveals that in 47 countries, young students who use social media for over seven hours a day have much lower well-being than those who use it for less than one hour. Learn more about World Happiness Report here.
Share this and other mental health and wellness information during the month of May. Mental Health America has an Action Guide that recommends activities, information blasts and projects for Mental Health Awareness Month. Register now for the immersive, virtual wellness experience on May 20 (Wednesday) from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. (CDT).
Suicide rates have dropped since the 2022 launch of the 988 line: The states with the greatest increases in 988 crisis hotline use since 2022 experienced the greatest decrease in suicide mortality. Since July 2022, people in the U.S. struggling with thoughts of suicide have been able to receive help by calling or texting the simple number “988.”
A recent JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) article on suicide mortality across the country reports that deaths among young adults have fallen in the time since the hotline was introduced. Uptake was highest among young adults under age 30. Kansas was among the states having an 11% reduction in deaths due to suicide.
At the beginning of 2026, KDADS (Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services), which administers the 988 line, reported that the Kansas 988 suicide and crisis hotline volume grew significantly, with calls increasing by nearly 38% from 2,751 in January, 2025 to 3,796 in October, 2025. Total 2025 data showed 34,669 calls answered and over 22,000 text/chat conversations, driven by increased mental health support demand.
Additional information about the 988 crisis hotline in Kansas is available through KDADS here.
Identifying pre-diabetes can be lifesaving: Research conducted at Johns Hopkins University shows that lifestyle interventions introduced after a pre-diabetes diagnosis can help prevent diabetes and related health complications. The value of a pre-diabetes diagnosis can help prevent the progression to type 2 diabetes and related complications.
More about the value of understanding prediabetes and addressing it early is discussed in “The Value of a Prediabetes Diagnosis” here. KDHE provides basic information and resources about diabetes here.
Opportunities
- Kansas Youth Suicide Prevention Conference, at Emporia State University; Aug. 10-11. KU AHEC Facebook Save the Date). More information will be available soon.
- 2026 Kansas Public Health Association (KPHA) Conference at Manhattan; Oct. 5-6. Conference details and registration is available here.
- Kids, Mental Health and Tech Resources: The nationally acclaimed Child Mind Institute has resources, videos and fact sheets focused on youth mental health and well-being and technology impacts: Technology and Youth Mental Health Series; Safe Screen Use and Tech Habits.
For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu; and Stephanie Gutierrez, smgutier@k-state.edu.
