Dear Friends,

Over the past six months or more, the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC) Board of Directors—both the Executive Committee and the full Board—had been closely monitoring changes in the health care landscape and evaluating their impact on our organization. Even in strong financial years, sustaining an organization primarily funded through grants was challenging. The KHC staff had done an exceptional job, and we fully recognize the significant impact they made across Kansas health care organizations.

Unfortunately, the funding environment had shifted. The grants that historically supported our work were no longer available. While the need for KHC’s mission remained as vital as ever, the financial foundation to support that work had changed.

After thoughtful and careful consideration, the KHC Board made the difficult decision to initiate a significant operational transition, which included the layoff of all KHC staff, effective Oct. 3, 2025.

As you can imagine, this was not an easy decision. Our deep respect for the staff and their many accomplishments remain unchanged. However, we had to be realistic about the future sustainability of the organization under the circumstances.

Leaders from our founding organizations—the Kansas Medical Society and the Kansas Hospital Association—were actively involved throughout the decision-making process. If you have any questions, we encourage you to reach out to Rachelle Colombo, Executive Director of the Kansas Medical Society at (785) 235-2383 or Chad Austin, President and CEO of the Kansas Hospital Association at (785) 233-7436.

Thank you for your support of the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative. We know that future opportunities for collaborative efforts such as this will arise. We look forward to building on the work done by this dynamic organization.

Chad Austin and Rachelle Colombo