Wichita State University’s Office of Tech Transfer and Commercialization has received a $37,000 grant that will go toward making more personal protective equipment (PPE) to health care workers with low supply caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The grant is from NetWork Kansas, with funding provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS). The grants are being awarded to colleges and small businesses in Kansas that are making PPE for the health care industry during this time.

Examples of PPE currently being created at Wichita State include temporary face shields and disposable stethoscopes. Counties across Kansas have received shipments of PPE since April.

“Our Tech Transfer and Commercialization office has been working diligently to figure out how we can make an impact in these unprecedented times,” says Rob Gerlach, executive director of the Wichita State Tech Transfer and Commercialization office. “This has been an exciting and innovative experience in all facets, both in providing protection for our health care workers, and in providing applied learning opportunities for our students.”

NetWork Kansas is a nonprofit that works to grow small businesses in Kansas and foster an entrepreneurial spirit among Kansans. This is one of several initiatives that NetWork Kansas is involved with to help small businesses and communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"NetWork Kansas is thrilled to work with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas on this grant project to ensure Kansas health providers are getting the PPE equipment they need,” said Steve Radley, president and CEO, NetWork Kansas. “These BCBSKS grant investments will accelerate delivery of PPE equipment and build capacity in businesses and other entrepreneurial organizations for the future."

BCBSKS recently announced it was giving $250,000 to NetWork Kansas to fund the PPE grants. The funding is part of the BCBSKS Blue Health Initiatives Trailblazers grant that was given through NetWork Kansas. Trailblazers builds partnerships to blaze a trail to a healthier future by finding innovative solutions that improve social determinants of health, increase access to care, and streamline the coordination of services.

“We are proud to provide relief where we can to organizations across our state that are working hard to meet the needs of all Kansans,” said Matt All, president and CEO of BCBSKS. “We care deeply about our communities and are committed to providing assistance where we can during this time.”

To learn more about these relief efforts and additional measures, please visit the Network Kansas website and BCBSKS website.

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About Wichita State University
Wichita State is distinctive for opening pathways to applied learning, applied research and career opportunities, alongside unsurpassed classroom, laboratory and online education. The university's beautiful 330-acre main campus is a supportive, rapidly expanding learn-work-live-play environment, where students gain knowledge and credentials to prepare for fulfilling lives and careers. Students enjoy a wide selection of day, evening and summer courses in more than 200 areas of study at the main campus and other locations throughout the metro area and online. WSU's approximately 16,000 students come from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 other countries. Wichita State's Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wichitastate and Facebook at www.facebook.com/wichita.state.

About NetWork Kansas
NetWork Kansas was established as a component of the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 to further entrepreneurship and small business growth as a priority for economic and community development in the State of Kansas. Backed by more than 500 partners statewide, the NetWork Kansas service promotes an entrepreneurial environment by connecting entrepreneurs and small business owners with the expertise, education and economic resources they need in order to succeed. For more information about NetWork Kansas, call 877-521-8600 or email info@networkkansas.com.

NetWork Kansas facilitates the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem within participating communities through the E-Community Partnership. Contributing factors to successful development include availability of financial capital, support by local leadership and development of educational resources. All of these factors combine to increase entrepreneurial activity in participating towns, leading to increased startup activity, business expansion, job creation and more.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
For more than 75 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has built a reputation of trust with its members and contracting providers by providing outstanding customer service while quickly and accurately processing claims; fairly administering benefit plans and contracts; offering programs, services and tools to help members improve or maintain their health; and operating under the highest ethical standards while being good stewards of premium dollars. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and is the state’s largest insurer, serving all Kansas counties except Johnson and Wyandotte. For more information, visit bcbsks.com.

About Blue Health Initiatives
Launched by BCBSKS in 2016, Blue Health Initiatives is supporting solutions that make Kansas a healthier place to live, work and play. We are taking a holistic approach that focuses on policies, systems and environments that shape our lives. The Blue Health Initiatives Trailblazers grant build partnerships to blaze a trail to a healthier future by finding innovative solutions that improve social determinants of health, increase access to care, and streamline the coordination of services.