Kansas Health Foundation President and CEO Ed O'Malley said no state can climb the health rankings “just by helping healthy people get healthier.” The ascent also involves “eliminating the inequities that are creating health disparities,” he said. 

And health is an important factor in a state’s economy through its impact on workforce productivity and fiscal stability. 

On Wednesday, O'Malley spoke at the Chamber’s Mosaic meeting about upward mobility, and how his non-profit uses this term to describe what it takes to clear that path so that all people can succeed, regardless of their starting point. For many, the path to a healthy life is shaped by factors far beyond their control, like access to affordable housing, good jobsand quality childcare. 

When a topic is potentially polarizing, a useful data set with the acronym ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained Employed) can start the conversation on how the working poor need and deserve help, O’Malley said. 

“They are working often multiple jobs, but still unable to make enough money to get by,” he said. “We’re talking about building more pathways to upward mobility.” 

The Chamber’s next Community Development event will be Thursday’s State of Inclusion, featuring Tawanna A. Black, founder the Center for Economic Inclusion, and Living Truth Enterprises, Inc. Registration is available here.