Author: Nancy McCready

Podcast episode 61: Emily Polak

Posted on by Nancy McCready

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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.

 

In episode 61, we interview Emily Polak, senior vice president of partnerships and organizing at Vot-ER. Vot-ER is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to integrate civic engagement into healthcare. They develop tools and programs for every corner of the healthcare system — from private practitioners to medical schools to hospitals.

At Vot-ER, Emily works to help ensure health centers, associations, hospitals, health systems and academic partners have the resources and support they need to weave nonpartisan civic engagement materials into healthcare spaces. Prior to her time at Vot-ER, Emily spent over a decade at Community Catalyst advancing health advocacy work at the local, state and national levels. She holds a master of public policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Wesleyan University.  

In this episode, she shares how throughout her career, she’s always held a strong belief that people need access to high-quality, affordable, accessible and equitable healthcare.

“One of the most important ways to do that is by exercising different civic engagement and democratic opportunities, such as voting,” Emily said.

She said she was drawn to her current role after hearing the founder speak about its mission.

“This idea that voting is a social determinant of health — that voting is a political determinant of health — really spoke to me as an opportunity to make sure that everybody — folks who always vote, folks who have never even been registered to vote but are eligible — that they all can have a voice at every direct election, whether it’s local, state or federal,” she said.

In this episode, she also discusses:

  • How voting is a social determinant of health
  • Vot-ER’s mission and its origin story
  • Their Healthy Democracy campaign
  • Vot-ER’s civic health fellowship
  • Partnering with a variety of healthcare providers
  • The importance of voting in all elections
  • Ways to engage right now
  • What gives her hope

And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Emily is an innovative leader in healthcare.

Additional resources
Check your voter registration, find your polling location and more at https://vot-er.org/act/.

Also, access the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.  

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Podcast episode 60: Dr. Jamila Michener

Posted on by Nancy McCready

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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.

In episode 60, we interview Dr. Jamila Michener. She is a professor of government and public policy at Cornell University. She studies poverty, racism and public policy, with a particular focus on health and housing. She is author of “Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics” (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and “Uncivil Democracy: How Access to Justice Shapes Political Power” (Princeton University Press, 2026). She is co-editor of Politics in the American States: A Comparative Analysis (Sage Publications, 2024). She is the inaugural director of the Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures and senior associate dean for public engagement at the Brooks School of Public Policy. She also co-hosts and co-edits a podcast/multimodal online platform called Futures Forum.

She works closely with community-based organizations around the country to apply research insights to address urgent problems facing racially and economically marginalized communities. 

Prior to working at Cornell, she was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Scholar at the University of Michigan. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago and her undergraduate degree from Princeton University. 

In this episode, she shares how her childhood helped shape her future work in poverty, racism and public policy. She grew up in low-income Black and Brown communities in New York City. Her parents were immigrants who had low-wage working class jobs who worked hard to take care of their family. She grew up really attentive to the dynamics of inequality.

“In a city like New York City, which is where I grew up, you don’t have to look far to see people who live really differently than you do and to recognize that there are differences that seem somewhat arbitrary,” Jamila said. “You know, my parents worked really hard, but it didn’t seem like we had access to the same things that other people did. So I was always asking questions. I was always wondering why things were the way they were.”

As she progressed through college and different stages of adulthood, she homed in on a path that would allow her not only just ask questions about why things were the way they were, but also to answer those questions and to try and do something about them.

In this episode, she also discusses:

  • The importance of Medicaid to the health of people
  • Why she focuses her research on Medicaid
  • How interviewing people using Medicaid improved her understanding of the program
  • How states implement the Medicaid program differently and how that affects people’s lives
  • How health is connected to democracy
  • The growing trend of additional paperwork requirements for Medicaid participants
  • The important role the civil justice system plays
  • Her two novels, “Uncivil Democracy: How Access to Justice Shapes Political Power” and “Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics”
  • The justice gap and unequal access to legal representation
  • What gives her hope
  • What’s next for her work and research

And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Jamila is an innovative leader in healthcare.

Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.  

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Podcast episode 59: Clay Wirestone

Posted on by Nancy McCready

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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.

In episode 59, we interview Clay Wirestone, who returns to Pioneers in Health for the second time. Clay serves as the opinion editor at the Kansas Reflector, a non-profit news operation that is part of States Newsroom. The Kansas Reflector provides in-depth reporting, diverse opinions and daily coverage of state government and politics. It’s free to readers and other news outlets.

Clay’s work has appeared in more than 100 outlets in two dozen states. He has written columns and edited copy for newsrooms in Kansas, New Hampshire, Florida and Pennsylvania. He has also fact checked politicians, researched for Larry the Cable Guy, and appeared in PolitiFact, Mental Floss and cnn.com.

In this episode, Clay shares about his new book, “Opinionated.” Opinionated provides an eye-opening tour through the golden age of Kansas journalism and proves why local newspapers and incisive commentary are indispensable for an informed public. His book covers the 1920s through the 1970s.

However, he shares the history of opinion writing in Kansas that started even before then. He said during the Civil War, there was a lot of commentary about whether Kansas would be a slave state or free state. Hundreds of newspapers on various sides were voicing their opinion for or against slavery at the time.

“I think that created a really kind of fertile soil in Kansas, because essentially you had this tradition started that everyone was going to have their voice heard, and their voice was going to be loud and passionate,” he said.

He said part of what drew him to write this book was that many of the Kansas editors throughout history were well known, which isn’t the case in other states.

“That’s not true everywhere else. There is something different about Kansas,” he said.

Today, though, he serves as only one of two full-time opinion editors across the state.

“While I think you cannot overstate the importance of reporters — you cannot overstate the importance of news coverage — there is something really special about a local opinion voice,” he said. “And that is what I really emphasize in the book.”

In this episode, he also discusses:

  • Why there are far fewer full-time opinion editors today
  • His approach to writing the book
  • The history of The Iola Register, which has been run by five generations of family
  • William Allen White
  • Nick Chiles and the Topeka Plaindealer
  • Other prominent journalists at that time
  • His research approach for the less prominent writers in his book
  • The Harris Group of newspapers
  • The role of commentary

And much more! Listen now, and learn more about this new book covering innovative leaders in Kansas.

Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.  

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Podcast episode 58: Wendell Potter

Posted on by Nancy McCready

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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.

In episode 58, we interview Wendell Potter. He is a bestselling author and journalist whose work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and many other media outlets. Since leaving his 20-year career as an executive at two of the world’s largest healthcare corporations – Cigna and Humana – he has testified before Congress numerous times to explain how the health insurance industry really works. 

A former investigative reporter, Washington correspondent and corporate executive, Wendell delivers an insider’s perspective into those issues as editor-in-chief of his HEALTH CARE un-covered newsletter and through the nonprofit work he leads. He is the founder and president of the Center for Health and Democracy and leads the Lower Out-of-Pockets (LOOP) NOW coalition, which works with policymakers, employers and health benefits consultants to reduce the unsustainably high deductibles and other cost-sharing requirements that burden millions of American families. He also has helped produce four documentaries that delve into various aspects of the U.S. health care system.

In this episode, he shares how his career started in journalism and has now returned to journalism. He first was introduced to journalism in high school when he became a correspondent from his school to the local newspaper.

“I just fell in love with journalism,” he said.

After that, he went on to major in journalism at the University of Tennessee and became editor of the student newspaper. From there, he continued to work as a journalist after graduating, eventually working for Scripps Howard newspapers covering Washington, including Congress, the Supreme Court and White House.

His career later took another path, though, and led to him working for two of the world’s largest healthcare corporations. Now, however, he’s returning to his roots.

“I’ve kind of returned to journalism,” he said. “It’s something I’ve always loved to do, and it is one of the reasons why later in life, in my — in my corporate life — I decided that I had to leave that corporate job because of just how different it was from my job as a journalist.”

In this episode, he also discusses:

  • How his career transitioned to one in healthcare
  • His two decades of time spent as an executive in the health insurance industry
  • Healthcare reform and the influence of corporations on politics
  • Becoming a consumer advocate
  • How he became an advocate for universal health coverage
  • Money and politics
  • The Affordable Care Act and Medicare For All
  • Medicare Advantage plans
  • Negative impacts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or HR1
  • His Substack newsletter, HEALTH CARE un-covered
  • What gives him hope

And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Wendell is an innovative leader in health care.

Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.  

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EPSDT statewide assessment released

Posted on by Nancy McCready

The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit—known in Kansas as KanBeHealthy (KBH)—is a cornerstone of primary and preventive care for children enrolled in Medicaid. EPSDT provides comprehensive preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services and guarantees coverage of medically necessary services needed to correct or ameliorate physical, developmental, behavioral, and mental health conditions. Effective delivery of EPSDT is critical to ensure that children receive timely identification of health concerns and access to services necessary to support healthy development. 

Despite the importance of EPSDT, relatively little statewide information has been available regarding how consistently the benefit is delivered across Kansas or where challenges occur across the continuum of care. Existing administrative performance measures primarily assess receipt of preventive screenings but provide limited insight into provider knowledge and practices, referral processes, care coordination, or barriers encountered as children move from screening to medically necessary follow-up services. 

To address these gaps, the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, in partnership with the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, conducted a statewide assessment of EPSDT implementation. The assessment included a survey of 118 healthcare providers and organizations serving Medicaid-enrolled children across Kansas and interviews with representatives from all three Kansas Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). Together, these data provide insight into provider-reported implementation across the EPSDT continuum—from preventive screening through diagnostic assessment, referral, treatment, and ongoing care coordination—and the factors that may facilitate or hinder delivery. 

View findings from this assessment by viewing the full report or report brief below. Also, view slides that show where Kansas stands on primary care access and preventive care measures.

Full report

Kansas data

Podcast episode 57: Secretary Laura Howard

Posted on by Nancy McCready

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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.

In episode 57, we interview Secretary Laura Howard, who leads the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and Department for Children and Families.

Prior to being appointed as head of DCF and KDADS, her experience included more than 30 years of government and human service work. She previously worked as a special assistant, deputy secretary and chief of staff for the former Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. She also served as regional administrator for Region VII of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She also served as the director of the KU Public Management Center.

Secretary Howard holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Miami University and a law degree from the University of Kansas.

In this episode, Secretary Howard shares what initially sparked her interest in public service. When she was 9, her family moved to Washington, D.C., during the heart of the Watergate scandal. It intrigued her, and she would open the newspaper every day to read the latest news.

“It just kind of captured me,” she said. “… It got me to really think about, what does government do?”

She watched the hearings and the various public servants testifying, and it further sparked her interest in how government works. When she later went to college, she decided to pursue public administration.

In this episode, she also discusses:

  • Her experience with legislative research and the role it plays
  • What prompted her to work for Social Rehabilitation Services (SRS)
  • The privatization of the child welfare system
  • Accomplishments during her time at SRS
  • Her work at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 
  • Her experience at the University of Kansas’ Public Management Center
  • Taking on the secretary role over two state organizations
  • Tackling some significant challenges early on in her secretary role
  • Investments in mental health services and supports
  • Focusing on aging
  • Medicaid
  • Impacts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or HR1, especially to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
  • What gives her hope

And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Secretary Howard is an innovative leader in Kansas.

Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.  

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Podcast Episode 56: Anthony Wright

Posted on by Nancy McCready

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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.

In episode 56, we interview Anthony Wright, executive director at Families USA. Families USA is a national, non-partisan advocate for healthcare consumers. Its goal is to achieve high-quality, affordable healthcare and improved health for all.

In this episode, Anthony shares how he grew up in the Bronx in New York in one of the poorest congressional districts in the country and was uninsured for part of his childhood. In high school, he received a scholarship to attend a private school, which was one of the most expensive schools in the country. It was an eye-opening experience for him.

“That gave me a great education, as well as an education of some of the major inequities in our society,” he said. “And that led me to want to give back, but also to fight back.”

He wanted to find ways to empower the people he’d grown up with who had less opportunities with their health and other issues. He started as an organizer working on health care issues and ultimately pursued a path in consumer advocacy.

In this episode, he also discusses:

  • Families USA’s mission
  • Impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or HR1
  • Medicaid expansion
  • Why healthcare equity is critical
  • Healthcare affordability
  • What gives him hope

And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Anthony is an innovative leader in healthcare advocacy.

Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.  

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2025 Year in Review released

Posted on by Nancy McCready

2025 Year in Review

This past year has been defined by uncertainty, resilience and adaptability. Despite devastating cuts to critical programs that support our most vulnerable neighbors and significant federal funding reductions that have upended our nonprofit partners, we have continued to move forward — advancing our mission to improve the health and wholeness of all Kansans.

While there are new challenges ahead, celebrating progress is more important than ever. This past year, we reached the milestone of more than $80 million in grantmaking since our formation in 1986. During that time, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with hundreds of organizations to support their efforts in bettering the lives of fellow Kansans. That’s certainly something to celebrate.

We also head into 2026 celebrating our 40th anniversary as an organization. This year will be one of honoring our past, celebrating the present and looking to the future. We look forward to lifting up the incredible work we’ve achieved together with our partners throughout the past 40 years. 

And, while we’re focused on what’s ahead, it’s also important to reflect on the past year and what we’ve accomplished. 

In 2025, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund awarded 159 grants, secured $22.7 million in grant funding for Kansas, launched and released 25 podcast episodes and participated in and/or organized 22 educational webinars, trainings and presentations. We also surpassed $80 million in grants awarded since our inception in 1986.

Learn more about these efforts in our 2025 Year in Review.

View Full Year in Review

Podcast episode 55: Sharla Smith

Posted on by Nancy McCready

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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.

In episode 55, we interview Sharla Smith, Ph.D., MPH, who serves as an associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She is a health services and systems researcher whose primary research is maternal and infant health disparities, women cancer disparities, and community engagement. She is also the co-founder of Kansas Sisters and Brothers for Healthy Infants and the founder of the Kansas Birth Equity Network. 

In this episode, she shares how she originally intended to become an OB/GYN physician. However, after going to college, she decided on a different career path — one where she felt she could touch even more lives. She decided to pursue systems research.

“I was still able to come back to that passion of maternal and child health, but in a way that I was able to work directly with the community, as well as work with the physicians to really make a change on different levels,” she said.

She wanted to focus on community, healthcare and policy.

“That was my overall goal — was how do I change the world for every person, every mom, and every dad and every baby,” she said.

She ultimately pursued a doctorate degree in health systems and services research with a concentration in health economics.

In this episode, she discusses:

  • Disparities that exist for Black mothers and children of color
  • Advancing equity and addressing disparities
  • Building systems that support families
  • The importance of building a culturally competent workforce to improve health outcomes
  • Coordination of care
  • Reforms needed to provide better care
  • Why community engagement is important
  • Founding the Kansas Birth Equity Network and its mission
  • The importance of including fathers in the conversation
  • Women’s cancer disparities
  • What gives her hope

And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Sharla is an innovative leader in Kansas.

Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.  

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Maternal healthcare report released

Posted on by Nancy McCready

Ensuring that moms and babies have a healthy start to life shapes lifelong health; access to quality, culturally competent maternity care is critical to having that healthy start to life and a healthy life.  

Unfortunately, gaps in maternity care have led to uneven health outcomes in Kansas, which is why the Health Fund commissioned this newest study to better understand what efforts would best reduce gaps in care and improve overall access to care. 

The study, called the “Toward a Maternal and Perinatal Health Action Agenda for Kansas,” included a landscape assessment, interviews with key leaders, and meetings with diverse stakeholders to establish a shared vision and agenda. 

According to the report, Kansas faces significant and interrelated challenges in maternal and perinatal health, shaped by long-standing structural, policy, and system-level factors. Recent reports and strategic plans show declining overall health rankings, persistent racial and geographic inequities, workforce shortages, and widening gaps in access to maternity care —particularly in rural and underserved communities. 

The report outlined four key areas to focus on in order to improve access to maternal healthcare in Kansas. Those four key findings include:

1. Advance equity in maternal health outcomes.
Address disparities by race, geography, and income through expanded access to health coverage, stronger partnerships with trusted community-based providers, use of technology to extend care in rural areas, and attention to social and economic conditions that shape health. 

2. Build connected and accessible systems to support families.
Improve care coordination, regional collaboration, initiative alignment, and shared learning pathways to ensure access to appropriate levels of care.

3. Strengthen the maternal health workforce.
Expand and diversify the workforce, strengthen rural clinical readiness, enhance cultural competency, and expand access to perinatal support roles such as doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, and community health workers.

4. Finance reform to support sustainable maternal infant care.
Reform payment models to reflect the cost of providing safe obstetric services, particularly in rural settings, improve reimbursement, unbundle payments, and advance value-based models that support coordinated, high-quality care.

For more details and recommendations for each finding, view the report brief here or the full report here. They also can be accessed below.

Report brief

Full report

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