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 42, we interview Kari Bruffett, president and CEO of Kansas Health Institute.
Kari, who grew up in western Kansas, began her career as a journalist for a small community newspaper in Paola, Kansas. There, she covered health care and government issues as part of her beat, which included localizing national health policy debate and covering an area hospital looking to expand into her county.
She also was able to interview U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum during that time, who shortly after had a position open up in her office. Kari was hired for the position, which further introduced her to health care policy.
She shared about her experience going from covering local health policy to working on national health policies. She worked for both Kassebaum and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran during her time in Washington, D.C.
“When I think about the kind of work that I’ve done, it really ties back to my strong belief that I really want folks to be able to live where they want to live, and where they live not to define their outcomes,” she said. “We know that’s such a real challenge in health care, but I didn’t know that that was going to be the sort of thing that was a motivating force for me when I first was starting out.”
Those experiences laid the foundation for a long career in health care and policy work.
In this episode, she also discusses:
- Her career journey and the types of health policy she helped with along the way
- Public health programs, including Medicaid
- Behavioral health care
- The Kansas Health Institute’s mission and work
- How policy impacts health and vice versa
- Opportunities that exist with rural health
- Workforce development efforts
- Policies they’re monitoring for this legislative session
- Reimagining the health care system
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Kari is an innovative leader in health care.
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