{"id":6564,"date":"2024-09-26T08:48:35","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T14:48:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/?p=6564"},"modified":"2024-09-26T09:26:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T15:26:53","slug":"pih-chk-sek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/pih-chk-sek\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast Episode 8: Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to the Pioneers in Health<\/a> podcast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders working to improve health. We bring you guests from our state, from our nation and from your backyard to tell their stories of how they broke new ground and changed the landscape of health care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In episode eight, we interview Krista Postai and Jason Wesco, of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas<\/a> (CHK\/SEK) based in Pittsburg, Kansas. Krista serves as CEO, and Jason serves as President and Chief Strategy Officer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These two innovative leaders have worked to improve the health of individuals and communities in southeast Kansas for more than 20 years. Their work has not only addressed primary, behavioral and oral health care, but it’s also addressed the social factors that make a greater impact on health than what happens in the doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this episode, they discuss how they evolved from providing services out of a trailer to now serving more than 80,000 patients this year and employing more than 1,000 with multiple sites in multiple states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the last five years, they said much growth has been from preserving access to health care where other health systems have left rural communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We believe rural communities matter, and that means you step up and do some hard things when you need to,” Jason said. “And we believe we can improve health in our part of the world.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also discuss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n