In this episode, we hear from Krista Postai and Jason Wesco with Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK) - two very innovative health leaders who have worked to improve the health of individuals and communities in southeast Kansas over the last two-plus decades and have done amazing work not only in primary, behavioral, and oral health care but also in addressing the social factors that have far greater impact on health than what happens in the doctor’s office.

CEO Krista Postai has worked in health care for nearly 45 years, graduating with a journalism degree but soon engaging her passion for improving health. Krista started with a role at the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians in Kansas City then returned to her home community of Pittsburg, where she worked at the local hospital for 23 years before starting CHC/SEK – originally as a hospital department then becoming a Federally-Qualified Health Center to build sustainability. Krista has led CHC/SEK for 21 years through challenges and rapid growth, always with a consistent focus on providing high-quality care that is people-focused and mission-driven.

Jason Wesco, originally from a small town in Indiana, moved to Kansas in the late 90s with a Master’s degree in American Studies but also with a passion to be actively involved in improving the health of communities. In 2003 he got his start in health care serving as director of the Douglas County Dental Clinic, a Medicaid and uninsured clinic in Lawrence, before working for our state Primary Care Association - where he met Krista, who convinced him to move to southeast Kansas and join the CHC/SEK staff in 2006 as COO. Jason now serves as President and Chief Strategy Officer and has likewise played a large role in CHC/SEK’s growth and success.

Brock Slabach is the COO of the National Rural Health Association and is an expert on rural health, health system delivery and payment reform, and improving access to health care.

Prior to joining NRHA in 2008, Brock served as a rural hospital administrator for more than 21 years and has served on the NRHA board and the regional policy board of the American Hospital Association.

Brock specializes in rural health system development that encompasses population health and the varied payment programs moving rural providers into value-based purchasing models. Slabach is a member of the National Quality Forum’s Measures Application Partnership (MAP) Hospital and Rural Health Workgroup and serves on the board of the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC).

Brock is also the 2015 recipient of the National Rural Health Resource Center’s Calico Quality Leadership Award, and received the American Society of Healthcare Pharmacists (ASHP) Board of Directors’ Award of Honor for 2018.

Benjamin Anderson is the President and CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, where he is responsible for the management, direction, and coordination of all operations and related activities in pursuit of organizational goals and objectives.

During the four years prior to joining HRHS, Benjamin served as Vice President for Rural Health and Hospitals at the Colorado Hospital Association, where he provided leadership and direction in the development and execution of the Association’s rural strategies, advocated on behalf of rural hospitals and health systems and developed strategic partnerships with organizations that affected the health of rural Coloradans.

Before his move to Colorado, Benjamin served as CEO of Kearny County Hospital, a comprehensive rural health care delivery complex in Lakin, Kan. that serves patients of 30 nationalities within a 180-mile radius. During his six and a half years there, he led the organization through a period of rapid growth, expanding access to coordinated primary care and specialty services.

Anderson is a recognized leader in transforming rural health care through a mission-driven approach to recruiting physicians to underserved areas, tying together domestic and international service. His work has been recognized on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and in POLITICO and Sports Illustrated. Anderson was named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s Rising Star list of health care leaders under 40 and one of Modern Healthcare’s 2014 Up and Comers.

Benjamin has earned a reputation as an innovative rural hospital CEO for his work in improving hospital care, implementing highly effective provider recruitment efforts, and building recognition of the importance of partnering with community organizations to improve health.

Lindsay Ford is the Executive Director at The Voter Network, a Kansas-based nonprofit organization aiming to increase participation in the electoral process as a strategy to improve health outcomes. Prior to serving at The Voter Network Lindsay worked for the Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas where she oversaw policy and project management. She previously held roles in corporate community relations and with a number of political campaigns - at the local, state, and federal levels - including serving as Congressman Dennis Moore’s Campaign Manager for his final, successful re-election bid in 2008. Lindsay believes that an empowered electorate creates responsive, transparent and inclusive governments and will likely ask you if you’re registered to vote, if she hasn’t already.

April Holman is the Executive Director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas. The Alliance was formed in 2016 to educate Kansas policy leaders and citizens about the health and economic benefits of expanding KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program for low-income children and adults. April has spent the past two decades working to improve public policy in Kansas. She started her career as an analyst for the Kansas Legislative Research Department; spent 11 years in a variety of advocacy roles at Kansas Action for Children, a children’s advocacy group in Topeka; and most recently served as executive director for the Kansas Adult Care Executives Association, a professional association for nursing home administrators and assisted living operators. April is a licensed attorney and holds degrees from Washburn University School of Law and Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas.

With a mission to shape health, education, and economic policy that will improve the lives of Kansas children and families, Kansas Action for Children works across the political spectrum through bipartisan advocacy, partnership, and information-sharing on key issues. KAC works with policymakers, local organizations, and fellow advocates to inform sound policy, foster collaboration, and promote and equitable tax system. John Wilson joined Kansas Action for Children in 2017 and serves as President & CEO, working closely with the Board of Directors to set long range goals, strategies, plans, and policies that allow the organization to fulfill its mission. John serves on the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund and has been a member of the Governor’s Council on Education, Tax Council, and Census Complete Count Committee. As a former Kansas State Representative, John has a unique understanding of the legislative process and the people who shape policy in the Statehouse. John’s education and experience in design guides the way he approaches policy change — focusing on making ideas clear, relatable, actionable, and focused on people.

Adam Barlow-Thompson began his career as a local pastor in a suburban setting. In this role, he experimented with social entrepreneurship and community building and uncovered a call to express these values outside traditional church structures in a neighborhood setting. In 2015 Adam co-founded The Neighboring Movement with his wife, Ashley, and their neighbors. Together they connect neighbors in the SoCe (So-See) Neighborhood of Wichita, Kansas, and train others in Asset Based Community Development. The Neighboring Movement has grown to a national network of community builders, including faith-based and in non-religious contexts. In addition to his role as Executive Director at The Neighboring Movement, Adam continues to work bi-vocationally as a trainer, speaker, and consultant focusing on communication and healthy conflict. He has co-authored several resources, tools, and workshops, which all work to understand and connect the power of people within community. In his free time, Adam enjoys sitting on his front porch with his son Prescott, his wife Ashley, and his banjo.

Lisse Regehr is the President and CEO of Thrive Allen County, a nonprofit organization that works to improve quality of life and economic conditions in Allen County, Kansas. Thrive Allen County is a countywide organization that has been instrumental in the development of more than 60 miles of new trails and routes within the past decade; lowering the uninsured rate in Allen County from 21% in 2013 to 9% in 2018; the implementation of public and safety-net transportation for Allen County residents; the creation of a free, rural bike-share program replicated throughout the nation; and overseeing the statewide Kansas CARES program that assists uninsured residents throughout Kansas apply for affordable health insurance. During Regehr's leadership, Thrive has served as the administrator for Allen County’s SPARK and ARPA funds, as well as the administrator for the Community Development Block Grants for several communities throughout southeast Kansas. In addition, Regehr co-created Thrive Kansas, which exists to build capacity in rural Kansas communities to better quality of life and bring about rural revitalization efforts.

Before becoming President and CEO of Thrive Allen County, Regehr oversaw many different departments at Thrive, including communications and the care coordination program. Regehr coordinated all local communication following Allen County’s successful pursuit of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize. In addition, she has worked as part of the economic development team at Thrive since 2015, successfully recruiting Peerless Products into Iola in 2020, assisting in the recruitment and development of G&W Foods and Eastgate Lofts in 2017, and overseeing the recruitment of Green Cover Seed into Iola in 2019. Prior to returning to her hometown of Iola, Regehr worked for nine years with the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries Foundation in St. Paul, MN where she was a Planned Giving Officer and Social Networker. Regehr grew the Foundation’s planned giving society by 35%, and as the social networker, was responsible for all online communications for the Foundation.