Ep. 41: Chase Blasi serves as a Kansas senator and the Senate majority leader. He is a fifth-generation Kansan who grew up in West Sedgwick County. He represents Senate District 26 in the Kansas Legislature.

He is entering his fourth year of service as a senator and his second year as senate majority leader. He became the youngest person to serve in either position.

In this episode, he discusses his journey into politics and how being a young senator has brought a new perspective to the Senate. He also discusses his focus on child health issues for this session.

Listen now, and learn how Senator Blasi is an innovative leader in Kansas.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/

RERUN - Pioneers in Health Episode 16, January 23, 2025 – Courtney Younglove, MD, FOMA, FACOG, DABOM

Dr. Younglove understands the battle with obesity. She began her struggles with excess weight in adolescence. Prior to getting her degree in Obesity Medicine, she gained and lost the same forty pounds at least twenty times. She is also a busy single mother of three boys and understands how tempting it is to forego healthy foods in order to get something on the table between school, work, and obligations. She brings her own personal life experience into the exam room along with her medical knowledge. Dr. Younglove has a passion for living a healthy life and believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a life of wellness: physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Dr. Younglove is board-certified in both Obesity Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology. She recently earned her fellowship in the Obesity Medicine Association – a designation earned by only 70 people so far. She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Kansas in 1997 and her Doctor of Medicine from The University of Kansas School of Medicine four years later. She has practiced medicine in the greater Kansas City area for over 18 years and has practiced Obesity Medicine since 2015. During the course of her career, Dr. Younglove has received many awards, including being named one of the “Best Doctors in America” for five years, as featured in the Kansas City Business Journal.

Ep. 39: Janet Stanek is the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), appointed by Governor Laura Kelly. KDHE has three divisions, including Health, Environment, and Health Care Finance, which includes the Medicaid program (KanCare) and the State Employee Health Benefits Plan, where Stanek previously served as the Director.

Stanek holds a graduate certificate in population health from Thomas Jefferson University, an MBA from Alfred University (NY) and a Bachelor of Science degree in health information management from the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, Utica, New York. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, and is a Registered Health Information Administrator.

Prior to her role with the State Employee Health Benefits Plan, Stanek spent more than 35 years in various health care leadership positions in Pennsylvania, western New York and Kansas, including 21 years of her career at Stormont Vail Health Topeka where she last served as chief operating officer and senior vice president. While with Stormont Vail, she oversaw a wide array of clinical and non-clinical functions and departments, as well as the strategic selection and rollout of a sophisticated electronic health record system across the region. Her most recent work involved focusing on population health, accountable care organization development and the transition to value-based care delivery.

Listen now, and learn how Secretary Stanek is an innovative leader in health care.

For more about the Health Fund: https://healthfund.org/