Archive for category: Podcast

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Larry Lester, CEO of NoirTech Research Inc. Lester is a sports researcher and historian, author and co-author of several books about the Negro Leagues baseball conference and players.

Eric Wesson, managing editor and publisher of The Call, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

In this episode, learn about Lester’s history, experiences in Kansas City, and his views on the importance of understanding Black history.

“We need to know our history, Black history, where you come from and our roots,” he says. Understanding the struggles of our ancestors can put your own challenges into perspective, and give strength for the ongoing struggles.

Lester also speaks in personal terms about the importance of mental health, especially for Black men, who, he says, often are taught not to cry or show vulnerability.

“As a Black man, I know it’s very difficult to admit you need help with mental health, therapy or medication. We tend to be very strong and resilient. We think we’re bulletproof, but we’re not,” he said. “That’s part of the weakness of the Black man.”

Lester notes that the feelings of anger at being marginalized and misunderstood are sometimes repressed and internalized, until they build up and reach a boiling point. Instead, he calls for Black men to reach out to each other to talk, to share honest feelings and vent those emotions.

Lester also talks about the need for financial literacy in the Black community, specifically education about generational wealth, managing credit and making investment decisions that can bring greater rewards over time. He shares personal experiences as part of a class-action discrimination lawsuit against Bank of America and explains how to build strong credit by paying off balances each month.

Lester was featured in the special edition of “Our Health Matters” — Black Men Speak: Health, Strength & Hope.

Lester’s discussion is available on video and audio podcast.

Hear the conversation here:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/6MeCKN1EpQs

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2P4N9czXRIKaZqMHBSBbQE

AnchorFM: https://anchor.fm/swopehealth/episodes/One-on-One-with-Larry-Lester-e1v1ahg

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Ardie Bland, Veterans Law and Municipal Court Judge for the 16^th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri – Kansas City Municipal Division. Judge Bland presided over Missouri’s first Veterans Treatment Court.

Eric Wesson, managing editor and publisher of The Call, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Judge Bland is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, who attended Lincoln Preparatory Academy, Truman State University and then Drake University Law School. After law school, he returned to Kansas City to practice law and serve as the law clerk for the Honorable Thomas H. Newton. He worked as a decision writer for the Office of Hearings and Appeals in the Social Security Administration.  While with the Social Security Administration, he became passionate and knowledgeable of the physical and mental health diagnoses and their impacts on an individual’s ability to function in society.

In 2015, he became presiding judge over the Kansas City, Missouri, Mental Health Court, where he was able to help individuals with mental illness connect with mental health service providers, obtain treatment, and stay medicated without being incarcerated in an attempt to reduce police interaction and harm to the individual or the community.  Judge Bland currently serves as a Veterans Law Judge for the Veterans Administration Board of Veterans Appeals.

In this conversation, Judge Bland describes his call and passion for serving the community, especially in the area of mental health. He talks about the need for more education and understanding about mental health and treatments and therapies, to remove stigma and fear.

He notes that Black men have an issue in being seen as vulnerable, which he says is arguably tied to the experience of slavery. In slavery, men who were seen as hurt or weak were devalued. Even now, there’s great pressure to raise Black boys to be tough – but he argues, being tough should include being able to face problems and seek help.

Judge Bland also speaks on the relative scarcity of Black men in professional mental health roles – medical doctors, therapists, counselors – calling for greater understanding and appreciation of the profession. He also talks about the need to help young Black men and boys “find their voice” and understand themselves.

With examples from his years on the bench in mental health court and truancy court, Judge Bland shares practical tips on helping young Black males and their families.

You can also read Judge Bland’s article in the recent special edition of Our Health Matters, titled Black Men Speak: Health, Strength and Hope. The edition is available for download: https://kcourhealthmatters.com/black-men-speak-health-strength-and-hope/

Listen to the podcast:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/HFnvT8aP9Xg

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1V7hrfo2KH87WWb5LM21ym

AnchorFM: https://anchor.fm/swopehealth/episodes/Swope-Health-One-on-One-with-Judge-Ardie-Bland-e1t4e5r

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, with host Eric Wesson interviewing Ruth Ramsey, publisher of Our Health Matters™, a monthly health publication focused on Kansas City.

Ruth is an entrepreneur, founding her business Ramsey & Associates Design in 1989. She launched the print and digital magazine in 2005, as she became increasingly aware of the sharp health disparities facing African Americans and other minorities. There is strong evidence showing how hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancer and other diseases are much more prevalent among Blacks. Ruth determined she could help the community by offering information on how to take care of themselves and get preventive screenings.

Our Health Matters appears five times a year and is distributed free at 100-plus locations throughout the Kansas City metro area and via mail subscriptions.

In this interview, Ruth describes her Kansas City roots and upbringing, and her journey that led to launching Our Health Matters as a way to bring beneficial impact to the community. With the special issue “Black Men Speak,” members of the community offer personal stories of strength, health and hope.

The issue offers frank tales of racism, prejudice and discrimination, lack of access to employment, housing and employment, and those traumatic impacts on health. As an example, Ruth describes an interview with a 16-year-old young man. When asked how he is perceived by society, he said without a moment’s pause, “They think we’re criminals.”

What can we do better for black men and boys? That’s the reason for the special issue. Authors bring expertise from fields of economic development, health, education, housing, employment, social justice, public safety and government. The magazine serves as a resource to the community, providing guidance, inspiration and references for driving positive change.

This issue takes a step to broaden the perception of black men in the community. “We need to look at and support our community of black men and boys,” Ruth says.

LISTEN NOW:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/MwMYkEtEhoM

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1V7hrfo2KH87WWb5LM21ym

AnchorFM: https://anchor.fm/swopehealth/episodes/Swope-Health-One-on-One-with-Ruth-Ramsey-e1qk0uc

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Qiana Thomason, President and CEO of Health Forward Foundation.

Eric Wesson, managing editor and publisher of The Call, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Health Forward Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to fund initiatives that “support and build inclusive, powerful, and health communities characterized by racial equity and economically just systems.”

Qiana joined Health Forward as president/CEO in 2020. She previously served as vice president of community health and health equity at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC). Prior to her tenure at Blue KC, Thomason spent eight years at Swope Health as the director of clinical operations for behavioral health and program manager of the multi-municipality Mental Health Court. She also served as deputy director and health and human services liaison for United States Senator Jean Carnahan.

In this discussion, Qiana discusses how her family molded her and “planted a seed” in her for community activism and advocacy.

Qiana says she is most troubled by health injustices in the community – she doesn’t like the term “health disparities” because it sounds so non-humanistic and injustice is the more fitting description. Injustices speak to policies and how decisions at the ballot box shape our experience, including access to quality jobs, schools, broadband internet. These shape health outcomes almost more than the foods we eat, she says.

She emphasizes the importance of thinking more broadly about health, encompassing housing, social conditions and voting. On the importance of voting, she recalls a long wait for the Missouri legislature to take action on Medicaid expansion and ultimately, how the issue was forced by the will of voters who approved the Medicaid expansion because they wanted greater access to healthcare.

Beyond Medicaid expansion and ensuring all who are eligible are signed up, she focuses on public health issues. She notes that public health offices have been stripped of their authority and are not adequately funded to manage health issues like COVID or the current syphilis outbreak in Kansas City. She raises concern that Missouri and Kansas are ranked 50^th and 49^th respectively in per capital funding on public health – making our communities the least prepared to respond to issues.

Health is about our community conditions, beyond our health behaviors like foods we eat and how physically active we are. Housing, education, employment, civic engagement are all important factors Health Forward Foundation addresses.

Listen to the conversation:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/qd9n9_Z2s0g

Anchor: https://anchor.fm/swopehealth/episodes/One-on-One-with-Qiana-Thomason-e1orese

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1V7hrfo2KH87WWb5LM21ym

Swope Health has released a new episode in the podcast “One on One with Swope Health,” featuring host Eric Wesson in conversation with James Nunnelly.

James Nunnelly, also known as Grand Dad, infuses his passion for healthcare into every facet of community engagement.

Nunnelly is well known in the Kansas City community for his health care advocacy, youth outreach and mentoring. He is a retired health care executive, the founder and administrator of Jackson County COMBAT, a progressive anti-drug program that emphasized treatment over prison terms for drug use. For years, he was known as the host of Generation Rap, a Saturday morning youth program. Nunnelly is an activist, spreading information on diabetes and healthy living, and an inspiration to generations in Kansas City.

In this discussion, learn about

• The Monday Nighters, a men’s club celebrating 52 years of regular gathering on each Monday night during football seasons.
• The central role of healthcare as an economic base in the community.
• Considering food as medicine, and other ways to embrace healthy living (including using decades-old clothing as an indicator of weight management).

Listen now:

Or find Swope Health’s One-on-One podcast at these platforms:

Spotify — https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/NKvnYn8jBsb

Google Podcasts — https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9hYTdkZjI4MC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_HvoMx0uic

Anchor FM — https://anchor.fm/swopehealth