Skip to main content
One on One with Swope Health

One on One with Swope Health

By Swope Health

A series of conversations sponsored by Swope Health, the voice of community health and leading provider of quality accessible healthcare in Kansas City, addressing issues of health equity and justice. The discussions provide educational information and context on current events to empower change.
Available on
Google Podcasts Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

One on One with Qiana Thomason

One on One with Swope Health Oct 05, 2022

00:00
22:27
One on One with Swope Health: H. David Whalen

One on One with Swope Health: H. David Whalen

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring H. David Whalen, a financial advisor with Equity Wealth Partners.

Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Whalen has been a trusted financial adviser in Kansas City for more 15 years. He says his mission is to develop positive long-term relationships with clients, to help them pursue their personal and financial goals. At heart, he is an educator, guiding people on understanding and managing money.

He is a mentor to boys, working through a group he founded called Bow Ties and Ties. He also frequently conducts financial literacy classes in the community. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of Swope Health.

In this conversation, he discusses why financial education is so important.

Feb 13, 202434:15
One on One with Swope Health: Rev. Dr. Wallace Hartsfield II

One on One with Swope Health: Rev. Dr. Wallace Hartsfield II

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring the Rev. Dr. Wallace S. Hartsfield II, pastor of the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Kansas City.

Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Rev. Hartsfield talks with Eric about his upbringing, education, and experiences that led up to his current position, following in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Wallace Hartsfield Sr., a spiritual and civil rights leader who worked with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, and other national leaders.

In this discussion, Rev. Hartsfield describes his approach to understanding and reducing violence in the Kansas City community. He noted the violence has a lot to do with poverty, racism, and uneven development.

“I believe one solution to this is to pray,” he said, adding that he understands some will suggest this is naïve, that prayer won’t change anything. But, he added, he’s talking about a different way of praying: “To pray is to change.”

Dec 28, 202329:12
One on One with Swope Health: Darrell Curls

One on One with Swope Health: Darrell Curls

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Darrell Curls, Kansas City City Council member.

Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Curls was elected in June 2023 to represent Kansas City’s 5th Council District-at-large. He previously served on the Hickman Mills School Board for nine years and on several city commissions and boards. He is a native of south Kansas City, the Hickman Mills area, and a graduate of Longview Community College, Park College and Central Michigan University.

In this discussion, the councilman reflects on his first nine weeks in the new role. “They throw a lot at you all at once,” he said. “It’s everything I thought it would be and more.”

He identified his top priorities as economic growth for the urban core, specifically the third and fifth districts, and addressing crime. He said he believes spurring economic growth and development can help deter crime.

Tied to economic development is health, including access to fresh fruits and vegetables in local groceries. Noting that the fresh groceries are lacking in the third and fifth district, he advocates for healthy foods and educating youth about health foods and nutrition.

He said he believes the KC economy is on an upward trajectory. From his vantage point on the finance, governance, and public safety committees, he sees opportunity to help drive positive investment in the city to target trash clean-up, infrastructure in the urban core and affordable housing. He said he and his counterparts in the third district have shared goals.  

He also sees positive collaboration among the new city council members and the mayor, all operating with a holistic view of the city. “We realize we can get more done by working together,” he said.

Oct 30, 202332:39
One on One with Swope Health: Erik Dickinson, Urban Ranger Corps

One on One with Swope Health: Erik Dickinson, Urban Ranger Corps

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Erik Dickinson, president, Urban Ranger Corps.

Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Urban Rangers is a non-profit dedicated to mentoring young men from the urban core, helping them develop individual talents, skills, and abilities, while growing successfully from boyhood to manhood. The program provides paid jobs as well as training for the young men, with a focus on personal responsibility, respectful work, effective interactions and making a difference through community service.

Erik, a native of Wyandotte County, discusses his 30 years of non-profit work with urban youth, from the Boy Scouts of America to YMCA to Urban Rangers. He describes how he came to this work, which he now calls “the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had.”

Erik sees himself in the young me he engages with, and that connection undoubtedly helps him in giving guidance, especially to young men from single-parent households who may not have male support.

He sees violence and anger as the major issues facing the young men he works with.

“We try to teach conflict resolution. You can de-escalate anything. You don’t have to go to violence, it doesn’t have to become a violent encounter,” he said. “You can really talk your way out of most things if you’re willing to talk and just be decent.”

The violence is prevalent in society – in video games, movies, and TV programs that regularly show guns and brutality as common in daily life. Erik also cites easy access to guns, lack of male mentorship, breakdown of neighborhoods, and loss of neighborhood schools as “a gumbo” of factors that contribute to the rise of violence.

The Urban Rangers program helps the young men build a plan for their future, whether that involves college, learning a trade or career, or being a better husband and father. Erik wants his young men to be prepared for life outside of high school, and equipped to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Listen to the full conversation here.

Sep 21, 202328:50
One on One with Swope Health: Melissa Patterson Hazley

One on One with Swope Health: Melissa Patterson Hazley

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Patterson Hazley. Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing. Councilwoman Hazley, representing the city’s Third District at large, was elected in June. She shares that she is a Kansas City native and graduate of Kansas City Public Schools who had a longtime interest in politics, policy, and history. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history/political science and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. In addition to her career experience, she has served on several boards before running for office. In this conversation, she discusses her top priorities and key areas of focus.

Aug 25, 202330:37
One on One with Swope Health: Marquita Taylor

One on One with Swope Health: Marquita Taylor

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Marquita Taylor, president of the Santa Fe Area Council.

Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

In this conversation, Eric and Marquita discuss the Santa Fe neighborhood, which is roughly bounded by 27th Street on the north, Linwood Boulevard on the south, Prospect Avenue on the west and Indiana Avenue on the east. The neighborhood covers approximately 160 acres and is listed on the Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places.

The neighborhood, as Marquita relates, is the site of the homes of Buck O’Neil, the Rev. Wallace Hartsfield, and Satchel Paige.

The neighborhood today is focused on rebuilding and renovating its historic mansions, led by the Santa Fe Area Council. Meetings regularly draw 50 people or more, she said, always looking for what’s next for the neighborhood. Although the neighborhood had its share of the rising crime – 10 murders in 2022 – Marquita cites progress in 2023: funds from the city and Community Capital Fund for home repairs and renovations, tax abatements, city-supported cleanups and a new community art exhibit.

“Neighbors are the reason we’ve been so successful,” Marquita said.

Marquita also noted the plans for the Satchel Paige home, 2626 E. 28th St., to be converted into a museum, with event space and kitchen, community space, and small business offices. The restoration and redevelopment of the family home is the subject of a $7 million campaign, just getting underway.

Marquita said the museum can help everyone treasure and understand the importance of Satchel Paige, who she called “the best pitcher of all times.”

The neighborhood is also a focal point for the KC 360 initiative, a crime reduction and community revitalization program of KC Common Good. Marquita is optimistic about the work, which has brought support to the neighborhood from associations including the Urban Rangers, Aim4Peace and Rockhurst Uncornered.

As evidence of the neighborhood’s progress, Marquita issued an open invitation:
5-7 pm Saturday, Aug. 12, at 2801 Benton Blvd., for the Santa Fe neighborhood’s first art opening. The free event features music, food trucks, and activities for kids.

“Come and be a part of what’s happening,” she said. “Let’s love on Santa Fe.”  

Aug 10, 202329:10
One on One with Swope Health: Jenay Reliford and Mickey Dean

One on One with Swope Health: Jenay Reliford and Mickey Dean

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Janay Reliford and Mickey Dean of the KC Reparations Coalition.

Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

In this conversation, Eric invites his guests to explain the role of the KC Reparations Coalition and the Mayor's newly formed reparations commission. The Coalition helped document the information that led to the city ordinance which authorized the commission.

Janay Reliford, chair of the Coalition, speaks to the Coalition's focus on healthcare, housing, education, business and economic equity, and criminal justice.

Mickey Dean, speaking as a member of the Coalition and an advisor to the commission, brings extensive ties to the reparations movement across the nation. At the first meeting of the commission, Dean delivered an extensive presentation on the reparations movement, including a series of examples from history from 1619 to the present.

Reparations comes from the word "repair." The goal of reparations is repair the damage of segregation and inequality.

The benefit of reparations can uplift the entire community. Learn more in this conversation.

Jul 18, 202327:19
One on One with Swope Health: Chris Goode

One on One with Swope Health: Chris Goode

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Chris Goode, founder and CEO of Ruby Jean’s Juicery, 3000 Troost Ave., and other locations in the Kansas City metro area.

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 conversation, Eric and Chris discuss healthy eating, and Chris relays the origin story of Ruby Jean’s – named for his beloved grandmother who died at age 61.

Chris said his grandmother didn’t trust doctors or the health care system and as a result, died of Type II diabetes, a preventable and manageable condition. When Chris discovered juice cleansing as a transformative healthcare tactic, he became a healthcare advocate and educator. The juice bar, launched in 2015, is in honor of his grandmother.

He served as a member of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation board of commissioners and was responsible for leading the charge to rename the J.C. Nichols Boulevard on the Country Club Plaza. The campaign succeeded in removing Nichols’ name from both the street and the fountain on the Plaza.

Chris discusses his earliest forms of community engagement and civic action, starting out volunteering on Janice Ellis’ campaign for mayor, supporting the Gillis Home, bringing LeBron James to Kansas City for fundraising. He describes an “insatiable appetite” to pour himself into the city.

His current initiative is the renaming of Troost Avenue to Truth Avenue. The street is named for Dr. Benoist Troost, the first resident physician of Kansas City and the builder of the city’s first hotel. He also was a slaveowner who owned six people. The 11-mile avenue also has become synonymous with the dividing line of Kansas City, from the city's legacy of redlining.

“Truth pushes us forward,” he said. “There’s only one truth. Truth is universal, not divisive.” He argues that the name change will flip the narrative about the dividing line and serve instead to unite people.

Learn more about Chris Goode and his passion for driving positive change in this conversation.

Jun 08, 202329:50
One on One with Swope Health: Deborah Mann

One on One with Swope Health: Deborah Mann

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Deborah Mann, executive director of the Emmanuel Family and Child Development Center, 4736 Prospect Ave., Kansas City.

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 conversation, Wesson and Deborah discuss her background and the story of the Emmanuel Center. She describes the range of services offered at the Center, which is home to a Swope Health KidsCARE clinic, and hints at her plans for the future.

In the course of the discussion, Deborah describes a tale of perseverance and resilience, and shows herself as a role model for driving positive change for children and families in Kansas City’s East Side communities.

Deborah describes how her mother cared for children in the family home, and how she too came to see childcare as her calling, understanding that quality childcare can impact the entire family. Over the 30-plus years of her career, she has built the Emmanuel Center from a daycare to a one-stop shop for family support. With the Swope Health KidsCARE clinic, the center provides pediatric, dental and behavioral healthcare plus related social support services.

She intends to expand the Emmanuel campus with a much-needed parking lot and then add a science and technology-focused facility for school-age kids as well as a job-readiness center for high school and adult family.

In this conversation, learn more about Deborah’s vision for Emmanuel Center and her drive to bring affordable housing into the area.

May 22, 202328:03
One on One with Swope Health: Rev. Darren Edwards

One on One with Swope Health: Rev. Darren Edwards

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring the Rev. Darren Edwards, lead pastor of United Believers Church in Kansas City.

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 conversation, Wesson and the pastor, a community activist, discuss the city’s homicide rate and efforts to build stronger relations between the community and the Kansas City Police Department, among other topics.

Rev. Edwards is a native of Waxahachie, Texas. He has served on the adjunct faculty at Saint Paul School of Theology and led bible study groups for the Kansas City Chiefs. He has served on the board of trustees for Lifeway Christian Resources and for Word & Way magazine.

In 2020, Rev. Edwards founded an initiative called “Getting to the Heart of the Matter” to prevent violent crime by engaging the faith community to build a bridge between the community and the Kansas City Police Department.

In this conversation, Rev. Edwards says the initiative did not get to the heart of the matter, noting that will take “major surgery.” He describes his effort as one of stepping from the river into the ocean, and then getting bitten by sharks. But, he added, he now feels wiser and has learned from his experience.

He calls for leadership to invite courageous people to the table, people who live in the areas debilitated by crime. The people who live in the community know the issues and the solutions but lack the resources to address the issues.

Agitators in the streets and negotiators in leadership may not be operating from the same agenda, but desire the same things: a safe community, healthy children, jobs and equitable resources. He explains why he wants aligned leadership of the Mayor, the Police Chief and the Prosecutor – and he says he believes they can be aligned in common goals.

Rev. Edwards also talks bluntly about systemic oppression that lies at the root of the problems. He offers suggestions for bolstering relationships between the police and the community, and for addressing the issues of affordable housing. He calls on leadership to engage the community for answers.

He notes: “Even a doctor asks ‘Where do you hurt?’ That’s the problem – you’ve got people trying to tell me where I hurt.”

 

Listen to the full conversation:

May 04, 202327:02
One on One with Swope Health: Raina Parks-Shaw

One on One with Swope Health: Raina Parks-Shaw

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Kansas City Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, representing the city’s Fifth District.

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 conversation, Wesson and the councilwoman discuss the city’s new $30 million allocation to address crime prevention over the next five years.

Councilwoman Parks-Shaw began serving her first term in August 2019. She has lived in the 5th district with her family for over 22 years.

 

In this conversation, she reviews her history and education, and her experience as an “Avon lady” and small-business owner. She describes the Avon business as preparation for her city council work – getting her ready for knocking on doors and talking and listening to people.

She describes her reasons for running for office: to make a difference across the community, especially in violence prevention. She is an advocate for the KC 360 program to bring the community together – all walks – to address violence.  She also serves on the finance committee for Kansas City, and spearheaded the drive to allocate funding to invest in neighborhoods, youth, and crime prevention.

Parks-Shaw wants to see special attention to youth programs. The program will open May 1 with requests for proposals, a review process, and then distribution via the City’s Public Health Department.

She describes her Municipal Academy proposal, a kind of boot camp to provide internships for youth to introduce them to careers within the city. She envisions it growing into a year-round program.

Parks-Shaw has also been deeply involved in the city’s housing issues. She describes a program – Zero KC – to prevent homelessness and improve housing and job opportunities. The goal is zero functional homelessness, defined when no more people enter homelessness than leave it, a steady state. The discussion encompasses homeless camps, re-entry of formerly incarcerated persons, and the reluctance of some homeless people to seek shelter.

Parks-Shaw draws upon prior experience in hospice care and Point-in-Time counts to inform her work. She intends to continue her work listening to the community and implementing community-based solutions to preventing violence and homelessness.

In City Council, she serves on the  Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee, and the Special Committee on Housing Policy. She also serves as the Vice Chair of the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Commission, Co- Chair of the Health Commission and Chair of the Mayor’s Houseless Task Force. She also serves as a member of the Kansas City Zoo Board of Directors and the Starlight Board of Directors.

She is a long-time healthcare executive. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Missouri State University and a Master of Science degree from Southwest Baptist University.

Parks-Shaw is an alumni of Ruskin High School in the Hickman Mills School District. Motivated by her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Links, Inc., she has a deep passion for community service and improving access to healthcare and healthy lifestyles. She has attended St. James United Methodist Church, also in the 5th district, for over 35 years.

Apr 14, 202327:41
One on One with Swope Health: Melesa Johnson

One on One with Swope Health: Melesa Johnson

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Melesa Johnson, Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of Mayor Quinton Lucas. Johnson also serves as the Mayor’s director of public safety.

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 conversation, Wesson and Johnson address violent crime as a public health crisis.

Johnson is a native of Kansas City, and was a student of the Hickman Mills School District, then at Bishop Miege High School, before attending Columbia University in New York City.

Johnson, a lawyer, has worked in the law offices of Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris LLC and Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice, and was a federal judicial clerk in the chamber of the U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie Epps Jr. She also was an assistant prosecutor in the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

She received her law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. She also has a bachelor’s degree in political science, African-American studies and music history from Columbia University.

Working in crime prevention is challenging, she notes, adding that she genuinely believes there can be positive change. It will require collaboration across the leadership of the city, the police department and the prosecutor’s office, using evidence-based strategies. Johnson said she appreciates the openness of Chief Stacey Graves and her willingness to engage with the community and neighborhoods, as well as the prosecutor’s office and the city. “A welcome change,” she said.

Johnson notes the clearance rates for criminal case files have been improving, based on the improving relationships between the police and prosecutors.

Johnson focuses on collaboration in her role leading Partners for Peace, a program to reach family members touched by violent crime and provide support, with a goal of preventing further crime. The initiative requires collaboration of the city, the prosecutor’s office and more than a dozen community social service providers. She also notes the impact of KC 360, a crime prevention program modeled on a similar program in Omaha, also driven by collaboration between the community, police, justice systems and social service agencies.

She describes new steps in addressing violence prevention, including one starting with prisoners before release from Department of Corrections, to help build a foundation of support for their re-entry. A second initiative works with the Gang Intelligence Unit, identify those close to the crimes, and providing support for ways to change their lives.

She is an enthusiastic supporter of the city’s $30 million funding for crime prevention, which she calls an historic piece of legislation. She explains mechanisms in place to drive a different result with this funding, including the involvement of Dr. Marvia Jones of the Health Department, and social service agencies, both new and established.

The conversation probes the benefits and challenges of solutions like conflict resolution, in context of broader societal issues of root causes of crime, including poverty, racism and inequality. Johnson raises large cultural questions: How do we start conversations about the cultural and value norms that need to change in our own houses?










Apr 14, 202330:12
One on One with Lewis Diuguid

One on One with Lewis Diuguid

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Lewis Diuguid, former columnist and reporter for The Kansas City Star. Diuguid is a lecturer, writer, multimedia consultant, and certified diversity facilitator. He is the author, most recently, of Our Fathers Making Black Men, a story of his father and lessons from his life.

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.

Lewis is a native of St. Louis and a former member of the editorial board of The Kansas City Star. He shares his insights about St. Louis (“a bigger version of Kansas City with big city problems, a little worse, with more infighting among African-Americans”). He shares stories of his upbringing (in a laboratory) and how his “infection with the bug of journalism” was prompted by a high school teacher.

Diuguid was recently featured in Black Men Speak, a publication of Our Health Matters. In his conversation with Eric, he calls for Black men to talk more about their health and pay more attention to nutrition.

He describes his own “forced march” into gardening and growing vegetables as well as the later appreciation of the harvest, including cooking vegetables he’s grown. He offers two cooking suggestions: back off the salt, don’t cook vegetables to mush – keep some crunch.

The One on One conversation also delves into large issues of local and international scope – including the unequal system of education, the lack of public school funding, and the failure of schools to demand excellence from students.  He discusses his trips to Cuba and shares some of his experiences, explaining Cuba’s “culture of we,” compared to America’s “culture of me.” It was in the Cuban media that he learned of the United Nations’ designation of the International Decade of People of African Descent, designed to call attention to issues of racism, police abuse and brutality, civil rights struggles and injustices worldwide.

Mar 01, 202327:08
One on One with Larry Lester

One on One with Larry Lester

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. 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.

Feb 15, 202323:26
Swope Health One on One with Melissa Robinson

Swope Health One on One with Melissa Robinson

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring Councilwoman Melissa Robinson of the Kansas City City Council.   

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, Robinson speaks with passion and conviction about her work underway:

  • Addressing racism as a public health crisis
  • Social economic mobility for residents
  • Affordable and middle-class housing, in appropriate density to attract goods and services
  • Economic development throughout the city
  • Reparations for African-American Kansas Citians.

And much more. Get to know Melissa Robinson in this Swope Health One on One interview. 

Feb 09, 202330:12
Swope Health One on One with Judge Ardie Bland

Swope Health One on One with Judge Ardie Bland

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 16th 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.


Jan 05, 202328:50
One on One with Swope Health: Gwen Grant, Urban League of Greater KC

One on One with Swope Health: Gwen Grant, Urban League of Greater KC

Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, with host Eric Wesson interviewing Gwendolyn Grant, the president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City.

Grant is a native of Kansas City who has long been recognized as a passionate and strong voice advocating for social justice and economic empowerment for African Americans and women. She is the first woman to lead the KC Urban League in its 100-year history. She is the recipient of numerous honors including the National Urban League’s Whitney M. Young Leadership Award for Advancing Racial Equity, William Jewel College Yates Medallion for Distinguished Service, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Community Service Award, and the National Urban League Association of Executives Academy of Fellows designation.

The Urban League publishes the State of Black Kansas City, a collection of articles and commentary on key points from the Black/White and Hispanic/White Equality Indexes. The every-other-year publication spotlights the gaps in Education, Employment, Health, Social Justice and Civic Engagement in Kansas City. The most recent report from 2021 is titled “Charting the Path Forward: Is Equity Enough?”

In this interview, Grant describes her earliest moments of civil rights advocacy, recalling how her mother instilled in her a sense of duty to work for change. At the time when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, there was a march called Solidarity Day in Washington, D.C., and Gwen, as a pre-teen, decided to go. It was a watershed moment, she recalled.

She speaks on the civil right struggle then vs now, on today’s political climate with policies and practices that hold back Black people. She talks about the steady roll-back and erosion of rights, the ongoing threat to democracy.

“We have not achieved equality,” she says. “We are not free. Our slavery has just taken on a different form.”

Dec 09, 202232:08
Swope Health One on One with Ruth Ramsey

Swope Health One on One with Ruth Ramsey

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.

Nov 11, 202227:52
One on One with Dr. Jennifer Collier

One on One with Dr. Jennifer Collier

In the latest edition of the Swope Health podcast, One on One with Swope Health, host Eric Wesson interviews Dr. Jennifer Collier, the acting superintendent of the Kansas City Public School District.

Dr. Collier has served as an educator in the KC Public Schools for more than 23 years, as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. She also served as the Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief of Staff, and Deputy Superintendent before her latest appointment as interim superintendent following the departure of Dr. Mark Bedell.

Dr. Collier talks about the “laser focus” on literacy that she brings to the school district, while dealing with kids struggling with homelessness or a lack of stability in housing. While the district has made strides in literacy, she calls this a time to “roll up our sleeves and do better.”

Eric and Dr. Collier talk about the importance of reading and explore the socio-economics of learning, how those differences show up in test scores. Additional topics include early learning, teacher shortages, family-school partnerships, and addressing violence with conflict resolution training and more.

Oct 26, 202230:20
One on One with Qiana Thomason

One on One with Qiana Thomason

Eric Wesson, managing editor and publisher of The Call, hosts this episode in conversation with Qiana Thomason, President and CEO of Health Forward Foundation.

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” 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 emphasizes the importance of thinking more broadly about health, encompassing housing, social conditions and voting. 

Listen now for more details. 

Oct 05, 202222:27
One on One with Swope Health and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas

One on One with Swope Health and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas

In this episode of One on One with @Swope Health, host Eric Wesson interviews the Mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas.   

Mayor Q, the 55th Mayor, answers many questions about health needs in Kansas City, violent crime, control of the Kansas City Police Department, city government structures, infrastructure needs and more – including his candidacy for re-election.

Host Eric Wesson, managing editor and publisher of The Call, also asks  about Mayor Q’s experiences growing up in Kansas City and his early sports preferences (soccer and boxing). He talks about the path to becoming Mayor and throughout, shares his values and how he tries to live his principles every day.

One on One with Swope Health is a video podcast of conversations with  Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Sep 12, 202219:24
One on One with Swope Health -- James Nunnelly -- Episode 2

One on One with Swope Health -- James Nunnelly -- Episode 2

The podcast features Eric Wesson, managing editor and publisher of The Call, in conversation with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing. In this first episode, Eric talks with James Nunnelly, aka, Grandad. 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 former administrator of Jackson County COMBAT, an innovative anti-drug program. 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.  

Aug 17, 202223:32
Swope Health's One on One: Episode 1 with Bob Kendrick

Swope Health's One on One: Episode 1 with Bob Kendrick

The podcast features Eric Wesson, managing editor and publisher of The Call, in conversation with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

In this first episode, Eric talks with Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The discussion addresses the July 24, 2022, celebration of Buck O’Neil’s induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Bob, as always, delivers a can’t-miss story, discussing:

· His personal journey from Crawfordville, Georgia, to Kansas City

· His love of Buck O’Neil, who was a friend and mentor, and his continuing mission to honor Buck (“I try to be more Buck-like,” he says.)

· The power of Buck O’Neil’s spirit

· The importance of celebrating Buck’s success and the success of the Negro Leagues

Jul 23, 202233:16