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.