Welcome to the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund podcast, Pioneers in Health. We hope to bring you inspiring stories of pioneering health leaders who lead important efforts to improve health. We'll bring you guests from our state, from our nation, and from your backyard to tell their stories, how they broke new ground and changed the landscape of health care.

We view health as more than health care. Health depends on things beyond your control. Conditions in your community, the schools in your neighborhood, the availability of healthy food and good jobs, and whether you have health providers and hospitals close to you.

These are factors that we can change together, and as part of this podcast we'll be bringing you stories of pioneers who have led important changes to improve health. The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund is a statewide health foundation dedicated to improving the health and wholeness of Kansans through funding grants, convening influencers, and advocating for policies. To improve the health of Kansans, we focus on three strategic areas; access to care, thriving children, and engaged congregations and communities.

Through this podcast, we aim to bring you news and educate you, our listeners, on ways that you can promote better health in your lives and in your communities. Our hope is that the voices and perspectives that you find here will encourage you to take bold action.

You can look forward to hearing from community and state leaders, policy makers, advocates, and researchers working on innovative efforts to improve health. Every podcast you'll hear from David Jordan, the president and CEO of the Health Fund, who brings perspective and a rich background with building community and leading advocacy in health care. He will lead you through thought-provoking interviews and inspiring conversations with our guests.

If you ever have questions for us, we invite you to get in touch.