The Effects of Federal Health Policy on Kansas

Join the Dole Institute Student Advisory Board for the spring Student Advisory Board Program, featuring a discussion on how the One Big Beautiful Bill’s effects on Medicaid and the new Rural Health Transformation Grant may change the healthcare landscape in Kansas.

SAB coordinator Abbie Clements will be in conversation with Kansas health policy experts Sheena Schmidt, senior policy analyst and strategy team leader at the Kansas Health Institute, and David Jordan, president and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, to talk about the path forward.

David Jordan is a proven leader with over 25 years of achievement in improving access to health care in Kansas and nationally.  David has served as the president and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund (Health Fund) since 2018, leading the statewide health foundation’s grantmaking, external relations, and policy and advocacy efforts. Before joining the Health Fund, David served as the executive director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, a coalition of over 100 organizations working to improve health and access to health care in Kansas. David oversaw the Alliance’s operations and the effort to expand and improve KanCare, Kansas’ Medicaid program. David joined the Alliance after spending nearly seven years at Community Catalyst, a leading national consumer health advocacy organization.  David also oversaw the MassACT! Coalition spearheading the ballot campaign that led to Massachusetts’ landmark 2006 universal health care law. David is recognized for his expertise in health care, early childhood and civic engagement issues and is often called upon to serve on committees and task forces, including the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice, the Governor’s Early Childhood Transition Task Force, Kansas Rural Health Innovation Alliance, Kansas Complete Count Committee, and the Office of Early Childhood Transition Advisory Group. David holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas and bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Emerson College.  He lives in Lawerence, Kansas, with his wife Suzanne and their two school-aged children.

Sheena L. Schmidt, M.P.P., Senior Analyst & Strategy Team Leader, leads strategic planning and programmatic activities related to access to care, including Medicaid and other publicly funded programs, the health care workforce and rural health issues. She has over 14 years of experience in public service at the federal, state and local levels. At the state level, Sheena recently served as the Director of Administrative Services for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, where she oversaw grants and contracts for the agency, among other key operational areas. At the local level, Sheena was the Senior Grants Program Administrator and a Grant Writer for the City of Topeka, where she developed strategic funding priorities which resulted in several million dollars for projects related to infrastructure and social services. She also worked at KHI as an Analyst from 2012-2016 and prior to that as an Analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C. Sheena earned a master’s degree in public policy with a concentration in politics and institutions from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in history and a certification in nonprofit management from Washburn University. As a lifelong Kansan, she is invested in helping others understand how policies impact their health, in addition to research interests related to health equity. Her personal interests include listening to podcasts and making memories traveling with her family.