Meet KCMO’s new health director

THIS OPPORTUNITY IS TO REALLY ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AS EQUALS AND AS PARTNERS. THAT’S KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI’S INCOMING HEALTH DIRECTOR, DR. MARVIA JONES TOMORROW. SHE’LL MAKE HISTORY WHEN SHE BEGINS HER FIRST DAY ON THE JOB DR. JONES IS THE FIRST BLACK WO MAN APPOINTED AS HEALTH DIRECTOR. SHE SERVED AS KANSAS CITY’S TO PREVENONTI AND POLICY MANAGER ALSO SPENT SOME TIME WITH THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL DR. JONES REPLACES DR. REX ARCHER WHO RETIRED IN AUGUST AFTER 23 YEARS WITH THE CITY AND DR. JONES JOINS US NOW ON HEART OF THE MATTER FIRST, CONGRATULATIONS, AND THANKS FOR TANGKI THE TEIM TO STOP BY BEFORE YOU JUMP INTO THIS NEW ROLE. OKAY. SO TOMORROW YOU OPEN THE DROO YOU SIT DOWN AT YOUR DESK. WHAT’S YOUR FIRST ITEM ON YOUR LIST? AT FIRST ITEM IS TO REACH OUT TO STAFF AND MAKE SE THAT THEY FEEL REPLENISHED FIGURE OUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ACTUALLY TO MAKE THEM FEEL. UM READY TO CONTINUE THE WORK YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT MORALE BEING AN ISSUE AT THE DEPARTMENT. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? WELL, I THINK IN THE SAME WAY WE’VE HEARD FROM NURSSE AND DOCTORS ACROSS THE THE NATION IN MEDICAL SETTINGS WHERE PEOPLE VEHA BEEN WORKING SO HARD THROUGH THIS COVID SURGE AND JUST THE,OU Y KNOW, NEARLY TWO YEAR THING THAT WE’VE BEEN DEALING WITH AND WHAT THE PANDEMIC AND PPLEEORE A FEELING JUST REALLY BURNOUT. AND SO I THINK IT’S INCUMBENT ON LEADERSHIP TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR PICTURES ARE REFILLED YOU TALK ABOUT THIS AND OF HEALTH DIRECTOR IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT’S BECOME EVEN MORE SO BECAUSE OF COVID-19 IN THEAN PDEMIC,OW H DO YOU RALLY THE TROOPS? AND HOW DO WE PUSH PAST COVET AS A CITY? RIGHT. I THINK THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO INTRIGUE ALL PUBCLI HEALTH WORKFORCE AS IF THEY ARE OUR PARTNERS. YOU’RE NOT JUST THE PERSON WHO SHOWS UP EVERY DAY AND WORKS. YOU’RE YOU’RE OUR BIGGEST AMBASSADOR TO THE COMMUNITY AND SO RLLYEA MAKING SURE THAT THEY FEEL HEARD THEY FEEL UDERSTOOD THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT MESSAGING AND TYHE CAN GO OUT AND DO A BETTER JOB OF MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS. IF WTHA I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY IS TO REALLY ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AS EQUALS AS PARTNERS. THAT’S KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI’S INCOMING HEALTH DIRECTOR, DR. MARVIA JONES TOMORROW. SHE’LL MAKE HISTORY WHEN SHE BEGINS HER FIRST DAY ON THE JOB DR. JONES IS THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN APPOINTED AS HEALTH DIRECTOR. SHE SERVED AS KANSAS CITY’S VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND POLICY MANAGER ALSO SPENT SOME TIME WITH THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL DR. JONES REPLACES DR. XRE ARCHER WHO RETIRED IN AUGUST AFTER 23 YEARS WITH THE CITY AND DR. JONES JOINS US NOW ON HEART OF THE MATTER FIRST, CONGRATULATIONS, AND THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO STOP BY BEFORE YOU JUMP INTO THIS NEW. OKAY. SO TOMORROW YOU OPEN THE DOOR YOU SIT DOWN AT YROU DESK. WHAT’S YOUR FIRST ITEM ON YOUR LIST? MY FIRST ITEM IS TO REACH OUT TO STAFF AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY FEEL REPLENISHED FIGURE OUT WHAT NEEDTOS BE. ACTUALLY TO MAKE THEM FEEL READY TO CONTINUE THE WORK YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT MORALE BEING AN ISSUE AT THE DEPARTMENT. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BYHA TT? WE,LL I THINK IN THE SAME WAY WE’VE HEARD FROM NURSES AND DOCTORS ACRS OSTHE THE IN MEDICAL SETTINGS WHERE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD THROUGH THIS COVID SURGE AND JUST THE YOU KNOW NEARLY TWYEO-AR THING TTHA WE’VE BEEN DEALING WITH AND WITH THE PANDEMIC AND PEOPLE ARE FEELING JUST REALLY BURNOUT. AND SO I THINK IT’S INCUMBENT ON LEADERSHIP TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR PICTURES ARE REFILLED YOU TALK ABOUT THIS AND THE ROLE OF HEALTH DIRECTOR IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT’S BECOME SO BECAUSE OF COVID-19 IN THE PANDEMIC, HOW DO YOU RALLY THE TROOPS? AND OW H DO WE PUSH PAST COVET AS A CITY? RIGHT. I THINK THATE W REALLY HAVE TO INTRIGUE ALL PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE AS IF THEY AREUR O PARTNERS. YOU’RE NOT JUST THE PERSON WHO SHOWS UP EVERY DAY AND WORKS. YOU’RE YOU’REUR O BIGGEST AMBASSADOR TO THE COMMUNITY AND SO REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THEY FEEL HEARDHE TY FEEL UNDERSTOOD. THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE’RE MESSAGING AND THEY CAN GO OUT ANDO D A BETTER JOB OF MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS YOU MENTIONED COMMUNY ITENGAGEMENT BEING ONE OF YOUR AUTHORITIES WE TALKED WI CTHOUNCILWOMAN MELISSA ROBINSON LAST WEEK HERE ON THE SHOW ABOUT INEQUITIES IN HEALTHCARE, ESPECIAYLL IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY YOUR PERSON OF COLOR. YOU ARE THE HEAD OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. NOW, HOW DO YOU BRIDGE THAT GAP? HOW DO YOU TACKLE THAT PROBLEM? YEAH. WE’VE BEEN TKIALNG AOT L ABOUT HOW DO WE RESTORE TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY? SO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AS A FIELD WE HAVE A LOT. WE REALIZE WE HAVE LOST SOME TRUST THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND SO WE REALLY WANT TO ENGAGE WITH THEM BERE PNTSE TO BE AVAILABLE HERE THEIR FRUSTRATION, SO, YOU HAVE SOME FRUSTRATIONS ABOUT OUR MESSAGING. HOW DO WE HEAR THAT AND MAKE SURE WE COURSE CORRECT? BASED ON WHAT WE’RE HEARING? WHY DO YOU THINK YOU’VE LOST TRUST? I THINK WE’VE LOST TRUST BECAUSE HAVWEEN’T DONE A GOOD JOB OF MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE. WESE U MBEAY LANGUAGE THAT PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND WE’VE HAD TO CHGEAN DIRECTIONS QUITE A FEW TIMES AND ALL OF THAT CAN OVER TIME UNINTENTIONLYAL LEAD TO REDUCED TRUST SURE. THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF POLITICAL PRESSURE TOO AS YOU’VE SEEN BEFORE YOU STEP INTO THIS ROLE, ESPECIALLY FROM MISSOURI’S ATTORNEY GENERAL. CHALLENGING THE LEGALITY THE AUTHORITY OF CITIES LIKE KANSAS CITY TO IMPOSE THEIR OWN MASNGKI RULES. HOW DO YOU THINK THE CITY’S ROLE PLAYS OUT MOVING FORWARD? DO YOU SUPPORT MASKING RULES AND MASK MANDATES? I I REALLY SUPPORT FOLLOWING THE SCIENCE AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT WE SEEM TO HAVE REALLY SMART LOCAL COUNCIL PEOPLE MAY OF HIS PEOPLE WHO LISNTEO T PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE AND THEN MAKE THOSE DECISIONS. SO I SUPPORT DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO WHEN WE NEED TO DO IT. DOES THAT MEAN EXTENDING THIS SCHOOL MASK MANDATE THAT’S IN PLACE RIGHT NOW. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE’RE STILL REVIEWING DATA. I THINK ‘I’S STILL COMING IN. WE WANT TO MAKE AN EDUCATED NOT JUST THE YOU KW,NO BASED ON WHAT WE FEEL SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FOLLOW THE DATA AND I DON’T HAVE THAT WITH ME RIGHT NOW. NO, I UNDERSTAND. OF COURSE, KANSAS CITY HAS MUCH MORE TO CONTEND WITH THAN JUST COVID LIKE THE WORLD KEEPS SPINNING OUTSIDE OF THE PANDEMIC. WHAT ARE THE OTHER MAJOR CHALLENGES THAT YOU WANT TO TACKLE? YEAH, VIOLENCE PREVENTION IS MESOTHING THAT WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR A LONG TIME. HOPEFULLY IN THIS ROLE. I’LL BE ABLEO T TAKE THAT TO ANOTHER LEVEL AND REALLY BRING THE CMUOMNITY INTO ATTH DISCUSSION IN A WAY THAT MAYBE THEY HAVEN’T BEEN ENGAGED BEFORE NOW YOU’VE CALLED AND UYO VIOLENCE, YOU’VE SPECIFICALLY CALLED VON GUN VIOLENCE A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT AND AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO ME HIT EAR A RTCEAIN WAY BEUSCAE USUALLY HERO PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR TALKING ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE. HODOW YOU HOW DO YOU WORK ON THAT IN KANSAS CITY? YEAH. I THINKY M FIRST HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW IT IMPACTS PEOPLE LIKE IT’S NOT LIKE SOMEONE GSET SHOT OR A FAMILY LOSES A LOVED ONE AND THEN THE NEXT WEEK THEY GO BACK TO NORMAL. WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT PEOPLE’S FINANCIAL STATUS CHANGES AFTER THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE, EVEN IF THEY SURVIVE THAT FAMILY IS NOW HIT WITH MEDICAL COSTS. SOMEONE HAS TO MAYBE QUIT A JOB TO TAKE CARE OF THEM. AND SO THAT JEOPARDIZES THE WELL-BEING OF ALL THE OTHER PEDENDENCE IN THAT HOUSEHOLD IT CAN CHANGE THE COURSE OF THEIR FUTURE. AND SO THEN WE’RE DEALING WITH MORE PROBLEMS DOWNHE T LINE AND SO WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO NOW TO GET AHEAD OF THAT SO THAT WE CAN CURB, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS PERHAPS BUT OVER TIME. WE’LL SEE A REDUCTION RIGHT AND I THINK YOU MAKE A GOOD POINT ABOUT HAVING THIS DIALOGUE BECAUSE SO MUCH. FEELSIK LEOU Y KNOW MANDATES THE GOVERNMENT IS TELLING ME I NEED TO WEAR A MASK IF THE GOVERNMENT IS TELLING ME TSHI IT JUST SEEMS LIKE A KEY COMPONENT AND WE YOU THE BEST OF LUCK WITH. TH

HEART OF THE MATTER: Meet KCMO’s new well being director

Dr. Marvia Jones discusses public well being plans, challenges in KC

Up to date: 11:16 AM CST Feb 13, 2022

Dr. Marvia Jones sits down with KMBC 9’s Cody Holyoke the day earlier than beginning her new job as Kansas Metropolis, Missouri’s well being director.From KMBC 9’s “Coronary heart of the Matter,” 2/13/22.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

Dr. Marvia Jones sits down with KMBC 9’s Cody Holyoke the day earlier than beginning her new job as Kansas Metropolis, Missouri’s well being director.

From KMBC 9’s “Coronary heart of the Matter,” 2/13/22.