Collaborative Solutions Podcast

Today’s guests are three frontline community health champions: Raul Saenz-Escarcega of Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, a certified CHW who builds trust through relentless outreach—from encampments to home visits with Mobile Integrated Health—connecting neighbors to food, transportation, and care while advocating for equitable systems; Jenn Kessler of Heartland Community Health Center, who leads CHW efforts that remove real-w...

On this episode of Collaborative Solutions (August 20, 2025), hosts Barry Feaker, Misty Bosch-Hastings, and Brett Hartford welcome special guest Dr. Kenneth Minkoff, a nationally recognized leader in psychiatry, addiction, and system design for behavioral health. Dr. Minkoff shares insights on how Douglas County became connected to his work through the Roadmap to the Ideal Crisis System, and he emphasizes the importance of building...

In this August 13, 2025 episode of Collaborative Solutions, hosted by Barry Feaker and guest co-host Brett Hartford, the conversation centers on tackling homelessness in Lawrence, Douglas County, and beyond, featuring guests Kaitlyn Mercer, Manager of Family Support for Catholic Charities in Lawrence, and Nelson Vowels, Senior Director of Mission Operations for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. Mercer shares how the Lawrence ...

In this moving episode of Collaborative Solutions, Sergeant Joshua Klamm emerges as a quiet force of transformation—proving that true public safety is rooted in compassion, connection, and dignity. A Topeka police officer who defies every stereotype, Klamm’s work in homeless outreach redefines what it means to serve and protect. With a heart-first approach, he meets unsheltered individuals not with handcuffs, but with humanity—offe...

In this powerful episode of Collaborative Solutions, hosts Barry Feaker and Misty Bosch-Hastings spotlight two remarkable members of the Homeless Response Team in Lawrence, Kansas—Kristi Schutter of RADAC and Bryan Daugharthy of Mirror, Inc. Kristi shares her deeply personal journey from addiction to recovery and how it now fuels her passion as a recovery coach walking alongside individuals with compassion and persistence. Bryan br...

In this episode of Collaborative Solutions, hosts Barry Feaker, Misty Bosch-Hastings, and Brett Hartford welcome and Renee Cavazos, Vice President of Homeless Response Systems in Houston, Texas. Renee shares how Houston has successfully reduced homelessness by 63% since 2011 through a coordinated entry system and regional collaboration with neighboring counties. The conversation explores how Lawrence and other Kansas communities ca...

In this episode of Collaborative Solutions, hosts Barry Feaker, Misty Bosch-Hastings, James Chiselom, and Brett Hartford explore Lawrence/Douglas County’s approach to prioritizing services for Douglas County residents, the challenges of homelessness policies, and the reality of individuals being dropped off from other areas. The discussion also considers whether a regional approach could be a viable strategy, examining how collabor...

Barry Feaker and Misty Bosch-Hastings welcome Homeless Response Team members Dustin Moore from Artists Helping the Homeless and Steven Carter with the City of Lawrence to discuss the ongoing efforts to support unsheltered individuals, particularly during extreme winter weather. They dive into the impact of warming centers, emergency shelter expansion, and the unprecedented 66% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in Lawrence over ...

In this powerful episode of Collaborative Solutions, hosts Barry Feaker, Misty Bosch-Hastings, and Brett Hartford sit down with Megan Poindexter, Executive Director of the Senior Resource Center of Douglas County, to explore the vital work being done to support older adults in our community. As Lawrence and Douglas County prepare for a future where seniors will make up a significant portion of the homeless population, Megan sheds l...