Where health, culture, and community meet.

Some things are true whether we talk about them or not. Iowa has one of the highest cancer rates in the country. The people most affected by it are often the last ones to hear about it. And the systems that were supposed to catch it early — the clinics, the screenings, the outreach programs — are losing funding right now, quietly, in ways most people won't notice until it's too late. This episode is about all of that. But more than anything, it's about people.About This ConversationCorey sits down with Jason Semprini — a public health economist, a lifelong Iowan, and somebody who has spent his career translating complex data into something that can actually change how communities live. What started as a conversation about economics turned into one of the most honest, grounded discussions about health, place, and power that The Healthy Project Podcast has ever had.This one isn't for researchers. It's for anyone who has ever wondered why their community looks the way it does — and whether anybody in power is paying attention.What We Get IntoThe cancer rate nobody's talking about: Iowa ranks among the highest states in the nation for cancer. It's not a fluke. It's not a bad data year. It's consistent, it's climbing, and it's being driven by a specific set of cancers shaped by where people live and what surrounds them. Jason breaks down what the numbers are actually showing — and why the story is more complicated than any headline has captured.Agriculture, jobs, and the health trade-off nobody wants to say out loud. Iowa's ag economy is the backbone of this state. It provides livelihoods, identity, and community for generations of Iowa families. It is also, according to clear and compelling research, contributing to adverse health outcomes, including cancer. Jason doesn't flinch from that tension. Neither does Corey. Because pretending it doesn't exist isn't protecting anybody.What happens when the money disappears? Pop-up mammography clinics. Free screenings. Community health workers are going door to door. These programs exist because some people don't have a regular doctor — and for them, a pop-up clinic isn't a backup plan, it's the only plan. When federal funding gets cut, these are the first programs that feel it. Jason shares what colleagues on the ground are experiencing right now. It's not abstract. It's hitting real people in real communities today.Prostate cancer, Black men, and what the system keeps missing. This part of the conversation hits close to home for Corey — founder of Save the Homies, a prostate cancer awareness initiative through My City My Health. It's not always that Black men in Iowa are getting prostate cancer at higher rates. It's that they're getting diagnosed later. The navigation to quality care is broken. The trust isn't there. The access isn't there. Jason connects this to a framework about biology and health systems colliding — and why fixing it requires more than a screening event.The real cost of data we're not using. One of the most practical takeaways in the whole conversation: collecting health data you're not acting on isn't neutral. It costs money, it burdens patients, and it pulls resources away from interventions that would actually move the needle. If your organization is drowning in surveys nobody reads, this part is for you.What a job well done actually looks like. For Jason, success isn't a published paper. It's a policy change. An updated screening guideline. An insurance expansion that took twenty years to become the Affordable Care Act. The work is long. The patience required is real. But the outcomes are lives — and that's the only metric that matters.About Jason SempriniJason Semprini is a public health economist and researcher whose work focuses on cancer, health policy, and the systems shaping health outcomes across Iowa. A lifelong Iowan, Jason's path to this work ran through AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and the University of Chicago — where he developed the research and economic skills he now applies to the most pressing health challenges facing this state. His work sits at the intersection of data, policy, and real community impact.Find Jason on LinkedIn explore his research.If This Episode Hit For You — Here's What To Do NextShare it. Send this episode to somebody in your life who needs to hear it. A friend, a coworker, someone at your church, your health department, or your organization. The more people who hear this conversation, the more it can do.Subscribe to the Live. Work. Play. Pray. Newsletter This is where Corey goes deeper every week — health equity, the social determinants shaping our communities, and the stories that don't always make the headlines but absolutely should. Written for real people, not just professionals. Free to subscribe. 👉 https://substack.com/@coreydionlewisWork With Healthy Project Media. If you're a health organization, nonprofit, community health center, foundation, or health plan doing work that deserves a bigger audience, Corey wants to talk. Healthy Project Media partners with organizations across the population health ecosystem to tell stories that actually reach the communities they're trying to serve. Schedule a free 30-minute conversation to explore what that looks like. 👉 https://koalendar.com/e/meet-with-corey-lewis?month=2026-03&duration=30&date=2026-03-23About The Healthy Project PodcastHosted by Corey Dion Lewis — public health storyteller, founder of My City My Health INC, and integrated health consultant at the Iowa Primary Care Association — The Healthy Project Podcast exists to make public health accessible, honest, and real for the people it's supposed to serve. Every episode bridges the gap between what the data shows and what communities actually feel.New episodes drop weekly. 📲 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 📬 Subscribe to the newsletter: https://substack.com/@coreydionlewisThe Healthy Project Podcast is produced by Healthy Project Media | Des Moines, Iowa

Quad Cities advocate Royce Wright gets real about youth mental health, the homelessness crisis, and what it means to show up consistently for kids and communities that the system keeps overlooking.SHOW NOTES:Some of the most important public health work doesn't happen in clinics or conference rooms. It happens on street corners, in shelters, and in honest conversations with kids who just need somebody to show up.This week on The Healthy Project Podcast, Corey Dion Lewis sits down with his cousin Royce Wright — a community advocate based in the Quad Cities who has built a reputation for doing exactly that. Royce works with at-risk youth navigating mental health challenges, behavioral issues, and identity crises, while simultaneously raising his voice about the growing homelessness crisis in his community. His approach is rooted in lived experience, patience, and an unshakeable belief that trust is the foundation of everything.In this conversation, Royce shares what it's really like to work with kids who are struggling, why the family unit matters just as much as the child, and how a chance encounter while filming a TikTok video led to a viral moment — and a GoFundMe — aimed at opening emergency overflow shelters and youth spaces across the Quad Cities.What We Cover:Youth Mental Health & AdvocacyWhy are so many at-risk kids caught in an identity crisis and performing toughness they don't actually feelHow adverse childhood trauma shapes behavior — and why patience is the most underrated tool in youth workWhat it means to be authentic with young people who can read you in secondsThe importance of modeling behavior, not just preaching itHow to advocate for youth mental health even if you're not on the frontlineHomelessness in the Quad CitiesHow policy changes around shelter placement have pushed the unhoused out of safe spacesWhy people become homeless faster than most of us realize — and why warm weather doesn't solve the problemThe viral TikTok moment where Royce connected with a young man who had just become homeless and didn't even know a local shelter was openWhy abandoned buildings in the Quad Cities are at the center of this conversationRoyce's Mission & How You Can HelpHow Royce went from passing out coats from his storage unit to becoming a community voiceThe GoFundMe campaign: Creating Safe Spaces for the Unhoused and At-Risk YouthA $100,000 goal to fund emergency overflow shelters and additional youth spaces in the Quad CitiesResources & Links:🔗 Royce Wright's GoFundMe — Creating Safe Spaces for the Unhoused and At-Risk Youth Follow Royce Wright:FacebookTikTok InstagramYouTubeLinkedInAbout The Healthy Project Podcast The Healthy Project Podcast is hosted by public health storyteller Corey Dion Lewis. Each week, Corey brings honest, community-first conversations about health equity, mental health, social determinants of health, and the people doing the real work in underserved communities across the country.🎙️ Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

The CDC is being cut by more than 50%. Over 100 public health programs are being eliminated. And the communities that will feel it first — and hardest — are the same ones who've always been at the back of the line. In this solo episode, Corey breaks down what's actually being dismantled, why the framing of "cutting DEI" is designed to make you look away, and what it means for Black and Brown communities when the safety net has a hole cut through the middle of it. 

Did you know that Medicaid members in Iowa have separate dental benefits available to them? Many people don't — and that's exactly why we're having this conversation.At the 2025 My City My Health Conference, special host Paula Bell sits down with Taryn Jonet from Delta Dental of Iowa to unpack what dental coverage looks like for Iowa's Medicaid and Hawkeye populations, and how Delta Dental is showing up as more than just an insurance company.Taryn breaks down how Delta Dental serves over 450,000 Iowans through a one-door approach to care — helping members find dentists, access specialty services, get transportation to appointments, and connect with community resources that address the social determinants of health. Plus, she shares how their team of Iowa-based staff partners with nonprofits, community health centers, and managed care organizations to make sure no one falls through the cracks.If you or someone you know is on Medicaid, this episode could change how you access care. Visit DWPIowa.com to connect with their member services team and find the resources available to you.If you need to connect with Delta Dental's member services or want to learn more about the benefits available to you, visit DWPIowa.com — everything you need is there. The Community Resource Podcast is a live interview series recorded at the My City My Health Conference, spotlighting organizations making a real difference in Iowa communities.

After 30 years bridging the gap between public policy and communities, Darolyn Davis knows why most public health engagement efforts fail—and more importantly, how to fix them. In this episode of The Healthy Project Podcast, host Corey Dion Lewis speaks with Darolyn Davis, founder of D&A Communications, about the critical disconnect between well-intentioned public health initiatives and the communities they aim to serve. This conversation goes beyond surface-level community engagement to explore what it really takes to build institutional trust.Darolyn shares the pivotal moment in her career when she realized that policymakers were making decisions for communities without including the voices of those most affected. Working in the California State Legislature, she witnessed firsthand how missing perspectives—particularly women and people of color—led to unintended harmful consequences in public policy. This realization launched three decades of work focused on equity-first communication strategies, where community voices aren't just heard, but actively shape outcomes.Key Discussion Points:Why Traditional Outreach Fails Darolyn explains why treating outreach as a distribution problem rather than a relationship problem dooms most initiatives from the start. Sending mailers, holding meetings, and posting information online doesn't equal meaningful engagement—and communities see right through it.The Trust Gap in Healthcare. The conversation addresses uncomfortable truths about why communities, particularly communities of color, distrust healthcare institutions. With Black women facing maternal mortality rates 3-4 times higher than white women, and Black Americans comprising only 5-7 percent of clinical trial participants despite representing 14 percent of the population, historical and ongoing systemic failures shape present-day healthcare decisions.Measuring What Actually Matters Most agencies measure engagement success by counting meetings held or materials distributed. Darolyn argues for a completely different approach: measuring sentiment, behavioral change, and whether you've actually moved people from one understanding to another. She reveals why superficial metrics waste resources and erode trust further.Real-World Case Study: Six Years to Build Trust Darolyn shares the remarkable story of working with the Bayview Hunters Point community in San Francisco. When a public agency wanted to build a new 62 million dollar community facility, residents initially refused—they didn't trust that promises would be kept. It took six years of consistent relationship-building, honest dialogue, and demonstrating follow-through before the community agreed. The result: a state-of-the-art Southeast Community Facility that now serves as a healthcare, education, workforce training, and community hub.This case study illustrates a critical truth: meaningful change takes time, and there are no shortcuts to building trust.Institutional Responsibility vs. Personal Choice One of the most important reframings in this episode is shifting from "Why don't communities trust us?" to "What are we doing that earns trust?" When trust is treated as an institutional responsibility rather than a personal choice, the burden shifts from communities to the organizations that serve them.What Keeps Failing After 30 Years Darolyn identifies recurring problems: communities brought in too late in the decision-making process, equity treated as a checkbox, budgets too small for genuine engagement, organizations moving faster than relationships allow, and failure to acknowledge historical harms that shape current perceptions.The Question Every Public Health Leader Should Ask Before launching any campaign or initiative, Darolyn advises asking: "Who is not at the table?" This simple but profound question forces organizations to identify missing voices and perspectives before making decisions that will impact those very communities.About This Episode's Guest:Darolyn Davis is the founder of D&A Communications, an equity-first communications agency that has spent three decades specializing in public health, education, transportation, and workforce development. Her work focuses on authentic community engagement that doesn't just inform communities about decisions already made, but involves them in shaping outcomes. She built her agency on the principle that all people deserve a voice in policies that affect their lives.Why This Conversation Matters:Public health professionals, healthcare administrators, policy makers, and community organizers face increasing challenges in building trust and achieving meaningful health outcomes. Misinformation spreads rapidly, historical harms create justified skepticism, and communities increasingly push back against initiatives designed "for them" without "with them."This episode provides both diagnosis and treatment for broken engagement systems. Whether you're launching a vaccination campaign, developing health policy, running a community health center, or working in any capacity where trust matters, this conversation offers practical wisdom earned through decades of on-the-ground experience.Connect with Darolyn Davis: Website: https://davisimpact.com/About The Healthy Project Podcast: The Healthy Project Podcast brings you conversations with leaders, innovators, and changemakers in public health who are transforming how we approach community health, equity, and wellbeing.Host: Corey Dion LewisShow NotesEpisode Summary: Darolyn Davis, founder of D&A Communications with 30 years of equity-focused communication experience, reveals why most community engagement efforts fail and shares the six-year journey it took to build trust for a $62 million community facility in San Francisco's Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood.Key Topics Covered:The policy-making disconnect: Why decisions made without community input failEquity-first communication: Moving from "for communities" to "with communities"The distribution vs. relationship problem in public health outreachWhy communities feel ignored despite official "engagement" effortsTrust as institutional responsibility rather than personal choiceHistorical context of healthcare distrust in communities of colorHealthcare disparities: Black maternal mortality, clinical trial participation, pain treatmentHow to measure engagement impact beyond attendance numbersThe true cost of superficial community engagementCase study: Bayview Hunters Point Southeast Community FacilityWhat keeps failing after three decades in the fieldHow quickly trust can be lost versus how long it takes to buildSocial media's role in spreading both information and misinformationThe most important question to ask before launching any public health campaignNotable Statistics Discussed:Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die in emergency rooms compared to white womenBlack Americans represent 14% of the U.S. population but only 5-7% of clinical trial participantsBlack patients receive pain treatment approximately 22% less often than white patientsThe Southeast Community Facility project cost: $62 millionTime investment to build community trust for the facility: 6 yearsFeatured Case Study: Southeast Community Facility, Bayview Hunters Point, San FranciscoCommunity initially rejected new facility due to distrustSix years of relationship building and demonstrating follow-throughResult: State-of-the-art facility with healthcare, education, workforce training, art installations, CBO offices, and shared workspacesNow serves as the neighborhood's central community hubKey Quotes:"Outreach fails when it's treated like a distribution problem instead of a relationship problem.""When trust is treated as institutional responsibility, the question shifts from 'Why don't they trust us?' to 'What are we doing that earns trust?'""Communities are asked for feedback that never shows up in the outcome of a project or policy.""It takes years to build and it can be lost completely by just a word or one action.""The main and most important question is to ask yourself who is not at the table, who is not represented before we start this conversation."Resources Mentioned:D&A Communications: davisimpact.com/ Southeast Community Facility, San Francisco (Bayview Hunters Point)Guest Bio: Darolyn Davis is the founder of D&A Communications, an equity-first communications agency focused on bridging the gap between public policy and the communities it serves. Her career began in the California State Legislature, where she witnessed firsthand how policy decisions were made without adequate representation from affected communities. For 30 years, she has specialized in public health, education, transportation, and workforce development, building strategies that center community voices and lived experiences. Her work emphasizes that effective engagement requires acknowledging history, building relationships over time, and ensuring communities have genuine input in decisions that affect their lives.Relevant For: Public health professionals, healthcare administrators, policy makers, government officials, nonprofit leaders, community health workers, communication strategists, public health students, health equity advocates, community organizers, social workers, health department staffEpisode Credits: Host: Corey Dion Lewis Guest: Darolyn Davis Podcast: The Healthy Project PodcastSubscribe and Follow: Don't miss future episodes with public health leaders and changemakers. Subscribe to The Healthy Project Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Feedback: Have thoughts on this episode? Questions for future guests? Reach out to The Healthy Project Podcast hello@healthyprojectmedia.com