Paint the Gap: A Live Mural Activation at MHPA25
Paint the Gap is a live mural activation debuting at the MHPA 2025 Annual Conference in Kansas City, September 10 - 12, 2025. The three-panel mural brings one of healthcare’s biggest challenges, closing care gaps, to life through art, storytelling, and community engagement.
The Story of the Mural:
- Left Panel – The Barriers: Highlights inequities that prevent people, particularly the hardest-to-reach, from accessing care.
- Center Panel – The Living Canvas: A participatory space where attendees and community members contribute their voices and ideas.
Right Panel – The Vision: Depicts a vibrant future of healthier communities and better outcomes when barriers are removed.
When: September 10–12, 2025
Where: MHPA25 Annual Conference, Kansas City, MO
Why It Matters:
Paint the Gap showcases the work of Best Foot Forward, which specializes in engaging the “unable-to-contact” population, individuals that health systems struggle to reach, to assist in accessing preventive care, managing chronic conditions, and improving overall health outcomes.
- Healthcare deserts exist in more than 80% of US counties (Source)
- 1 in 7 Americans lack reliable access to pharmacy care (Source)
- 35% of U.S. adults (an estimated 91 million people) say they could not access quality care if they needed it today. The gap is especially wide among Black, Hispanic, and lower-income Americans, with affordability worsening year over year. (Source)
The activation aligns with MHPA25’s theme, “The Rhythm of Progress: Medicaid’s Beat in the Heartland,” by:
- Making invisible barriers visible and showing the transformation when they’re removed.
- Collaborating with Kansas City’s arts community to connect creativity with healthcare leadership and policy.
Fostering engagement through a living canvas that symbolizes collaboration and extends impact beyond the conference.
Who’s Involved:
- Lead Sponsor: Best Foot Forward
- Collaborating Partners: MHPA, CaryHealth, ModivCare, WeCode KC
- Local Artist: MariChellé Okorie
Quote from Areo Nazari, CEO of CaryHealth
“We are proud to support this collaborative mural, which brings visibility to a growing challenge impacting communities nationwide. Expanding access to preventive healthcare and addressing critical care gaps is central to our mission at CaryHealth. We look forward to engaging with policymakers and healthcare leaders during MHPA to explore solutions that harness technology, drive measurable impact, and improve health outcomes.”
About the Partners:
Paint the Gap is led by Best Foot Forward, in collaboration with CaryHealth, ModivCare, MHPA, and WeCode KC.
- Best Foot Forward: Health resource management company specializing in reaching the “unable-to-contact” population to close gaps in care.
- CaryHealth: Technology-driven specialty pharmacy transforming how patients access and manage complex therapies; ranked #1 fastest-growing company in its region on the 2025 Inc. Regionals list and #96 on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list.
- ModivCare: NASDAQ-listed leader in supportive care solutions, including non-emergency medical transportation, personal care, and remote monitoring.
- MHPA: Medicaid Health Plans of America, representing Medicaid managed care organizations and host of MHPA25.
- WeCode KC: Nonprofit empowering youth and young adults in Kansas City with free technology education, mentorship, and real-world coding experiences.
Media Contact:
Kate Nesbitt
