16 OctOber 30 - NOvember 5, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Health- care for All Working Creatives The affordable health and wellness program starts at just $65 per month. BY AUSTIN ZOOK A dam Tench, known as Rage Al- mighty, was an activist and award- winning slam poet who worked and performed in Dallas. He passed away in 2019, but a new initiative spearheaded by Arete Health, Inc. and the Dallas Music Of- fice aims to continue his legacy by bringing affordable, accessible healthcare to artists in Dallas County. The program, Creatives Care Dallas (CCD), launched on Oct. 24. Artists who signed up on the 24th or 25th will have coverage kick in on Nov. 1. A press release announcing the launch of CCD describes it as having been designed “to support gig- based artists, musicians, filmmakers, free- lancers and others whose careers often fall outside traditional employer insur- ance models.” Anyone participating in CCD will have access to “comprehensive virtual primary care, 24/7 urgent telemedicine, behavioral health services and $0 co-pay prescriptions” for the top 2,000 prescribed medications in the United States. Additionally, the program allows up to five people to receive coverage under a single membership fee — $65 per month. It isn’t exactly insurance, but it provides a lot of the same benefits, bypassing some of the red tape in the process. The only real re- quirements are that participants reside in Dallas County and be a working creative in some form. Byron Sanders, CEO of Arete Health, and Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart, director of cultural tourism and the Dallas Music Of- fice, both recognized the need for a solu- tion like CCD and partnered to make it a reality. Sanders has a background in healthcare, while Kirkenaer-Hart’s office is closely tied to the local music scene. They have both seen artists, some of whom were personal friends, suffer from a lack of access to basic healthcare, often because their jobs were gig- or contract- based and did not supply insurance. Some have passed away from illnesses or condi- tions that may have been treatable with access to a primary care physician. Dallas Needs Arts “We are not an interesting city to visit if we don’t have the arts and creatives sur- viving and thriving,” says Kirkenaer-Hart, who sees creatives as key to Dallas’ iden- tity. Reflecting on their first meeting, ar- ranged by Arts and Culture Commissioner Damany Daniel, Sanders says he and Kirkenaer-Hart im- mediately recog- nized one another as kindred spirits. At that point, Sand- ers had the pro- gram that would become CCD built out, but did not have the expertise or ability to market it. Kirkenaer-Hart had the right peo- ple to spread the word about a program like CCD, but needed a mechanism to deliver radical healthcare access to artists. It was a per- fect, instantaneous matchup. At its heart, CCD is a telehealth service. Sanders is quick to point out that there is nothing inherently revolutionary about that idea alone; telehealth has been around for some time now. “I guess the sad thing is the innovation is we said we’re just going to take maybe a little less profit than some other folks would,” says Sanders. That is the core of how they were able to pack a variety of services into the pro- gram for the $65 monthly fee. He hopes they can lead by example and get other healthcare providers to follow suit and make their solu- tions more affordable as well. Remembering Rage Almighty For Sanders, the journey that led to the cre- ation of CCD began with Rage Almighty. Sanders and Rage worked together, and the latter’s passing raised Sanders’ awareness of the challenges artists face when seeking healthcare. The path he found himself set on led to the formation of Arete Health, Inc. and the development of Arete Health Shield, which is the platform that powers CCD’s of- ferings. While he knew and admired Rage Al- mighty, Sanders is clear that their relation- ship never reached its full potential before his passing. So, while Rage became his “why” for CCD, he wanted to make sure they were honestly and authentically honoring the poet’s memory through their solutions and messaging. Sanders and Kirkenaer-Hart turned to Princess McDowell, a friend, col- league and frequent collaborator of Rage’s. McDowell says they immediately felt the program Arete and the Dallas Music Office had put together was strong, but advocated for including mental health services in CCD, something they felt Rage Almighty would have wanted. McDowell initially met Rage Almighty over a decade ago. They were both active in the Dallas poetry scene of the late 2000s and early 2010s, and McDowell was drawn to Rage’s performance style and writing struc- ture. They became friends, and then their bond continued to strengthen until they were more like siblings than anything else. “He himself was funny and charismatic and complicated and odd, as most artists are,” says McDowell. “And so we just…bonded over the love of…poetry and writing and being able to be our best selves on stages when you know it can be hard to be your best self off of it.” Something both Sanders and McDow- ell say was core to Rage Almighty’s work as a poet and member of the Dallas com- munity was working with the youth. “He used poetry like therapy,” says McDowell, who says Rage promoted writing as a form of healing for youths dealing with intense personal struggles. He would adapt his work to make it more child-friendly, McDowell says, so he could share it with a younger audience and hopefully inspire them to express themselves as well. Rage Almighty received a number of awards for his poetry, but one of the most meaningful may have been when he was named Teaching Artist of the Year by Louder Than a Bomb Dallas in 2016. In McDowell’s estimation, Rage Al- mighty would have seen CCD as a program that not only supported artists in need but also expanded the idea of family to mean something inclusive and intentional. In that sense, it is a fitting continuation of his life and a tribute to his memory. “I think he would have been very proud to have his legacy and his name…tied to something so transformative for a commu- nity that’s left out,” says McDowell. “You know, there’s a lot of resources that are avail- able for people with families, people with kids, people with family ties. But a lot of us poets don’t have family like that.” “We are each other’s family, and I think that being able to have a healthcare struc- ture that allows you to take care of your cho- sen family is revolutionary, and he would have been hella proud.” Then, after a pause, McDowell corrects themself: “He is proud.” courtesy of Princess McDowell Adam Tench’s legacy is carried on with the new health and wellness program. | B-SIDES | t Music “WE JUST… BONDED OVER THE LOVE OF… POETRY AND WRITING AND BEING ABLE TO BE OUR BEST SELVES ON STAGES.”
