Tanner Cobb, Author at Swope Health

Partner Opportunities at Swope Health Village

Tanner Cobb — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:53:27 +0000

Swope Health Village is a 12-acre, master planned, multi-phased residential campus development at the 5900 block of Swope Parkway that integrates affordable housing, education, economic opportunity, and wellness services into the Kansas City community.

Swope Health Village will offer a comprehensive range of services and amenities across numerous areas to support the community. These include behavioral health supportive housing, affordable senior housing, and dedicated geriatric care with Swope Health’s providers. The campus will also feature amenities such as a community center, gardens, amphitheater, and walking trails. There will also be a healthcare workforce center to mentor future professionals and office space for both non-profit and governmental agencies.

While the full Request for Proposals (RFP) process will launch in 2026, Swope Health is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify mission-aligned organizations interested in partnering on this project. The purpose of this RFQ is to gather interest, assess organizational readiness, and begin building a network of trusted collaborators that will shape the future of Swope Health Village.

Swope Health Village is an ecosystem of opportunity. From early childhood development to job creation, from small business incubation to community-based wellness, we seek to co-create a space where every resident can thrive. Our core goals include:

· Creating a seamless cradle-to-college education pipeline

· Expanding access to economic mobility and financial wellness

· Embedding culturally competent and community-responsive services

· Building a sustainable, inclusive, and welcoming physical environment

Entities We Are Looking For:

We invite expressions of interest from organizations that provide or support:

Cradle to College Education

· Early Learning: Accredited early childhood education providers, including Head Start and Early Head Start programs

· Youth Enrichment: After-school and summer programs that promote academic success, social-emotional development, and wellness

· Post-Secondary Preparation: Organizations offering mentorship, career exposure, and college readiness for youth

Economic Vitality

· Financial Empowerment: Providers of financial literacy, homeownership support, and wealth-building services

· Entrepreneurship: Small business support agencies, incubators, and microenterprise development organizations

· Microbusiness Space: Operators or users of flexible, affordable space for emerging businesses (office, retail, or light production)

Senior Wellbeing and Social Support

· Social engagement: programs that reduce isolation through intergenerational activities

· Nutrition and wellness: organizations offering senior meal programs, nutrition education

Qualifications Interested entities should demonstrate the following:

· A mission aligned with equity, health, and opportunity

· Experience serving residents in 64130 or similarly high-need communities

· Willingness to collaborate with other partners in a shared campus setting

· A track record of measurable impact and community engagement

RFQ Response Requirements: Respondents are invited to submit a brief qualifications package (maximum 5 pages) including:

· Organizational Overview: Mission, history, leadership, and service footprint

· Relevant Experience: Examples of past or current programming aligned with the Village goals

· Alignment Narrative: How your organization aligns with the Purpose Built Communities model and the Swope Health Village vision

· Service Interest: Which service areas you are most interested in contributing to

· Readiness: Capacity to participate in future planning or implementation (e.g., staff availability, funding stability, co-location needs)

Submission Guidelines

· Format: PDF preferred

· Length: Up to 5 pages, plus optional attachments

· Deadline: Rolling basis; early interest is encouraged by December 1, 2025

· Submit to: oglynn@swopehealth.org

· Subject Line: [Organization Name] RFQ Submission – Swope Health Village

Contact For questions about this RFQ, please contact: bfinocchario@swopehealth.org

Thank you for your interest in shaping the future of community health and opportunity with Swope Health Village.

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Healthcare on Wheels: Our Mobile Medical Unit’s Journey

Tanner Cobb — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 15:40:12 +0000

Since 1987, Swope Health has provided services to unhoused individuals through the Outreach, Healthcare for the Homeless, program. In the early 2000s, the program

expanded with the addition of a mobile medical unit (MMU) – which brings medical services directly to the underserved members of the community.

The MMU offers a variety of services by visiting local shelters, transitional living facilities, and other community organizations in the Kansas City metropolitan area every week, along with participation in community events. Swope Health Outreach Clinic Director Rachel Melson, DNP, FNP-C has been heavily involved with the MMU since joining our health center in 2015.

“We have the opportunity to go out in the community and directly to local shelters to provide care to patients instead of having them come into a clinic,” Melson said. “This is a way to break down that final barrier to care, which is access to services and transportation.”

Swope Health has used multiple units over the years – including three total in Melson’s tenure – due to the high mileage it travels. The MMU is out in the community at least twice a week.

“In the past, we were out in the community three days a week, but COVID disrupted some things. As we continue to rebuild the program, the goal is to be in the community three to four days a week,” she said.

On days when the MMU is out in the community, it travels to a location in the morning and in the afternoon. Thanks to

community partnerships, Swope Health now sees more unhoused individuals than ever before.

“Our partners trust us because we’re visible and consistent in the community,” Melson said. “Patients trust that we will be there when we say we’re going to be there. That is important because individuals who are experiencing homelessness don’t have consistency in a lot of things.”

Swope Health’s community partners include locations across the KC metro such as the Salvation Army, Hope Faith Homeless Assistance Campus, the City Union Mission, and Heartland Center for Behavioral Change.

“We go to some partners once a month; others, we go to each week. For example, we go to the same two spots – Hope Faith and Heartland Center for Behavioral Change – every Thursday because they consistently have a higher volume of people needing care,” she said. “Where we go depends on what their needs are, and we try to meet with our community partners to determine what’s going to work best for them.”

Along with the mobile units, Swope Health also offers free transportation to clinics for patients in select zip codes – including locations that the MMU travels to. Swope Health’s community partners receive the schedule for the shuttle and the MMU monthly as some patients utilize both services.

“We have a shuttle that goes to the shelters to pick patients up, brings them to a clinic, and take them back,” Melson said. “If they need to come in to pick up their medicine, get lab work done, or meet with a caseworker, they have a quick and reliable way to get to a clinic.”

The MMU team has a rotation of staff members who take turns going out in the community. The team consists of a driver, a case worker, a medical assistant, and a medical provider.

“Our team works together to meet the needs of our patients,” she said. “Our case workers help enroll patients in our services and connect them to resources at Swope Health and in the community. I’m one of the medical providers and my role is to provide medical care but also to be a listening ear.”

When a patient gets onto the unit, they check in with the case worker to register

and see if they have any immediate medical needs. Additionally, every patient on the unit has access to medical screenings.

“Our treatment model is standardized for each patient. If you come onto the unit, you’re going to meet with a case worker, have your vital signs run, and receive a medical history evaluation. Additionally, we offer point-of-care tests: Hep-C, HIV, and diabetes screening,” Melson said.

Swope Health’s MMU also serves at community events throughout the year. That includes Project Homeless Connect, an annual, one-day free event that gives unhoused individuals free access to difficult-to-obtain services. Swope Health has been the medical partner for the event since 2015, its inaugural year.

Interested in scheduling the Swope Health Mobile Medical Unit for a community event? To make the request, click here.

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Making Bright Smiles: Our Mobile Dental Unit’s Journey

Tanner Cobb — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 20:37:59 +0000

Swope Health’s mission has always been to deliver accessible, quality, comprehensive patient care to the community – and the health center has taken that a step further in recent years. With the acquisition of two Mobile Dental Units, Swope Health now goes directly to the underserved members of the community, primarily providing care to those in schools and homeless shelters.

Before the mobile program was created, Swope Health was making dental care visible in the community in other ways. Since becoming the Swope Health Director of Dental Outreach in 2020, Shawn Oprisiu has played a pivotal role in enhancing the dental care experience.

“When I got here, we had a pack-and-play process,” Oprisiu said. “We would go into schools and set up a clinic inside to serve the children. We had enough infrastructure to house a mobile unit, which was our main goal and why I was recruited here.”

After getting approval from senior leadership and the board of directors, Swope Health received a large grant from Delta Dental to help purchase the first MDU – which arrived in the fall of 2020. Swope Health needed to find and purchase a unit, install dental equipment inside, and paint it.

“I talked with people who were running mobile programs all over the country about what was good, what was bad, what they liked, and what they disliked,” she said. “We ultimately decided to partner with Farber Specialty Vehicles to provide the mobile unit to us. They built a beautiful unit, and then we delivered the rest of it.”

Resurrection Church was instrumental in Swope Health’s second MDU. Resurrection has an annual tradition of donating their entire Candlelight Christmas Eve Offering to fund Kansas City-based projects and assisted Swope Health in 2023. It took 15 months to complete the second MDU – which made its debut earlier this year.

“One day when we were out in the community, a couple of people from Resurrection saw the unit, toured it, and asked more about what we do,” she said. “The church was able to fund the second unit with their generous Christmas Eve offering.”

The MDU team has given a name to both Winnebago units, naming the original one Winnie and the newer one Willie. Now that there are two units, they have a new process to ensure patients get the most out of their experiences with Swope Health.

“Winnie has two dental hygienists, and a CSR, and a driver,” Swope Health Mobile Dental Unit Clinic Manager Martha Gutierrez said. “After we give cleanings and document the patients, Willie follows up with treatment a week or two later. Dr. Shea Durington goes out on the treatment days with her Dental assistant.”

Between September and May, the MDU serves children at schools in the Kansas City area. The MDU provides care to nearly 3,000 children annually and typically serves 20-30 children at each school.

“I act as an advocate for the children,” Gutierrez said. “They are registered before we get there, so I’m able to escort them onto the bus where they wait. I’m always going back and forth from the bus to get the kids on there to get seen.”

Swope Health will serve any school that reaches out about the services. There isn’t a limit to how far Swope Health’s MDU will travel. So far, it has traveled as far north as Excelsior Springs, Mo., and as far south as Olathe, Kan.

“I’m in contact with the schools and let them know what days are available for us to come on site,” Oprisiu said. “Once we book it, they start the process with the children by sending out registration to the entire school.”

There are no requirements for the children whom Swope Health’s MDU serves. Regardless of insurance status, anybody can be seen.

“If you’re uninsured, we have funding sources that offer financial assistance for dental services, such as the Kansas City Health Levy. We also have a program with MARC (Mid America Regional Council) that pays for uninsured kids to be seen,” she said.

While Swope Health’s MDU focuses primary on students during the school year, it also travels to homeless shelters during the summer. Willie and Winnie also travel to various community events throughout the year.

“We were out every weekend in August for back-to-school events and attended some major events for Juneteenth and Pride Month. It’s important for us to be out in the community and serve those who don’t have any other way to be seen,” Oprisiu said.

Interested in scheduling the Swope Health Mobile Medical Unit for a community event? To make the request, click here.

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Swope Health Alumni Series: Meet Qiana Thomason

Tanner Cobb — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 11:00:24 +0000

As President and CEO at Health Forward Foundation for more than five years, Qiana Thomason has continued to impact the community health of Kansas City – something she’s been doing for more than 20 years. While she was influencing the community and earning leadership expertise in other ways early in her career, the time Thomason spent serving Behavioral Health patients at Swope Health was crucial to her path.

Life-long connection

Thomason’s journey to Swope Health began long before she was employed at the health center. Along with her family, she was a patient at Swope Health from a young age.

“My family was rich in legacy but low on funds and assets, so I was a child of the safety net system,” Thomason said. “I was a Swope Health kid, so my journey to Swope Health started very young in life.”

After college, Thomason worked as a social worker then transitioned to a role in the United States Senate in the early 2000s. As Deputy Director/Health and Human Services Liaison for U.S. Senator Jean Carnahan, she became connected with Swope Health – which opened the door for her to work at the health center.

“I worked with the west side of the state with that role and engaged with health IT companies, hospitals, advocacy groups, and Federally Qualified Health Centers like Swope Health. I was introduced to members of the Swope Health leadership and when Senator Carnahan lost the election, I was asked to consider an opportunity at Swope Health,” Thomason said.

While she never imagined working at Swope Health, in 2003, Thomason was honored to get the opportunity to do so for eight years.

“Getting to work at Swope Health was a nothing short of a blessing, and it was a full circle moment. Leading at Swope Health felt like home because I spent so much time there as a kid,” she said. “I had a proximate affinity for the organization and the population it served in the community because I was among them.”

Her reign at Swope Health

In her first three years at Swope Health, Thomason was the program manager for mental health court diversion – a specialized court that assists individuals with mental health conditions who had misdemeanor charges. Kansas City was only the fifth city across the nation to implement this program at the time, and she led the initiative at Swope Health.

“While we weren’t the only place where mental health court patients went for mental health treatment, Swope Health was essentially the quarterback, if you will, that administered the program,” she said. “We would enroll individuals in the program, track their progress, and go to court with them.”

In addition to leading the program, Thomason also managed a case load.

“Nonprofit leaders and middle managers must walk and chew gum at the same time, so it was very capacity building. I liked that I could keep my clinical skills strong while also being an administrator and leader,” Thomason said. “After a few years of leading the program and scaling it to multiple circuit court jurisdictions throughout the Kansas City region, I was asked to consider the director of clinical operations opening in the Behavioral Health department.”

Thomason accepted the new role, becoming a senior leader for Behavioral Health. She held that position from 2006-2011.

“I led operations internally, which helped me grow as an administrator. I wrote grants, created the budget, and led the team focused on certification and reaccreditation,” she said. “It was a lot, but I enjoyed the time.”

Beyond Swope Health

After a successful eight-year run, Thomason decided to move on. She left to become Director of Clinical Operations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. She eventually worked her way up the ranks, becoming Vice President of population health solutions and community health.

“I wanted to learn how health care was financed and paid for, so I took a leap to the corporate side,” Thomason said. “I felt like a fish out of water at one point, but during that time, payers were trying to understand how to power population health. I had done that at Swope Health, so I understood things from an integrated community perspective that payers generally don’t.”

In 2019, Thomason learned about an opening for President and CEO at Health Forward Foundation, a community health philanthropic organization that provides funding, supports community-based solutions, and advocates for policies that address social determinants of health – such as housing, civic engagement, and employment. She applied for, was offered, and accepted the position, and is thriving in the role thanks to the collective experiences gained in her previous roles, her deep network throughout Kansas City, and new insights from the philanthropic perspective.

“It’s a wonderful blend of all the things I’ve done throughout my career. I have an aerial view of how health happens and how it’s shaped,” she said. “We may not understand it at the time while we’re living it, but we can look back in retrospect and say I see why I was planted where I was planted. Everything builds on the next opportunity.”

Health Forward Foundation and Swope Health are partner organizations.

“We’re proud to walk alongside Swope Health as a funder – but we don’t see our role as just a funder; we see ourselves as a partner of what Swope Health has achieved, is achieving, and will achieve,” Thomason said. “We know that our community members rely on Swope Health, so I’m grateful to see that it continues to stand tall and meet the moment for our communities with distinction and improve their health.”

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Swope Health Supports National Breastfeeding Month

Tanner Cobb — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 16:16:29 +0000

National Breastfeeding Month is celebrated every August to spread awareness and promote the benefits of breastfeeding. Swope Health’s Women, Infants, and Children Special Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC) supports breastfeeding in a variety of ways.

Jennifer Jones, Swope Health’s breastfeeding peer counselor who assists prenatal patients daily with their breastfeeding needs recognizes the advantages of breastfeeding.

“Babies tend to be less sick when they’re getting breast milk, and new mothers heal faster and safer when they breastfeed,” Jones said. “It helps reduce the mother’s risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis.”

WIC provides families with breastfeeding support, nutritious foods/education, and referrals to community health resources. Before getting any of these services, a patient must qualify through guidelines based on family size and source of income.

“If they don’t qualify, we provide a resource list of phone numbers, websites, and mobile apps for additional breastfeeding support,” she said.

WIC offers two prenatal breastfeeding courses, which are available in person or virtually. The first class starts at the beginning of the pregnancy, and the second during the third trimester.

“The first class talks about what breastfeeding is, the differences between breast milk and formula, and the myths of breastfeeding,” Jones said. “The second class teaches how to breastfeed, and we practice with a breast model and a manikin baby.”

Swope Health continues to support after the women complete these courses and deliver their babies. WIC serves women who recently delivered up to 6 months, as well as children up to 5 years.

“After delivery, we follow-up to and assist them with ordering breast pumps through their insurance. If there are any issues, WIC offers rental breast pumps and free pumps. However long a mother offers breast milk to their baby, we’re there to support her,” she said.

Additionally, Swope Health offers after-hours breastfeeding support to families through a breastfeeding warmline, which is monitored from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. During that timeframe, patients may call or text (816) 799-1428 for breastfeeding support.

“The warmline is a service that doesn’t get talked about a lot, but it’s so convenient,” Jones said. “We try to be there for moms any time that they need it by addressing any questions or concerns that they have.”

In honor of National Breastfeeding Month, Swope Health has big plans.

“Throughout August, we’ll have breastfeeding fun facts presented throughout WIC, along with a random drawing for prenatal patients,” she said. “They can fill out a bingo card with breastfeeding questions on it, which acts as a raffle ticket that enters them into a drawing for free breastfeeding accessories.”

Black Breastfeeding Week is celebrated in the last week of the month (August 25-31) to highlight the disparities in breastfeeding rates among Black women. This year, Swope Health will offer celebratory snacks to breastfeeding Black mothers who come into WIC to congratulate them on their journey.

“There’s a stigma with minority groups in general, specifically with Black families, that they don’t breastfeed as much. We’re working hard to help change that by encouraging minority families to breastfeed,” Jones said.

WIC services are available at Swope Health Central. To learn more or to make an appointment, call 816-922-1080. To enroll in the program, you must be present at your first WIC visit. The following information is required for each applicant:

Proof of ID: For an infant/child, please bring a hospital record birth certificate, foster child placement letter, insurance card, shot record, or social security card. For an adult, please bring a driver’s license, government issued ID, work/school ID, or passport.
Proof of Address: Please bring a bank statement, foster child placement letter, paycheck stub, rent/mortgage receipt, or utility/personal bill that has been issued within the past 30 days.
Proof of Income: Please bring a recent bank statement, employer letter, foster child placement letter, paycheck stub, SNAP/TANF award letter, or social security income statement.

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Swope Health Alumni Series: Meet Phyllis Stevens

Tanner Cobb — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 13:00:32 +0000

Growing up in the 1950s, Phyllis Stevens recognized the social inequalities that people of color faced and grew passionate about addressing those issues. Stevens started off as an educator before coming to Swope Health (called Swope Parkway Health Center at the time), where she used her talents and skills for special event fundraising. In 1993, she joined Bernstein-Rein Advertising (where she still works part-time) to impact the community in a different way.

How her career started

Stevens was raised in a modest neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, and witnessed how people of color were mistreated. She recalls how some individuals couldn’t ride certain buses and that the Kansas City Star would advertise homes in areas where Black families couldn’t live.

“My values came through my mother, but she never sat me down to say these things aren’t right; I just knew what was happening was wrong, and I wanted to do something about it,” Stevens said. “When I got married in 1962, my husband and I would attend meetings by black-led organizations. I’m still involved with several nonprofits that support the cause of equity.”

Going from a middle school teacher to a stay-at-home-mom, Stevens went back to work in 1974. She taught at Ozanam – a residential treatment facility for children with behavioral and emotional problems – then in the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City’s early childhood department. She eventually left education to work for a friend of hers, Brenda Pelofsky, who ended up serving as Swope Health’s Executive Vice President for 22 years.

“At a dinner party, I learned that Brenda was starting a new State of Missouri initiative integrating individuals with mental health diagnoses into the workforce, and she invited me to work with her,” she said. “Brenda subsequently led Swope Health’s mental health program and fundraising under E. Frank Ellis’ leadership. I joined her in the development department.”

Her time at Swope Health

Stevens became Swope Health’s Associate Director of Development in 1980 and was closely tied to the fundraising efforts for the health center. While there, she earned her Master of Public Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She created “Trick-or-Treat Village,” which was a Halloween event that also advertised Swope Health inside the Ward Parkway Shopping Center.

“There were around 30 Victorian painted houses that were built by the Carpenters Union and filled with volunteers in costumes who gave out treats and information. That helped Swope Health draw some attention beyond Troost Avenue, which was a big accomplishment,” Stevens said.

Stevens also helped coordinate “roasts” of notable figures in Kansas City, where the public could attend and make playful jokes towards the “roastee” at the fundraising event. It started with a banking executive Gene Periera, and went on to include notable Kansas Citians, including Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II. The fundraising continued to grow in popularity over the years.

“I think my biggest accomplishments at Swope Health was having the good fortune at the Trick-or-Treat Village and the roasts. I got one of the radio stations to do public service announcements – which was a huge deal in the media climate at the time,” she said.

Her next chapter

Stevens’ main responsibility at Swope Health was to raise awareness of the health center to the Kansas City community. After successfully accomplishing that, she reconnected with two of her high school classmates. Herb Koahn and Bob Bernstein, who are successful businessman and Kansas City advocates, wanted her assistance at Bernstein-Rein Advertising as the director of corporate relations.

“Herb called me one day and told me that Bob wanted Bernstein-Rein to better organize their commitment to the community, which has always been a strong value at the agency. Through my 13 years working in urban Kansas City, I understood the nonprofits’ mindset and Bob wanted me to help professionalize what they do,” Stevens said. “I accepted the job and have learned a lot in 30 years.”

Through Bernstein-Rein, Stevens has worked with multiple departments including creative, media, and research to meet the needs of our pro-bono clients. She helped around 100 nonprofits to find ways to assist them. Some notable work that she’s done locally includes her assistance with branding the Kauffman Center’s front letterhead and the support of the Nelson Atkins Museum’s mini golf course. While her duties and hours have changed, she’s been doing special projects there since 2014.

“I semi-retired for a couple of years to help take care of my late husband when he had renal disease,” she said. “After he passed away, Bob called and asked me to come back. He wanted to keep the agency’s promise of reaching out to the community alive.”

Over the years, Stevens has served on several non-profit boards, such as Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City, the Heartland Men’s Chorus, and in the late 1990s, she joined Swope Health’s board of directors. She credits her time at Swope Health for laying the groundwork to allow her to make such an impact to the Kansas City community and other nonprofits.

“Being at Swope Health gave me 13 years of waking up every day, knowing that the work I was doing affected other people’s lives for the better. It was a great stepping stone for my career,” Stevens said.

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Swope Health Alumni Series: Meet Kimiko Black Gilmore

Tanner Cobb — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 16:52:16 +0000

Since her family relocated to Kansas City in the early 1980s, Kimiko Black Gilmore has fallen in love with the city. She’s dedicated her career to the Kansas City community, and currently holds the dual role of deputy city manager and executive director of convention and entertainment facilities in her third stint working for the City of Kansas City, MO. While Kansas City has made strides under her watch, it wouldn’t have been possible if not for her time serving through Imani House and Swope Community Builders.

Where it all began

One Sunday in 1993, Gilmore was speaking with Reverend Emanuel Cleaver II at St. James United Methodist Church and mentioned that she was pursuing new job opportunities. He connected her with his wife, Dianne Cleaver, who was a mental health director at Swope Health at the time. Thanks to the Cleaver’s, Gilmore became the first case manager at Imani House – Swope Health’s substance use disorder outpatient treatment center.

“When I look back at my career, I feel that Dianne and Reverend Cleaver were a huge part of it,” Gilmore said. “I had worked at a substance abuse organization in Kansas and at MOCSA (Metropolitan Organization Countering Sexual Assault), and I’m not sure if I would have continued in this field if not for them.”

With the official title of substance abuse case manager, Gilmore crafted the position and enjoyed the staff of counselors she worked alongside. The tight-knit group had a mixture of older and younger professionals, all of whom learned from one another. Gilmore stayed at Imani House for three years.

“At Imani House, I learned how important the community is to your health and wellbeing because when your community is broken, it leaves you at risk to be broken, as well,” she said. “I worked with individual patients and substance abuse groups, which included patients’ families. I loved how individuals would leave Imani House at their strongest because they were willing to come in and work through their issues.”

Exploring her options

Following her tenure at Imani House, Gilmore was looking for a change, so she joined the Navy Reserves for four years. That led to her working in cryptology, which is the study and practice of secure communication.

“I have fond memories of my time as a cryptologist in the Navy, but I didn’t make a career out of it,” Gilmore said. “I got married and initially moved to Jacksonville, Florida, then to New Orleans, Louisiana. When our parents were both ill, we moved back to Kansas City, and I started working for the Gore-Lieberman campaign.”

Gilmore’s first position for the City of Kansas City was in 2000 when she was an aide to Councilman Terry Riley. She served there for three years, then returned to a familiar area as the Community Relations Director for Swope Community Builders – now known as Community Builders of Kansas City.

“We were a one-stop shop that worked with the neighborhoods doing cleanups and trainings. We made sure that the community understood what we were trying to do, that we didn’t make promises we couldn’t keep, and that we advocated for the neighborhoods at City Hall,” she said.

The Shops on Blue Parkway, the Mt. Cleveland Townhomes, and the Twin Elms Apartments are a few of the developments that Gilmore helped establish. While she never technically worked for Swope Health, she always felt connected to the health center.

“E. Frank Ellis did a good job in making sure that each organization under that umbrella felt like they were a cohesive group,” Gilmore said. “Swope Health is a trusted partner in Kansas City, specifically on the east side, and it felt like family.”

Back to the City of Kansas City

Gilmore left Swope Community Builders in 2006 to be Senator Claire McCaskill’s Deputy Regional Director. Two years later, she returned to the City of Kansas City.

“I had an opportunity to return to the city as the assistant to the city manager under Wayne Cauthen. I wasn’t thinking about leaving the senator, but I knew what the new position would do for my career, and it was like the previous roles that I had at that point,” she said.

Eventually, Troy Shulte became the city manager and promoted Gilmore to assistant city manager. She held that role for nearly six-and-a-half years and left to be chief of staff at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2018.

“I was one of the UMKC alumni who brought In Dr. C. Mauli Agrawal as the new chancellor. We hadn’t really spoken before he got the offer, but he wanted me on his cabinet,” Gilmore said. “I told him that I hadn’t worked in academia before and I wouldn’t know where to start, but he’s a persuader; I accepted, and worked there for more than two years.”

Once again, Gilmore returned to the City of Kansas City in 2021. She began as deputy city manager and added executive director of convention and entertainment facilities in 2022 to her job duties.

“We’re thriving as a city right now, and we’re on a trajectory that nobody would have imagined 10 or 15 years ago,” she said. “I’m excited about that and can circle that back to when I was with Swope Health and truly understood what and who Kansas City is. Swope Health makes prosperity equitable through providing health and development. If we could clone that around the city, we would be in a great place.”

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Swope Health Alumni Series: Meet Dianne Cleaver

Tanner Cobb — Fri, 30 May 2025 13:26:22 +0000

Dianne Cleaver dedicated nearly half of a century to working in the Kansas City community, with the longest tenure of her career at Swope Health. While here, she learned lots about the healthcare field and gained valuable experience that opened doors to many more prominent positions.

Roots at Swope Health
Cleaver began her Swope Health career in 1980, after a short stint as a case worker and six years as Jackson County’s Director of Special Recreation.

“I was interested in the behavioral health field and familiar with Swope Health from its Model Cities Corporation days,” Cleaver said. “Before I started, Swope Health had received a federal grant and designation as a Community Mental Health Center, which brought in significant expansion and job opportunities.”

In the early 1980s, Cleaver oversaw two behavioral health programs: the Partial Hospital Program, which was a day treatment program, and the Chronic Services Program – a persistent memory program. Eventually, she served as the mental health director for 12 years.

“I managed all the mental health programs that had expanded during my tenure and have continued to expand since I left,” she said. “I also provided outpatient counseling for individual adults with mental health issues.”

Cleaver left her mark at Swope Health by leading programmatic development of three residential treatment programs: Imani House for substance abuse treatment, along with Harris and Franklin Houses for the seriously mentally ill. Swope Community Builders provided physical development for these programs.

“I felt like I was making an impact in the community and addressing important needs where there had been a gap. It was a rewarding, meaningful role and I had an enjoyable experience,” Cleaver said.

The next chapter
After serving at Swope Health for nearly 18 years, Cleaver decided the time had come to pursue new opportunities. She joined Truman Medical Center (now University Health) as director of community development.

“I knew about Truman as a lifelong Kansas Citian and because Swope Health frequently interfaced with them for services. I served in a senior executive capacity for policy and program development. There, I provided leadership on legislative and governmental efforts at the local, state, and federal levels.”

Next, Cleaver worked for then-Governor of Missouri Bob Holden as a senior policy fellow and coordinator of Missouri’s Initiative for Children and Families. She later spent time in various roles at Kansas City Public Schools, including chief administrative officer. In 2005, Cleaver became President of Symmetry Consulting where she provided management consultation for a variety of educational and human service organizations.

“As an independent consultant, I worked with a national organization that focused on high school reform work,” Cleaver said. “That led to me leaving the district and doing my own work for about seven-and-a-half years.”

Career in leadership
In every role, Cleaver developed leadership expertise and eventually joined a community and civic leaders’ group focused on addressing poverty and disinvestment on the east side of Kansas City — two causes close to her heart. That group established the Urban Neighborhood Initiative with a goal of partnering with neighborhoods to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and historic racial inequities to build healthy neighborhoods.

“After a year around the table with these civic leaders,” Cleaver recalled, “it was decided that we needed to start a new organization dedicated to the east side and I was asked to become the first chief executive officer.”

She spent a decade at Urban Neighborhood Initiative including one year on the planning committee and nine years as the president and CEO.

“We worked with 10 neighborhoods, and we made some positive impact while realizing it’s a long-term process at the same time,” Cleaver said. “I think some of the neighborhoods got stronger. They accomplished some things with our support and their hard work.”

Life after retirement
In 2021, Cleaver decided it was time to retire. While she has more time to travel and spend time with her family, she still stays busy.

“Now, I’m doing more work with my church – I’m a co-leader of one of the organizations within the church. I’m also on a few boards, one of the which is in Washington, D.C.”

While reflecting on her career, Cleaver feels appreciative of her time at Swope Health. Not only did the people she worked with at the health center make her job more enjoyable; she also learned pivotal lessons that helped her throughout her career.

“My time at Swope Health absolutely helped me throughout the rest of my career,” Cleaver said. “That’s where I learned to be an administrator, a supervisor, and how organizations function in the non-profit sector.”

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Hepatitis Awareness Month: Educate yourself today

Tanner Cobb — Tue, 20 May 2025 13:50:09 +0000

May is designated as Hepatitis Awareness Month, which helps raise awareness of the disease and encourages those to learn their status. Swope Health started the Hepatitis C program in 2019, which has seen a significant increase in patient-count over the years.

Rachel Melson, DNP, FNP C is the Director

of the Swope Health Outreach Clinic and has been a key contributor to the program’s creation and success. It started as a pilot program in 2019 and went on to become a key health program in line with other chronic disease management programs at Swope Health.

“There was such a backlog of people who didn’t have access to care that we saw 50 patients in the first 90 days,” Melson said. “A few patients didn’t need treatment or needed to go to a specialist to treat advanced liver disease, but out of the 42 who were left, 100% of them were cured.”

Due to the success of that trial, Swope Health has continued to treat Hepatitis C and spread it to multiple providers and clinical sites across the Kansas City region.

“Now, we are getting close to 700 patients who have started treatment since 2019,” she said.

The CDC recommends that every adult over the age of 18 get tested for Hepatitis C at least once in their lifetime. Swope Health offers Hepatitis C testing, treatment, and screenings with rapid results. The services are provided at the Swope Health primary care clinics, along with different locations with the Mobile Unit that travels to shelters for people who are unhoused or in recovery spaces.

“We have point of care testing, which means you can get a Hep C test result within 20 minutes, right along with an HIV test that takes 15 minutes. We can do that with a finger poke, which every clinic has access to,” she said. “If someone has a positive test, we get them in for an appointment with one of our treating providers within two weeks.”

Accessing a cure for Hepatitis C is simpler than ever. To treat Hepatitis C, most patients either take three daily pills for eight weeks or one daily pill for 12 weeks. Swope Health takes a final set of labs with the patient once they finish their treatment, to determine if they’ve been cured. If so, they’re cured from Hepatitis C forever.

“The only way to know if you have Hepatitis C is to get tested,” Melson said. “Since Hepatitis C doesn’t have many obvious symptoms, routine testing is the only way we know if someone has been exposed and needs treatment. Left untreated, Hepatitis C can cause liver failure, liver cancer, and even death.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 2.4 million are people living with Hepatitis C. Do you need to know your status? Make an appointment at Swope Health today by clicking here.

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Swope Health Alumni Series: Meet Sonja Bachus

Tanner Cobb — Fri, 16 May 2025 13:16:52 +0000

Sonja Bachus has a passion for serving the community, and that’s exactly what she’s done over the last two-plus decades in the health care field. The newly appointed Chief Experience Officer of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has worked her way up in the industry, which includes being the CEO of two separate health organizations. This long, impactful journey started at Swope Health.

The start of her second career

Bachus didn’t always work in the healthcare field. She started off in banking, mortgage servicing, and mortgage financing with a position in Memphis, Tennessee. She eventually returned home to Kansas City for another mortgage company.

“As the mortgage business continued to change, and reached a boiling point, I thought it was a good time to make a change,” Bachus said. “I started off in healthcare with a staffing agency, then I took on a special project with Swope Health.”

Bachus came to Swope Health in 2003 in what she thought would be a short-term contractor position with Human Resources – but stayed eight years.

“It was the first time that I saw behavioral health, physical health, dental care, and optometry all in the same location,” she said. “The longer I stayed at Swope Health doing special projects, the more embedded my heart got into the work it did.”

Eventually, Bachus became the project coordinator for Jimmy Brown, who was Swope Health’s vice president of operations at the time.

“I learned about healthcare operations when I worked as a project coordinator. I was also responsible for service excellence, bringing the patient’s voice forward, handling complaints, and things like that,” she said.

In 2006, she was promoted to assistant administrator. Eventually, Bachus transitioned into Electronic Medical Record (EMR) implementation trainer, then service line administrator. She wore many hats.

“I’m inquisitive and willing to help anywhere. If we were stuck and didn’t have coverage at the front desk, I would jump in and handle it,” Bachus said. “It humbles you to see operations through a different lens and take the voice of those team members to the leadership table.”

Expanding her career

Bachus never intended to leave Swope Health. However, she felt the need to serve in different ways – particularly around EMR work.

“I thought I would retire from Swope Health but believe everyone has a call to serve in different ways in our lives. EMR implementation and optimization and how we bring people together piqued my interest, which is what took me to HCA Healthcare,” she said.

After two years at HCA, Bachus branched out to the West Coast. She accepted the role of assistant director at the Institute of Clinical Orthopedics and Neurosciences in Palm Springs, California. Soon after, Jimmy Brown – who was Bachus’ supervisor at Swope Health – had become the CEO at HealthNet in Indianapolis, Indiana, and told her about a Deputy Chief Operating Officer opening. She applied for and was offered the role, which she accepted.

“I wanted to be at the executive table when I came back to the Midwest, and this role checked all the boxes for me,” Bachus said. “I loved the two hospital systems, but I also have a passion for community health, and working in hospital systems solidified that for me.”

Becoming a CEO

In 2017, Bachus became Chief Operating Officer at HealthNet. Two years later, she heard about a Chief Executive Officer opening in Brandywine, Maryland, and took a leap.

“Every CEO has their first time as a CEO unless they start a company, so I decided to try,” she said. “Since I had varied experience and led a large portion of a mid-sized health center at HealthNet, I was in a good position to take over that role.”

Bachus became a first-time CEO for Greater Baden Medical Services, where she served for more than three years. Following a long absence from her home state, she returned to Kansas in 2022 when she accepted a CEO position at the Community Care Network of Kansas.

“In 2019, I moved to Maryland in April, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in September, and she passed away in December. There was this ache in my heart to return home to be closer to my family,” Bachus said.

Her impact at NACHC

Following five years of CEO experience, Bachus was recruited to NACHC – which advocates, trains, and funds health centers across the nation. She started as senior vice president last December before being promoted to CXO in April.

“Even though you’re not touching lives directly, you’re indirectly touching the lives of millions of people. It puts another level and layer of responsibility when you recognize that everything you do influences 1,496 health centers and 32.5 million patients,” she said.

Over the last 13 years, Bachus has made a large impact working at six different health organizations. Still, she watched Swope Health from afar throughout her career and considered it as the gold standard on how she judges health centers.

“Swope Health has always been a leader at meeting the needs of community. They do it differently and take ideas that are talked about and make them into a reality,” she said. “They’ve always had forward thinking about what’s next, how they can better serve the community, and set a standard.”

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