Swope Health is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking the occasion with a gala dinner featuring a presentation by Dr. Peter Salgo, a practicing anesthesiologist, professor and healthcare futurist.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 at the Intercontinental Hotel, 401 Ward Parkway on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Tickets are available at https://swopehealth.org/gala/.
“Founded in 1969, we are among the earliest health centers formed through President Lyndon Johnson’s ‘War on Poverty,’” said Michelle Keller, Vice President, Community Engagement, Development and Outreach. “There are only a handful of health centers that can claim 50 years of continuous healthcare to the underserved. The gala gives us an opportunity to celebrate our rich history of service.”
Swope Health’s First Clinic
Swope Health’s first clinic was in the basement of Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church. In its first year, with a $100,000 budget, Swope Health served 2,000 patients. Today, Swope Health operates nine clinics and supports 45,000 patients in more than 245,000 encounters each year. Swope Health’s services include comprehensive primary and preventive care for children and adults, as well as dental, behavioral health, optical, pharmacy and related services.
Like all 1,700 federally qualified health centers in the United States, Swope Health provides healthcare regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. Patients include low-income working families, the medically underserved and uninsured, high-risk and vulnerable populations like the homeless and public housing residents.
Jeron Ravin
Meet the CEO, Jeron Ravin
The gala also will introduce Jeron Ravin, who was named Swope Health’s new president and CEO, following the retirement of former president and CEO Dave Barber in August. Ravin will discuss the opportunities for the next 50 years of service at Swope Health and introduce Dr. Salgo, who will comment on the future of healthcare and medicine.
“The essence of medicine has not changed, although we now have a much larger array of tools and medicines to make people’s lives better,” said Dr. Salgo. “The essence of medicine is human to human care, providing caring, mercy and warmth to people in need.
Dr. Salgo
Presentation by Dr. Peter Salgo
“Our challenge,” says Dr. Salgo, “is to help people benefit substantively with healthcare.”
In his remarks at the Swope Health 50th anniversary, Dr. Salgo is expected to provide insights on medical trends, healthcare delivery and medicines and devices in development. He is a passionate advocate for providing patients with up-to-date and accurate medical information to understand and affect complex health issues.
Swope Health is also using this week to focus attention on the public health and safety benefits of wearing a face mask. Swope Health joins cities and organizations across the country in the #MaskUp campaign, which encourages using a mask in public, keeping physical distance and practicing frequent hand washing. Our associates and patients are sending in photos of their mask-wearing style for social media promotion.
