KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 5, 2023) – On Wednesday, June 15, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library – Plaza Branch (4801 Main St., Kansas City, Mo., 64112), Swope Health will host a panel discussion concerning healthcare access and health equity. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served at 5 p.m., and the conversation will begin at 6 p.m.
The discussion, moderated by Ruth Ramsey, publisher and editor in chief of Our Health Matters, a Kansas City-based magazine offering health and wellness guidance, will feature panelists Jeron Ravin, J.D., president and CEO of Swope Health; Carla Gibson, vice president of programs for the REACH Healthcare Foundation; Sharla Smith, Ph.D., MPH, Associate Professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine; and Michael Wells, senior special collections librarian for the Kansas City Public Library’s Missouri Valley Collection, who has written extensively about Kansas City’s segregated past, healthcare access, and more. Topics to be explored during the conversation include Kansas City’s record in healthcare access, an examination of current data on disparities in healthcare among people of color vs. white individuals, and policies and initiatives to drive change. At the conclusion of the moderated discussion, the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panel.
“The reality that negative health outcomes disproportionately affect communities of color worldwide is well documented, but how do we change the trajectory in Kansas City? We must start by engaging conversations concerning the social drivers of health today with a focus toward the future,” said Ravin. “Achieving healthcare equity for all communities takes a multi-faceted approach. This panel was specifically assembled through that lens. I look forward to a solutions-oriented, action-prompting discussion.”
Please contact Bridget Locke, director of strategic communications at Swope Health, at blocke@swopehealth.org or (816) 599-5554 if you wish to interview Ravin in advance of the June 15 event. There will also be opportunities to speak with Ravin and the panelists from 5:15- 5:35 p.m., immediately preceding the discussion, which will end at approximately 7:30 p.m.
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Swope Health, the leading provider of healthcare for underserved individuals and communities in greater Kansas City, has provided comprehensive primary care and behavioral health services for more than 50 years. Recognized as a patient-centered medical home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, Swope Health’s commitment to an integrated model of healthcare aligns with its mission of improving community health and wellness by delivering accessible, quality, comprehensive patient care. Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and The Joint Commission, Swope Health is also recognized as a Federally Qualified Health Center. Annually, Swope Health serves more than 46,000 patients at 16 centers located throughout the area including Kansas City, Belton, Independence, Kansas City North, Hickman Mills and Wyandotte County, Kan. Learn more at swopehealth.org.
