Jeron Ravin might have been born and raised in Houston, but he is solid in his commitment to Kansas City as the president and CEO of Swope Health. His title means he is in charge of the strategic direction of the health care system, but really what he does is relationship building so that the dream that Frank Ellis dreamed and initiated can keep growing and serving the community on the east side of Kansas City. 

In 1969, E. Frank Ellis envisioned health care for mind, body, and spirit as a basic human right. In the basement of Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, he founded what is now the 56-year-old health care system that serves more than 50,000 patients per year. As Jeron was quick to point out, “Frank started this venture when he was 23 years old, and he is still invested and interested in the success of Swope Health. He has been so very gracious to me in this position.”

Frank couldn’t possibly have dreamed of where Swope Health is today. It offers: primary care, pediatrics, dental care, addressing chronic conditions, optometry, behavioral health, podiatry, prescription fulfillment, and transportation. Of the people they serve in our area, 90 percent are at or below the federal poverty level. Listing their accreditations, achievements, awards, and certifications would be prohibitive for our space concerns, so suffice it to say that the organization is run on very high standards of quality and whole-person care. 

That level of care, across six metro counties with 11 health and dental clinics, seven behavioral health treatment and residential facilities, eight family care clinics, and more than 700 employees doesn’t come cheap. A couple of multi-million dollar campaigns in the last five years have realized a 33,000 square foot Adult Wellness Center and new Kids CARE facilities around the area. Now, Jeron and his ambitious board and staff have committed to a $100 million campaign to build a 12-acre campus that provides housing, health care, trails, an amphitheater, geriatric care, and much more. It is intended to be a “Purpose Built Community” and according to Jeron, “There are only 12 states that have those communities. Ultimately, ours will also have a K-12 school, so we can start educating the future health care workers and scientists!” Swope Health Village is the name of the daring initiative, and the project would occupy the space on Swope Parkway from 59th to 60th Streets. 

As if that weren’t enough for the foreseeable future, Swope Health is also involved in becoming a teaching health center. It already provides rotations for students in UMKC Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, and ATSU Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health. It is working with Kansas City University and historically Black colleges and universities to further the teaching role. 

How and why does Jeron Ravin do all of it, and how does he see the future shaping up for this transformative organization? He was first inspired to make a difference in the health care field when his own grandmother was passing and not receiving what he felt was the best care. “The health care system has so many complexities that people can’t navigate. It inspired me to try to understand and work with the system.” While working in public health and community government, he received a plethora of degrees: a bachelor of arts in journalism from Howard University; a juris doctor from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law; and a master of healthcare leadership from Brown University’s School of Professional Studies. The leadership piece of running a health care system is particularly intriguing to Jeron. His leadership position is what gives him the bandwidth to make sure that health care today is balanced, fair, equitable, and safe. 

It was while he was working as the COO for the Community Health Center Association of Mississippi, that he received a call about working for Swope Health in 2019. All he knew about Kansas City was, “It’s cold there!” But, the board members and staff involved in his recruitment were what won him over and got this relationship-builder to take the job. 

His vision for Swope Health is uniquely rooted in his past, but also in the current statistics for the area. In an alarmingly short sentence, he summed up what really drives him. “There are 2.2 miles between the original Swope Health and the Plaza; and in those miles there is a life-expectancy disparity of 12 years.” He went on to quote, “The death rate for Black pregnant women on the east side of Kansas City is higher than the top 10 deadliest professions, like lumberjacks.” 

“Our biggest challenges besides fundraising are to recruit and hire the most qualified staff. Since COVID, we have made some strides, but we still have a ways to go,” Jeron said. He realizes that the success and continued expansion of Swope Health and its ability to serve the most underserved of us is contingent upon a healthy stream of qualified applicants for the hundreds of positions it offers. But besides all of the variables and roadblocks including cuts to various government health programs, Jeron is committed to continuing to build relationships in what he calls a very generous city, where he is so impressed with the people he’s met in Our Town. “Here, they want to see and meet you! I am so fortunate to say that when I am able to engage with the people of Kansas City, I can do the work,” said Jeron. “Here, I am working to serve justice. I am doing God’s work.” 

Featured in the February 8, 2025 issue of The Independent
By Anne Potter Russ