Last Tuesday's Speaker: Bridget McCandless, MD

Bridget McCandless,  MD, MBA, FACP

Dr. McCandless has spent her career working to provide medical care to low-income, uninsured individuals. Recently, she has served the past 13 years as medical director of the Shared Care Free Clinic of Jackson County (formerly the Jackson County Free Health Clinic). Since establishing the clinic in 2001, it has served 2,500 patients with chronic medical illnesses.

She has established a multidisciplinary volunteer network that includes pharmacists, ophthalmologists, radiologic services, oral health providers, diabetes educators, mental health providers and specialty care physicians.    She also served as an inaugural member of the HCF Board of Directors from 2003-2008. During that time, she chaired HCF’s Program and Grants committee and was critical in the development of HCF’s guiding principles, ethics policy, funding focus areas, funding guidelines and grant review process.    

In 2013 the Board of Directors of the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (HCF) announced the selection of Bridget McCandless, M.D., MBA, FACP, as its new President/CEO. “It was important to the Board of Directors that we find a candidate who could build on the strong culture and foundation that was created under Steve’s leadership,” said Dr. Karen Cox, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, and chair of the HCF Board of Directors.   HCF was created in 2002 as part of the Hospital Corporation of America’s (HCA) purchase of Health Midwest. It began grantmaking in 2005 and has invested more than $160 million into its service area of Kansas City, Mo.; Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties in Missouri; and Allen, Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.