For Immediate Release
COMMUNITY CARE NETWORK OF KANSAS ANNOUNCES SONJA W. BACHUS AS THE ORGANIZATION’S NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Sonja W. Bachus joins Community Care Network of Kansas, the state’s Primary Care Association, as Chief Executive Officer.
TOPEKA, KS, JULY 19, 2022: Community Care Network of Kansas announces Sonja W. Bachus as the new Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization, Kansas’s Primary Care Association serving a network of community health centers and other nonprofit clinics. Ms. Bachus brings nearly 20 years healthcare experience serving in roles across the country. She will join Community Care in early October of 2022.
Prior to joining Community Care, Bachus served as the Chief Executive Officer of Greater Baden Medical Services, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving nearly 20,000 patients through more than 59,000 visits annually in Prince George’s, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties in Maryland. She has served as the Service Line Administrator for the satellite health centers of Swope Health Services in Kansas City, MO; had numerous roles with HCA’s MidAmerica Division IT&S, Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, CA; and Chief Operating Officer of HealthNet, Inc., Indiana’s largest FQHC located in Indianapolis, IN.
Bachus holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Washburn University, Topeka, KS; a Master of Jurisprudence in Health Law from Loyola University Chicago Law School; and the designation of Community Health Center Executive Fellow from the University of Kansas Medical Center.
“I’m excited to return home to Kansas and join the team at Community Care Network.”
“My core leadership belief is that a foundation of love, coupled with strong accountability, brings out the best in people and leads to accomplishing exceptional experiences, operational excellence, and meeting financial goals.” Stated Sonja W. Bachus. She went on to say, “I’m excited to return home to Kansas and join the team at Community Care Network. I am passionate about healthcare, the state of Kansas, building relationships, and working to expand healthcare for all. My personal beliefs, and that of Community Care Network of Kansas, are aligned. It feels like a match made in heaven and I can’t wait to hit the ground running.”
Community Care Network of Kansas conducted an extensive, nationwide search as Denise Cyzman retired as CEO in May, 2022 after serving in the role since October of 2014. Matthew Schmidt, President of the Community Care Board of Directors, stated. “One of the most consistently verbalized comments that the search committee received from our peers was the importance of finding someone who was familiar with and understood Community Health Centers.” Schmidt went on to say, “There was an understanding that we are living in ‘active waters,’ and I believe people were naming the fact they wanted someone who could come in with a solid foundation. This was indeed a characteristic that helped Sonja stand out. We were thrilled to be able to identify a candidate with the breadth of healthcare experiences Sonja has. Her passion and lifelong dedication to the mission of Community Health Centers really stood out. She will be a strong leader and advocate to improve the healthcare of all Kansans.”
As the Primary Care Association (PCA) for Kansas, Community Care supports and strengthens its members through advocacy, education and communication. Community Care’s membership includes Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Donation-Based Clinics, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Dental Clinics, as well as public and private nonprofit Community-Based Primary Care Clinics (CBPCCs).
Community Care members educate and advocate for the availability of high-quality, community-based, whole-person comprehensive healthcare across the state of Kansas. Community Care works closely with federal and state lawmakers, government agencies, and strategic partners to lead public policy discussions and secure funding.
As CEO, Sonja W. Bachus will lead Community Care Network and work closely with members, partners, and government to advance health care access for all Kansans through support, funding, and positive policy change. When asked about her approach to leading Community Care Network, Bachus stated, “I am a love leader who places people first and this approach has allowed me to lead my teams to produce excellent results. Leading with love is often a difficult prospect, as it requires us to go beyond the obvious actions involved in leading and invest more of ourselves in people. It requires cultivating meaningful relationships that position us to motivate performance, celebrate the good, and come together to manage through challenges.”
Bachus concluded by saying, “Love leadership does not supersede accountability. In fact, love leadership inspires a higher level of personal accountability and a desire to give one’s best toward achieving goals. With this in mind, we will also serve our member organizations with care, compassion, love and an intense commitment to meet their needs.”
Community Care plans to host a welcome reception in the Fall of 2022 to formally introduce Ms. Bachus once she has transitioned into her new role as CEO. More details will be forthcoming.
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For more information, contact Alice Weingartner, Chief Strategy Officer, at aweingartner@communitycareks.org or 785-233-8483.
About Community Care Network of Kansas
Community Care exists to achieve equitable access to high quality, whole-person care for all Kansans, regardless of ability to pay. As the Primary Care Association (PCA) for Kansas, Community Care supports and strengthens its members through advocacy, education and communication. Community Care’s diverse membership includes Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and Look-Alikes (LALs), as well as public and private nonprofit Community-Based Primary Care Clinics (CBPCCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).