By KHI News Service
TOPEKA — Cathy Harding, the executive director of the Kansas Assoociation for the Medically Underserved, will leave that post to become the new chief executive of the Wyandotte Health Foundation.
The announcement was made Thursday by KAMU officials. KAMU represents the state’s safety net clinics, which focus on serving the working poor who lack health insurance or are underinsured.
Harding will move to the new position starting in July. She will replace Bill Eppenheimer, who is retiring after nearly 17 years in the foundation’s CEO position.
Harding said she was drawn to the Wyandotte Health Foundation job because Mayor Mark Holland and other public officials are committed to improving the county’s health status, which annually ranks among the lowest in the state.
“When the mayor of a large metropolitan area, like Wyandotte County is, says that the top priorities for him are public works, public safety and public health, with health being one of the three priorities, that’s really amazing,” Harding said. “It just says a lot about the leadership there.”
Harding said she wants the foundation to be a long-term partner in the effort to improve the health of Wyandotte County residents.
“It’s a perfect time for the foundation to really be involved,” she said. “The county is really at a point moving forward where there could be some significant changes and I’ll be excited to be a part of that.
“To have been selected as the CEO of the Wyandotte Health Foundation is a great honor, as well as a great responsibility that I do not take lightly,” Harding said. “I’m excited about working with the board, stakeholders and citizens of this community to make an impact on the health of the county.”
The Wyandotte Health Foundation was launched in 1997 with proceeds from the sale of Bethany Medical Center to Columbia HCA. It ranks 18th on the Kansas City Business Journal’s list of top area charitable trusts and foundations. It awards more than $2 million a year in grants.
Harding is a Kansas native who previously led Ozark Tri-County Helath Consortium and served as executive director of the Flint Hills Community Health Center in Emporia before working for KAMU, where she started in 2007.