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2011 Men of the Year Honoree: Dr. John Bentley

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Dr. John Bentley has built a career on a cornerstone of caring for others. In particular, Bentley is moved to provide medical care for Medicaid and low-income patients.

Bentley worked at St. John’s for 35 years, and his roles included serving as chief of staff. What began as a volunteer position with the Kitchen Clinic in 1980 evolved to a directorship in 1985 and, ultimately, to his role as medical director and provider with Jordan Valley Community Health Center.

The federally qualified health center, founded in 2002, provides a safety net to area individuals who might otherwise find it difficult to get the health care they need.

“We have grown from a small storefront clinic on East Division with two doctors and two nurse practitioners to a 70,000-square-foot building in center city with … 10 physicians, 12 nurse practitioners, three behavioral health practitioners, two dieticians and a large pharmacy,” Bentley says. “A dental clinic for Medicaid children was part of the original grant and continues to grow with 15 full- and part-time dentists, plus four dental hygienists and technicians, and 33 dental assistants.”

Bentley’s years of service in the medical field and in the Springfield community have not gone unnoticed. In 1999, he received the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Salute to Healthcare Award. The city of Springfield then recognized him with the Gift of Time Volunteer of the Year Award in 2000. He was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks in 2002 and received the Citizenship and Community Service Award in 2003 from Missouri State Medical Association. In 2010, Bentley was honored with the Missourian Award.

Even with these accolades and others, Bentley speaks most proudly of the role his career has played in shaping the lives and core values of his family.

“As the clinic grew, my four children, and then my grandchildren, grew and learned about the need to provide health care for all,” Bentley says. “They volunteered not only at the medical clinics, but at other service agencies.”

Former Springfield City Manager Tom Finnie credits Bentley’s efforts and character with making a positive impact well beyond his immediate family.

“John has combined his excellent skills as a doctor with an enormous capacity for caring about individuals and the collective community to change the way this critically important business operates,” Finnie says. “(He) is that rare person who combines leadership with a personal, unwavering moral compass and vision to see how things should be – not just how they are today – and making that vision a reality.”

From 2011 Men of the Year
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