Shields to replace Bluford as Truman Medical CEO

Charles Shields will become the new president and CEO of Kansas City, Mo.-based Truman Medical Centers, replacing veteran CEO John Bluford III, who plans to retire in July.

Shields is currently the COO of TMC Lakewood, one of the safety net system's two acute-care hospitals.

“Charlie has been an outstanding leader at Lakewood, and we are excited to have him take on this new challenge, and continue the legacy that John Bluford has built over 15 years,” TMC Board Chair Peggy Dunn said in a news release.

Bluford said, "Charlie was a great addition to the TMC team four years ago, and I am confident that he has exactly the right mix of business savvy, people skills and political acumen to lead Truman through today's rapidly changing healthcare landscape."

At TMC Lakewood, Shields oversaw the addition of a birthing center, an imaging center, a center for breast cancer and the Fairmount Family Medical Care clinic, the release noted.

Shields served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1991 to 2002 and as a state senator from 2002 to 2010.

Follow John N. Frank on Twitter: @MHJFrank