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Inaugural Kickball Tourney a hit for Rosewood Services clients and employees
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Call It - Referee Rick Julian begins the coin toss between two competing teams for Rosewoods inaugural kickball tournament. Also pictured left to right are Dawn Specht, Ashley Jackson, Mallory Osuwah, Kristine Myers and Josh Trimmer.
Updated: Jul 17, 2011, 3:51 PM
Published: Jul 13, 2011, 3:53 PM

The game was kickball, not baseball, but it was still a hit for Rosewood Services Inc. More than 80 staff, clients, volunteers and fans participated in the evening event June 17, held at Great Bend Middle School. The inaugural event focuses on camaraderie through competition, and was organized by Rosewood employees Amanda Fellers and Erika Julian, explained Activity Coordinator Jennifer Stoddard.

"We started residential teams a few months ago," Stoddard said. "All through the departments we have been having contests since that time to help with team building and camaraderie. We’ve had contests in attendance and creative fund raisers to name a few."

For the kickball tourney, three residential managers each put together a team comprising their own staff and clients. Andrea Ehrlich, Heidi Freeman, and Mallory Osuwah all fielded a team of around 20 players. Team Andrea headed the Residential Rockers, Team Heidi managed the Rare Jewel, and Team Mallory led Mal’s Gals. Each team decorated their own shirts for the evening, adding to the festive competition.

On the field, the Residential Rockers were the winners, capturing both of their games in the round robin event. Rare Jewel went 1-1 on the night, winning a close contest with Mal’s Gals, which was decided by two runs. Each game lasted 35 minutes.

While each team showed an obvious desire to win the competition, the atmosphere for the nearly 60 competitors and others involved and in attendance was more about having fun. There were many shared laughs and many high fives that kept coming all evening long.

Awards were given at the end of the evening with three team awards and three individual awards. Best Team Spirit went to the Residential Rockers and Best Team Participation went to the Rare Jewels. Mal’s Gals won the Best Team Uniform.

Individually, Josh Trimmer won the Client MVP award with Evelyn Kasper captured the Staff MVP. Best leader was awarded to Charles Bortz.

In addition to the many competitors a handful of others aided in the event. Umpiring the contest was a pair of volunteers in Rick Julian and Josh Fellers. The duo shared many light moments with the competitors throughout the evening.

Five judges from Rosewood collaborated to determine the award winners and were also very active throughout the event with the teams. The judges were Stoddard, Activities Coordinator; Amanda Fellers, Director of Residential Services; Erika Julian, Senior Manager; Melonie Myers, Director of Human Resources; and Anna Hammond, Assistant Director of Human Resources.

Also in attendance were around 20 fans and family members to help make the evening a huge success. Stoddard said the event would become an annual affair.

"Everyone had a blast and it was amazing to see how well everyone worked together to have a great time," Stoddard said. "It’s true that if you’re going to work hard you’ve got to play hard, too."
Pawnee Valley Community Hospital now offers proven PAD treatment
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Sayra Santacruz, respiratory therapist, and Dusty Thacker, director of Cardiopulmonary Services at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, demonstrate supervised exercise therapy for patients with peripheral artery disease.
Published: Apr 3, 2025, 1:50 PM

Anyone who has a diagnosis of peripheral artery disease (PAD) now has access to a “proven, effective treatment” at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH), said Dusty Thacker, director of Cardiopulmonary Services.

The treatment is called supervised exercise therapy (SET) and is specifically tailored to PAD, a condition in which blood vessels to the legs and feet become narrowed or blocked. This is due to a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries that limits blood flow.

“SET is a structured workout program designed to help people improve their physical health under the guidance of a trained professional,” Thacker said. “Sessions are tailored to the person’s needs and focus on improving strength, endurance and mobility.

“The treatment also helps improve circulation, which can reduce or eliminate pain while walking.”

Exercise sessions typically involve a combination of aerobics, strength training and stretching. This includes walking on a treadmill at a moderate pace, with an incline, until the patient begins to feel mild to moderate leg pain.

The patient then rests until the pain subsides before resuming the exercise during up to 36 sessions with a registered respiratory therapist.

“SET is a key treatment approach that focuses on improving blood flow, reducing leg pain and enhancing overall mobility,” Thacker summarized.

Smoking and diabetes are the strongest risk factors for PAD, Thacker noted. Other factors include being over 75; high blood pressure and/or cholesterol; not enough physical activity; stress; diets high in saturated fats; obesity; chronic kidney disease; and family history.

“A few classic symptoms of PAD are pain, burning or cramping in your legs and feet during an activity that improve with rest,” Thacker said.

Others are leg and foot pain at night or while lying down, as well as coldness or numbness in the legs or feet. Additional possibilities are leg weakness or heaviness, slow-healing sores on feet or legs, discolored skin and leg-hair loss.

The therapist offers education about smoking cessation, a heart-healthy diet, weight management, blood pressure control and increasing physical activity.

“We are pleased that we now offer this important exercise therapy,” Thacker commented. “Many of our patients have benefited from our Cardiac Rehab and Pulmonary Rehab services by gaining control of their symptoms, improving their quality of life and reducing the risk of future hospitalizations.

“SET is a similar service. Patients with PAD now have a treatment that can help them manage symptoms and improve overall vascular health.

“We are excited to expand our cardiopulmonary services and incredibly fortunate to partner with HaysMed and the DeBakey Heart Institute. This collaboration connects our Larned community with any necessary advanced services and direct access to cardiologists. It allows us to offer specialized care close to home, significantly enhancing the quality of care and positively impacting our patients’ health and well-being.”


Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, 923 Carroll in Larned, is a 25-bed facility, offering many services not typically available in a smaller facility. Included are 24/7 emergency care; acute, skilled and specialized nursing; surgery; high-tech imaging and laboratory tests; wound care; rehabilitation; and sleep and diagnostic center. PVCH Family Medicine provides the full range of family-medicine services; physician-assisted weight loss; and women’s health services. The hospital’s number is 620-285-3161; the clinic’s number is 620-804-6007.