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New members appointed to Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualifications
gbtribune news
Updated: Jun 2, 2018, 7:00 PM
Published: Jun 1, 2018, 4:45 PM

TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court appointed Diane Azorsky, Leawood, and reappointed three other members to the Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualifications.
Their terms end June 30, 2022.
Azorsky is a non-attorney representative on the commission. She is executive director of Gift of Life, Overland Park.
She succeeds Valdenia Winn, a non-attorney member from Kansas City, Kan. Winn is a professor at Kansas City Kansas Community College and a member of the Kansas House of Representatives.
Reappointed were: District Judge Brenda Cameron, Olathe; Allen Glendenning, attorney, Great Bend; and Retired District Judge Larry Hendricks, Topeka.
Cameron serves in Johnson County of the 10th Judicial District. Hendricks recently retired from his position in Shawnee County of the 3rd Judicial District.
The commission is charged with helping the Supreme Court exercise its responsibility in judicial disciplinary matters.
The 14-member commission includes six active or retired judges, four attorneys, and four non-attorneys. Members are assigned to one of two panels and meet in alternating months. The chair of the commission chairs one panel, while the vice chair heads the second panel.
Cameron currently is vice chair of the Commission on Judicial Qualifications and is chair of Panel A, which will include Azorsky. Other Panel A members are: James Cooper, nonattorney member, Lawrence, and vice chair of the panel; Terrence Campell, attorney, Lawrence; Retired District Judge Robert Fairchild, Lawrence, who served in Douglas County of the 7th Judicial District; Norman Kelly, attorney, Salina; District Magistrate Judge Mary Thrower, Minneapolis, who serves in Ottawa County of the 28th Judicial District.
Chief Judge Nicholas St. Peter, Winfield, serves in Cowley County of the 19th Judicial District. He chairs the Commission on Judicial Qualifications and is chair of Panel B. Glendenning and Hendricks serve on Panel B. Other Panel B members are: Diane Sorensen, attorney, Wichita, and vice chair of the panel; Chief Judge Bradley Ambrosier, Elkhart, who serves in Grant, Haskell, Morton, Seward, Stanton, and Stevens counties of the 26th Judicial District; Sister Rosemary Kolich, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, nonattorney member, Leavenworth; Susan Lynn, nonattorney member, Iola.
Douglas Shima, clerk of the appellate courts, is secretary to the commission.
Pawnee Valley Community Hospital now offers proven PAD treatment
pvch-set-pad
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.