By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
OPI techs earn Canon kudos
biz mlee opi james pat 01sm
James Weatherman, left, and Patrick Jacobs, OPI technicians, earned national recognition by passing rigorous Canon testing. - photo by COURTESY PHOTO
Updated: Oct 15, 2010, 1:52 PM
Published: Oct 15, 2010, 1:54 PM

 

 

 

Two Office Products Inc. technicians recently passed the Canon ATSP exams, accomplishments that place them at the top of their field.

Patrick Jacobs and James Weatherman passed different segments of the Canon Association of Technical Service Professionals program tests. Along with this comes prestige and national recognition, said Willie Spires, OPI service manager.

"These ATSP exams are extremely rigorous," Spires said. "Patrick and James demonstrated their in-depth knowledge and expertise by passing these tests. It is a very prestigious accomplishment."

"All OPI copier technicians are factory trained," Spires noted, "but these two have reached all levels and are fully trained and certified on the entire line of Canon ImageRunner copiers that OPI carries. This includes the new Advanced ImageRunner series with the newest digital color technology."

Canon factory training facilities are located in Dallas, Texas. Jacobs and Weatherman have attended many schools there, which made them eligible to participate in the Canon ATSP program. The testing is administered at Fort Hays State University.

The successful completion of the exams allowed Jacobs, senior technician, and Weatherman to gain certifications at a national level. Jacobs traveled to Hays twice and gained certification in the advanced high-speed digital technician for black/white segment and in the digital color technician segment, while Weatherman’s recent certification is in the low-mid speed digital technician for black/white segment.

"Not all Canon dealers employ technicians of this caliber," Spires said. "Patrick and James volunteered to further their education because they strive to be the best and want to better serve our customers."

Jacobs was one of the first at OPI to achieve and maintain this level of certification. But this was the first testing for Weatherman.

"We are proud that James achieved this level on his first try, especially because there is a 70 percent failure rate nationally," Spires noted. "OPI customers are in good hands."

OPI is located at 1204 Main in Great Bend, 516 Broadway in Larned and 724 Main in Russell.
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.