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St. Rose Health Center offers blood screenings again
biz slt blood-screening
Karen Stewart, medical lab technician, places a blood specimen into the centrifuge at St. Rose Health Center. Stewart and Megan Dizmang, phlebotomist, are part of the St. Rose team offering monthly blood screenings. - photo by COURTESY PHOTO
Updated: Aug 13, 2015, 6:12 PM
Published: Aug 13, 2015, 6:14 PM

             Karen Stewart, medical lab technician, is part of the team that has been working to reactivate St. Rose Health Center’s blood-screening program. Those efforts will start paying off Saturday, Aug. 22.

          “With all the transitions here at St. Rose, our community blood screenings had to be put on hold for a while,” Stewart said. “But now we can start again and offer a screening every month.

          “I am eager to see all the familiar faces and welcome newcomers,” she added. “This is a great, affordable way to monitor your health.”

          The screenings are scheduled for 6:30 to 10 a.m. on the fourth Saturday of the month, with the exception of holidays. The other dates this year are Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19.

          Services include a blood profile for $25. The profile includes a complete blood count; comprehensive chemistry that analyzes more than 20 blood chemistries including electrolytes, liver enzymes and kidney functions; lipid profile for a breakdown of cholesterol numbers and triglycerides; and a thyroid test.

          Fasting for 10-12 hours before a blood profile is strongly recommended.

          However, fasting isn’t necessary for the two other blood tests that are offered - a PSA test that checks a man’s prostate and the HGBA1C test for diabetes.

          The prostate test costs $16 and the diabetes screen is $7.50. “I haven’t seen prices this affordable anywhere,” Stewart said.

          While the cost is an important consideration, the technician added, a blood test can help prevent or alleviate problems down the road.

          “For instance, I know some men who have participated in our community screenings and discovered they had prostate cancer,” Stewart said. “They caught it at an early stage.”

          Diabetics and those concerned with cholesterol oftentimes want to be checked more often than Medicare and other insurance allows. They want regular screenings so they can monitor their health throughout the year, she noted.

          Mark Mingenback, St. Rose corporate health consultant, agreed with Stewart by saying that “blood work is the roadmap for overall health. The community wanted this program and now we are in a position to oblige.”

          The screenings also fit in nicely with St. Rose’s WellnessWorks initiative, Mingenback commented.

          “Health-care reform encourages people to become more engaged in preventing illness,” he said. “Some insurance companies even offer financial incentives, depending on your plan. If you can prove your cholesterol is in the healthy range, for example, it could have an effect on your insurance premium.”

          Mingenback outlined a few other details about the new program.

 

Use the new St. Rose parking lot west of St. Rose, across from the convent.Volunteers will direct participants to their destination.No doctor referral is needed; no appointment is necessary.A short form can be completed at St. Rose or online by visiting www.strosehc.com.Results will be mailed 5-7 business days after the screening.Patients can give the results to their doctor if they choose.Cash and checks will be accepted.

 

          “We are trying to make this as convenient and affordable as possible,” Mingenback summarized. “We encourage local and area residents to participate and take an active role in their health care.”

          St. Rose specializes in primary care, prevention and wellness. Services include St. Rose Family Medicine, Convenient Care Walk-in Clinic, Great Bend Internists, imaging, infusion clinic, WellnessWorks, one-day surgical procedures, Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice and a comprehensive Specialty Clinic. St. Rose is co-owned by Hays Medical Center and Centura Health.
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.