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St. Rose technology allows immediate access to HaysMed cardiologists
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Cathy Boyd, RN, and Ed Habash, PA-C, prepare a St. Rose Health Center cardiac patients data for transmission to a cardiologist at Hays Medical Center.
Updated: Feb 12, 2016, 9:28 PM
Published: Feb 12, 2016, 9:30 PM

    When Ed Habash notices a possible warning sign of a heart problem, he now has new technology that allows him immediate access to a cardiologist.

          Habash, a physician assistant at St. Rose Health Center, uses an iPad to share detailed information with Hays Medical Center cardiologists whenever he has questions.

 HaysMed and Centura Health co-own St. Rose.

          “We can send a picture of the EKG and blood-test results to the on-call cardiologist with the iPad,” Habash said. “We also have one-on-one phone conversations about our patient.

          “All the cardiologists at HaysMed respond quickly and have been extremely accommodating to me, as well as to my colleagues who also use this technology,” he continued. “This system is great because it allows an informed consultation and guides us to the next step of establishing a plan of care for the patient.”

          The iPad comes in handy when someone arrives at St. Rose’s Convenient Care Walk-in Clinic with symptoms that could be heart related or could be something else. It provides clear, easy-to-read information to health-care providers through a secure connection.

          “Whenever there is a questionable symptom, we want to conduct diagnostic tests and then seek a consultation with a specialist,” Habash said. “It is invaluable having the HaysMed team working with us one-on-one to determine the disposition of the patient.”

          “The result,” Habash added, “is having enough information in the right hands to make a diagnosis and decide on a course of treatment.”

          The iPad is just one of many benefits to St. Rose and HaysMed because of their participation in the recently formed Kansas Heart and Stroke Collaborative.

          St. Rose, HaysMed and the University of Kansas Hospital recently teamed up with other facilities in Kansas to improve overall outcomes for patients who have suffered a heart attack or stroke, explained Mark Mingenback, St. Rose director of marketing and public relations.

          “There will be much more to come in the near future as a direct result of this important collaborative,” Mingenback said. “We are eager to be part of this effort to improve patient education, while networking with other facilities to provide quality 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, Cardiac Rehab, Special Nursing Services, 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.