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Sunflowers EEC offers services to preemies and their families
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McKinley Phillips holds Judah, left, and Charlie Smith during a visit to their familys home. Phillips is an early childhood special education teacher at Sunflowers Early Education Center, which has provided the Smith family with early intervention services.
Updated: Apr 25, 2017, 7:00 PM
Published: Apr 25, 2017, 6:16 PM

Sunflower’s Early Education Center began working with Charlie and Judah Smith shortly after the infants’ release from a neo-natal intensive care unit.
The twins were 12 weeks premature, which put them at established risk for developmental delay and automatically eligible for EEC services.
Today, Charlie and Judah are thriving, thanks to the EEC, said their parents, Stacy Nowlin and Zack Smith.
The EEC staff wanted to share the family’s story in observance of the Week of the Young Child, which runs from April 24-28.
“The staff at the EEC started by helping us learn how to encourage the children to roll over,” Nowlin said. “Charlie had some tightness in her neck that had prevented this.
“After she and her brother were able to roll over and play on the floor, we moved on to crawling,” she continued. “Charlie is now up and walking and Judah is close behind.”
The EEC also has helped Judah with feeding concerns “and now we know more about when to introduce new foods,” Nowlin added.
Sunflower visits the family’s home in La Crosse to provide therapies. At first, the visits were weekly; now they are once or twice a month.
If the non-profit agency was not available “we would have to travel for these services,” said Zack Smith. “We would be driving to doctors’ and therapists’ offices all the time with new questions.
“And since the services are free, we can make sure the children get what they need without a financial burden,” he added. “The early ed center reassures us about what to expect as the twins grow up. We are getting a head start on their development.”
McKinley Phillips, EEC early childhood special education teacher, has been collaborating with the family since the twins were 5 months old.
They were born at 28 weeks gestation with low birth weights, which made them automatically eligible for EEC services. They are now 17 months old.
“Premature births can sometimes result in developmental delays during the first two years of life,” Phillips said. “Charlie and Judah are thriving as they meet developmental milestones with the support of our multi-disciplinary team. In addition to helping with their motor skills, we share nutritional expertise so the twins continue to maintain healthy weights.
“Just as important, we have been connecting with their parents from day one,” she added. “We are here to answer their questions today, as well as prepare them for needs they might have in the future. Stacy and Zack have been great partners throughout this journey.”

Preemie referrals
Preemies are automatically referred to Sunflower for a variety of reasons. Factors include weeks of gestation; low birth weight; intubation; extended oxygen use; extended hospital stays; and/or history of seizures.
The Sunflower EEC staff, which consists of ECSE teachers, physical therapists and speech-language pathologists, collaborates to find the best services for children and families, said Heather Quillin, Sunflower children’s services coordinator.
“Our specialists bring a high level of professionalism to families’ needs,” Quillin said. “But our expertise is just part of it. We build relationships with families, which is crucial to all early intervention services. We find the best fit for everyone involved.”
The EEC is the only place in central Kansas that offers these comprehensive early intervention services and coaches parents to be active participants, Quillin noted.
“The EEC works closely with the family to address their concerns, as well as coach them on ways to promote their child’s development,” Quillin commented. “We work extremely hard to empower parents to be active teachers in their child’s life.
“So much happens between EEC visits, when caregivers have the opportunity to teach their children. We will do all we can to help them overcome or diminish delays. If we can empower parents, many children may no longer need services when they leave the EEC.”
The EEC, which is part of the tiny-k network in Kansas, serves children from birth to age 3. Its service area includes Barton, Pawnee, Rice, Rush and Stafford counties. For more information, call 620-792-4087.
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.