MDNews - Greater Kansas

SINCE THE LATE 1800s, Kansas families have relied upon Via Christi Hea lth for a c c e s s t o q u a l i t y c a r e p r o - v i d e d i n t h e c o m p a s s i o n a t e a n d dignified manner that everyone deserves. Today, as part of Ascension's national ministry, Via Christi continues to play a critical role in the health and economic vitality of communities across the state. In fact, it is Kansas' largest provider of adult and pediatric healthcare services, with eight hospita l campuses stretch- ing from Wichita to Pittsburg to the Manhattan and Wamego areas. In Wichita , its t wo la rgest acute- ca re hospita ls, Via Christi Hospita l St. Fra ncis a nd Via Christi Hospita l St. Joseph, serve as "training ground" for one of the largest and most prestigious family medicine residency programs in the nation. They a lso oer a comprehensive array of specia lized care and services, partnering with hospitals and physicians throughout Kansas to provide close-to-home access to higher levels of care. "Many services can be provided in patients' home communi- ties, but others cannot," says Sherry Hausmann, Via Christi Regiona l Hospita l President. "Our goa l is to stand ready to ma ke that transition to a higher level of care as seamless as possible for our rura l partners and to get their patients back home as quickly as possible." For example, St. Francis features: + An Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center that year after year has garnered recognition for being among the nation's best + A mature Structural Heart Program with patient outcomes that are among the nation's top 10 percent + A Regiona l Burn Center and Level 1 Trauma Center that serve as training sites for The University of Kansas School of Medicine general surgery and orthopedic residents during their trauma rotations + The f i rst ba r iatr ic su rger y prog ra m i n sout h-centra l Ka nsas to ea rn accreditation from the A merica n College of Surgeons a nd A mer ica n Societ y for Metabolic a nd Ba riatric Surger y + Comprehensive oncolog y ser v ices, including a n NCI- Communit y Oncolog y Resea rch Prog ra m that ha s been long-recognized as one of the top-performers in the nation a nd brings access to clinica l tria ls to Ka nsa ns The focus at St. Joseph, which is undergoing a $50 million renovation, is fa mily ca re, including: + A NewLife Center that spans its entire fourth f loor, provid- ing a hospita l-within-a-hospita l environment for low- to hig h-risk ex pecta nt mot hers a nd a Level III Neonata l Intensive Ca re Unit to meet t he needs of cr itica l ly i l l newbor ns. The center 's specia lized sta f f includes Via Christi Clinic perinatolog ist Michael Wolfe, MD, who ma kes monthly outreach trips to see patients in western Kansas; board-certif ied in-house laborists; and neonatolo- g ists under the medica l direction of Steven Olsen, MD, of Children's Mercy Hospita l in Ka nsas Cit y. + A growing complement of inpatient a nd outpatient behav- iora l hea lth ser vices desig ned to improve access to ca re a nd avoid unnecessa r y hospita l admissions. The hospita l a lso ser ves as the tra ining g round for The Universit y of Ka nsas School of Medicine psychiatr y residents. A lso ser ving in a regiona l capacity are Via Christi Hospita l in Ma n hat ta n, recent ly recog nized a s a Blue Distinction Center for Mater n it y Ca re, a nd Via Ch r isti Hospit a l i n Pittsburg, which for a second yea r in a row has been na med to iVa ntage's list of Top 100 Rura l & Community Hospita ls. "Our goa l is to ensure that patients throughout Ka nsa s have the right ca re at the right time a nd as close to home as possible," says Ed Hett, MD, who as Chief Clinica l Off icer is helping lead Via Christi's effor ts to develop more eff icient a nd effective ways to deliver ca re. For exa mple, its accountable ca re orga nization — a sma r t, coordinated network of doctors, hospita ls a nd other hea lth- ca re prov iders — is work i ng di rect ly w it h employers i n Wich it a a nd Ma n hat t a n to i mprove t he hea lt h of t hei r employees a nd dependent fa mily members. " We're on the leading edge when it comes to developing new models of ca re," Hett says. ■ Play Key Role in Access to Close-to-home Care Via Christi Hospitals Ed Hett, MD Sherry Hausman 1 6❱❱❱❱❱ A C C E S S

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