LAKIN, Kan. (August 31, 2021) — Kearny County Hospital was one of eight rural health organizations recently featured in “Bright Spots: Case Studies in Innovative Rural Healthcare,” a national report compiled by the Texas A&M University Rural & Community Health Institute, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, and Episcopal Health Foundation.

By highlighting “bright spot” success stories of rural communities and institutions tackling their healthcare challenges, the report’s creators hope to inspire other communities confronting similar struggles. “For every organization gridlocked by challenges, there exists an organization that has managed to adapt and overcome,” the report stated.

“Proudly, Kearny County Hospital has made great strides to overcome issues like access to care, provider staffing, and other challenges facing rural healthcare organizations across America,” said Betty Greer, President of the hospital’s Board of Trustees.

“It’s an honor to be recognized in the report – especially among so many bright ideas from other areas – but most importantly, it’s an honor to serve as a beacon of ideas for our rural health colleagues across the country.”

The eight rural health organizations selected as “bright spots” were located across Texas, Kansas, Iowa, and North Dakota. Interviews with the organizations were conducted, data collected, and case studies developed in 2019-2020.

Kearny County Hospital: Building a Mission Culture

One key reason Kearny County Hospital was highlighted in the “Bright Spots” report was its success addressing provider shortages – using a unique mission-focused recruitment strategy. Former CEO Benjamin Anderson reported that ten years ago, the hospital’s clinic staff had to turn away 50 new patients a week due to staffing shortages. Today, they have expanded their reach to serve a 20-county region with a population of around 15,000 people. Anderson credited the shift to a targeted recruitment and retention strategy, aimed at attracting and keeping providers who were raised in a rural community or have dedicated part of their careers to missionary work. Generous vacation time and professional development opportunities helped achieve long-term dedication from new recruits.

In the report, the hospital’s CEO David Hofmeister described the providers and staff Kearny County has brought together as “a small herd of unicorns, those incredibly rare but absolutely amazing team members.”

The “Bright Spots” report also highlighted Kearny County Hospital’s success in serving refugees and undocumented immigrants who have flocked to Kearny County to work in the local meat-packing industry. The Kearny County community is rich in cultural diversity. According to the report, Kearny County Hospital serves over 30 different nationalities, and as of 2018, 13 percent of Kearny County residents were born outside the U.S. As part of its mission culture, Kearny County Hospital has hired healthcare providers who speak the languages of the patients they serve – providers who are known and trusted in the various immigrant communities.

“Hiring staff with a mission mindset lays a foundation of trust for the provider-patient relationship,” said Greer. “And that results in greater community health overall.”

According to the report, the hospital’s tactical recruitment efforts, paired with its mission culture, not only expanded Kearny County Hospital’s primary care footprint by 18 percent, but it was also good for the bottom line – decreasing dependency on local tax revenues by more than 60 percent.

A third focus of the “Bright Spots” report was maternal health and infant outcomes. Rural health systems nationwide struggle to maintain obstetric services, but Kearny County Hospital prioritized recruiting OB physicians. The report noted that hospital administrators knew that if mom was cared for, she would encourage the rest of her family to seek and maintain primary care services, in turn improving the health and wellness of the entire community.

The hospital’s efforts resulted in a 67 percent increase in obstetrics volume and a 60 percent increase in primary care paneled patients over five years.

“People from 11 counties come to Kearny for OB care,” according to Kearny County Hospital Chief of Staff Drew Miller, MD, FAAFP – strong evidence that the mission focus goes beyond staffing and recruitment efforts into a multicultural approach to care.

“Kearny County Hospital is proud of its recent accomplishments and grateful to the staff and community for their support in our ongoing efforts to provide accessible, high-quality healthcare to all of the people who rely on us,” Greer said.

To learn more about the achievements of Kearny County Hospital among other high-ranking rural health institutions, read the full report here.

 

About Kearny County Hospital

Kearny County Hospital is committed to providing quality, compassionate healthcare services for our community to enrich the lives of family, friends, and neighbors. The hospital was founded in 1952 and is owned and operated by the Kearny County government to provide inpatient and outpatient hospital care, emergency medical treatment, and primary care. High Plains Retirement Village, the Kearny County Home for the Aged, was founded in 1983 to provide a nursing facility, senior housing, and long-term care services. In 1990, Kearny County Hospital began operation of the Family Health Center, which provides primary healthcare in Lakin and Deerfield. For more information, visit kearnycountyhospital.com.

 

As a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at the Kearny County Hospital Family Health Center since 1998, Tamara “Tammy” Meisel is known and loved by many across southwest Kansas. Today, as Kearny County Hospital announces her retirement this September, leaders and staff wish to recognize her outstanding contributions to the health of the local community.

“With extraordinary expertise outsized only by her passion for serving others and an understanding that women’s health is community health, Tammy has done so much for this community over the years,” said David Hofmeister, CEO. “And, as a longtime advocate for improving access to women’s health locally and everywhere, Tammy’s legacy is one of true inspiration for all our women’s health and prenatal care providers – and on behalf of the entire KCH family, we sincerely thank her.”

Reflecting on 23 years of patient care, Tammy has gratitude of her own to share. “I want to thank every single patient for giving me the privilege of being involved with their healthcare,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable or gratifying profession, and it was my patients as well as my coworkers and colleagues who made that possible. I’m also incredibly grateful to my family for their support throughout the years.”

As a team of patient care professionals, the providers at KCH appreciate the special role women hold in families and communities everywhere, and they want to assure all patients there will be no gaps in care, now or in the future. The team at the Family Health Center is available to provide personalized OB-GYN services, reproductive and menopausal healthcare, prenatal care and more. With a shared commitment to excellence, compassion and accessibility, they care deeply about supporting individuals and families through women’s health.

KCH staff providing women’s health services include:

• Kurtis Davis, MD
• Mark Frakes, MD
• Daniel Linville, MD
• Jill Linville, MD
• Drew Miller, MD, FAAFP
• Lane Olson, MD
• Simon Patton, MD
• Jackson Sobbing, DO
• Michael Wolfe, MD
• Alyssa Farrell, PA-C
• Erin Keeley, PA-C
• Alia Porter, PA-C
• Devon Shearmire, PA-C

To schedule a women’s health visit at the Family Health Center in Lakin or Deerfield, call 620-355-7550.

LAKIN, Kan. (June 11, 2021) — Kearny County Hospital is very proud to announce that Drew Miller, MD, FAAFP, has been chosen as the 2021 Family Physician of the Year by the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Miller was honored today at the KAFP’s virtual Awards and Recognition Luncheon.

To be considered for recognition as Family Physician of the Year, a provider is required to have 10 years of post-residency experience and must be currently practicing family medicine in Kansas. The KAFP follows these criteria in making its annual selection:

• Provides patients with compassionate, comprehensive and caring family medicine on a continuing basis
• Enhances the quality of their community by being directly and effectively involved in community affairs and activities
• Acts as a credible role model professionally and personally to their community, to other health professionals, residents and medical students
• Stands out among their colleagues

“It is so gratifying to see Dr. Miller receive this well-deserved honor,” said David Hofmeister, CEO of Kearny County Hospital. “He truly personifies the highest ideals of family medicine through his comprehensive patient care, his compassion for others, and his work in our community. We wholeheartedly congratulate him and couldn’t be prouder that he is a key part of our hospital.”

As Chief of Staff, Dr. Miller is board-certified and practices full scope family medicine, including obstetrical services. He also has extensive experience in procedures such as endoscopy, vasectomy, joint injections and dermatologic procedures. Dr. Miller graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his residency at Via Christi Family Medicine Residency in Wichita.

A physician at Kearny County Hospital since 2010, Dr. Miller is passionate about practicing family medicine in a rural setting. He was nominated for KAFP Family Physician of the Year in 2016 as well. The KAFP has honored Kansas family physicians with this award since 1990.

“I’m truly humbled to be recognized as the KAFP Family Physician of the Year,” said Dr. Miller. “I offer my sincere gratitude to Kearny County Hospital, my valued patients, and the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians for their support. This is definitely an honor to be cherished and celebrated.”

Dr. Miller also has been nominated as Family Physician of the Year for the national American Academy of Family Physicians award, which will be announced this fall.

 

About Kearny County Hospital

Kearny County Hospital is committed to providing quality, compassionate healthcare services for our community to enrich the lives of family, friends, and neighbors. The hospital was founded in 1952 and is owned and operated by the Kearny County government to provide inpatient and outpatient hospital care, emergency medical treatment, and primary care. High Plains Retirement Village, the Kearny County Home for the Aged, was founded in 1983 to provide a nursing facility, senior housing, and long-term care services. In 1990, Kearny County Hospital began operation of the Family Health Center, which provides primary healthcare in Lakin and Deerfield. For more information, visit kearnycountyhospital.com.