Joint Venture Between Topeka Ear, Nose and Throat and Stormont-Vail HealthCare Provides Community Improved Access to Care

INVITATION TO MEDIA: Members of the media are invited to a VIP-ribbon cutting and open house from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17, at the ExcellENT Surgery Center located at 920 S.W. Lane St. This is an invitation – only event and is not open to the public.

To attend the open house or to arrange coverage, please contact Nancy Burkhardt, Director of Marketing, by calling her at (785) 354-6927 or paging at (785) 575-5493.

(Topeka, Kan., Feb. 12, 2008) -- In a cooperative effort to provide high quality, convenient care for patients, Stormont-Vail HealthCare and Topeka Ear Nose and Throat (Topeka ENT) have completed construction of a new medical office building and surgery center on the northeast corner of S.W. 10th and Lane Streets, one block east of Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center. On Sunday, Feb. 17, from 2 to 4 p.m., the Topeka ENT physicians and staff along with Stormont-Vail HealthCare will celebrate with an open house and preview of the ExcellENT Surgery Center and Topeka ENT clinic.

The new 24,000-square-foot facility houses the Topeka ENT practice and two procedure rooms for outpatient ear, nose and throat surgeries. It has two floors, with 12,000 square feet on each floor. Growth of the Topeka ENT practice has created need for the new facility. “With the variety of services we offer and the number of patients we see here on a daily basis, we have outgrown our present facility in the Continental Medical Building,” said Michael D. Franklin, M.D., FACS, founder of the Topeka ENT group.

"The project is an opportunity to improve access to care and further our mission," said Maynard Oliverius, president and chief executive officer, Stormont-Vail HealthCare. "We are pleased to be working with the Topeka ENT physicians on this project. The goal is to provide easy access to quality care for the growing number of patients who need ear, nose and throat care. This ties well with Stormont-Vail’s mission of Working Together to Improve the Health of Our Community."

Topeka Ear Nose and Throat is made up of four doctors, two physician’s assistants, two audiologists, two speech pathologists, six nurses and about 20 additional staff members. A fifth physician will join the practice this summer.