Newsworthy

Dear Community Partners,

Here are today’s updates:

• Dr. Riley Williams Joins Topeka Campus Emergency Department
• Top Marks in Perinatal Care
• Congratulations, Elizabeth Herman, March Person of the Moment
• April Healthcare Recognitions

Dr. Riley Williams Joins Topeka Campus Emergency Department

We are proud to welcome board-certified emergency medicine specialist Dr. Riley Williams to the Stormont Vail Health Hospital Emergency Department in Topeka. As a board-certified specialist, Dr. Williams serves patients requiring immediate care for trauma, heart attacks, strokes, and other acute conditions.

“I’m a Topeka kid at heart,” Dr. Williams said. “I moved here because I want to be here and care about this community. I’ve intentionally educated myself and utilized all the great resources we have around this part of the country, and I take a lot of pride in that. As a doctor, I want people to know I’m down to earth. I like salt-of-the-earth type people, and that’s why I went into emergency medicine and it’s important to me to be that person for people and this community.”

Dr. Williams’ career path started as a walk-on on the Bill Snyder Family Stadium field. As an undergraduate pursuing a biology degree at Kansas State University, his interest in sports and science led him to consider work in physiology. But as his studies progressed, so did his desire for something more.

That led Dr. Williams to the University of Kansas Schools of Medicine and Business to obtain his joint MBA/M.D. with the intention of practicing sports medicine. However, his medical studies drew him closer to the Emergency Medicine specialty and melded his idea of what a doctor is and the type he wanted to be.

“It’s cliche, but I wanted to be that doctor on the airplane who could help in an emergency. Being able to help people in situations like these appealed to me, and I’m thankful to be the type of doctor I am,” he said.

Dr. Williams completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at the University Health Truman Medical Center (UHTMC)/University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine. Welcome to Stormont Vail, Dr. Williams!

Top Marks in Perinatal Care

Congratulations to the Maternal Child team for receiving Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care from The Joint Commission. The certification recognizes the team’s efforts to achieve integrated, coordinated, and patient-centered prenatal through postpartum care, including for both complicated and uncomplicated pregnancies.

“Our commitment to achieving this certification is really our commitment to our patients, their families, and our community,” said Kim Dick, Perinatal Quality Program Manager. “We utilize The Joint Commission’s certification as a formalized way to hold ourselves accountable to and pledge the level of excellence we expect each patient in our Maternal Child service line to receive while they are in our care. It helps guide our practice to provide safe, quality care that improves outcomes and reduces the risk of complications of childbirth.” Discover how the Mother & Baby program supports expectant parents through all stages of pregnancy.

Congratulations, Elizabeth Herman, March Person of the Moment

Ultrasonographers help patients better understand their medical situation by providing a clearer picture of their health. While their technical expertise empowers and educates patients to make informed decisions, their compassion is equally important to providing much-needed reassurance during uncertain moments.

Elizabeth Herman, an ultrasonographer at the Cotton O’Neil Heart Center, doesn’t need scanners and tests to see when others need someone to turn to. After her last patient of the day coded during an ECHO test, Elizabeth encountered his distraught wife and didn’t think twice about reaching out with comfort and support. For this reason, we recognize Elizabeth as March Person of the Moment! Take a moment to recognize Elizabeth and read her story here.

Nominate a team member or learn more about this program on SVnet here.

April Healthcare Recognitions

• Donate Life Month
• Minority Health Month
• Occupational Therapy Month
• Black Maternal Health Week (4/11–4/17)
• Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (4/14­—4/20)
• Health Information Professionals Week (4/15—4/19)
• Volunteer Week (4/21–4/27)
• Patient Experience Week (4/29–5/3)
• Healthcare Decisions Day (4/16)
• Therapy Animal Day (4/30)

These special days, weeks, and months allow us to highlight the importance of our teams’ work and raise awareness about various health conditions and initiatives throughout the year. We promote these recognitions in many ways across the organization and encourage departments to celebrate their teams in their areas. If this month highlights the work of someone you know on our team, take some time to wish them well!

We together,
Dr. Kenagy