Newsworthy

Dear Community Partners,

Here are today’s updates:

• Stormont Vail Health in the Community
• Emergency Department at Flint Hills Campus Welcomes Keir Swisher, D.O.
• New Stormont Vail Health Podcast: Caring Conversations
• Stormont Vail To Your Health Segments Award Winners

Stormont Vail Health in the Community

Stormont Vail representatives have been or will be at events to connect with the communities we serve.

• Amy Kincade, Vice President, Clinical Integration, presented with Dustin Dick, Principal at Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers, the past Thursday about the TCALC programs for CNAs and phlebotomists that Stormont Vail supports. They presented on “Addressing the healthcare workforce shortage – how one school district partnered with a local healthcare organization to fill the gap.” The presentation was at the Kansas State Department of Education Great Ideas in Education Conference in Wichita.
• Dr. Rob Kenagy, President and CEO, will participate in the WIBW-TV Community Violence Town Hall at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, on Channel 13. Representatives from law enforcement, city, USD 501, Washburn and faith leaders will also participate.
• The KEEP Tour, sponsored by Junction City Main Street, Junction City Military Affairs, and Fort Riley will be stopping by Flint Hills Campus 9:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2. KEEP stands for Kansas Employment Exploration Tour and is designed to provide transitioning service members the opportunity to visit communities and employers around the state of Kansas to discover what employment opportunities are available for them and their family members.  
• A Stormont Vail Foundation Donor and Stormont Vail Health team member open house will be at the Cotton O’Neil Cancer Center and Infusion Center from 4:30 – 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2. The expanded facility at 1414 S.W. 8^th Ave., is providing a great benefit to our patients and team who work in the building. There is an expanded cancer treatment area, newly relocated infusion center, and updated pharmacy area.
• The unveiling of the NOTO Art Health Walk will be 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3, in NOTO in Topeka. Stormont Vail Health is a sponsor of the new walk area, which loops through NOTO and highlights various pieces of art.
• A special presentation of the Kansas State Nurses Association’s Hall of Fame Award to Carol Perry, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, will be held at 12:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, in Pozez Auditorium at the Topeka hospital. The presentation will take place at the beginning of the annual Nursing Symposium.  All team members are invited.

Emergency Department at Flint Hills Campus Welcomes Keir Swisher, D.O.

Stormont Vail Health proudly welcomes Dr. Keir Swisher, an Emergency Medicine specialist providing care for adult and pediatric patients at Stormont Vail Health’s Flint Hills Campus Emergency Department, 1102 St. Marys Rd., Junction City.

Dr. Swisher, a native Kansan from Lindsborg, became interested in medicine because of his many childhood experiences requiring emergency medical treatment, such as broken bones and lacerations. These trips to the Emergency Room exposed him to emergency medicine and the importance of interactions between physicians and patients.

Dr. Swisher started his career in healthcare as a certified nursing assistant. While his childhood contacts with healthcare shaped his approach to medicine, his CNA background taught him what is most important to patients and what they need at the bedside for a comfortable, human connection care experience, which he believes lies at the heart of medicine.

“When people see me, it’s one of the worst days of their life, which I realized when I was a patient,” said Dr. Swisher. “Connecting with people creates an opportunity to have a memorable experience with the family. Most will remember that day for the rest of their life. I want patients to see me as someone relatable, compassionate, honest, and who treats them the way they would want their family members to be treated.” Dr. Swisher strives to exceed patients’ needs while alleviating their fears. His reassurance and expertise will significantly support the patient experience in the Flint Hills Campus Emergency Department.

Dr. Swisher received certifications from the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the Fellow American College of Emergency Medicine. He obtained his medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. Following medical school, he completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine at Peoria-OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Illinois. Dr. Swisher comes to Stormont Vail from Salina Regional Health Center in Salina. There, he served as Co-Medical Director of the Emergency Department for 14 years.

New Stormont Vail Health Podcast: Caring Conversations

We are excited to launch Caring Conversations: A Stormont Vail Health Podcast Series. The series will include episodes like Just Another Magnet Monday, Small Moments, and People of Stormont. Please share your stories, experiences, and Small Moments with us as we look to spread the Stormont Vail Health story. Please send ideas and information to [email protected].

You can listen to a new episode of Just Another Magnet Monday here with Carol Perry and Christie Mull, Emergency Department Manager. The two discuss building a strong workplace and professional governance. They also share details about the Nursing Symposium on Friday, Nov. 3, which will include time for new and prospective professional governance members to learn more and talk with current members and leaders.

Stormont Vail To Your Health Segments Award Winners

Three Stormont Vail Health To Your Health segments won awards for WIBW-TV in the recent Kansas Association of Broadcasters annual awards ceremony. They include:

• First place for Excellence in Diversity/Equity/Inclusion News for a segment on addressing health equity with interviews with Emersen Frazier, Director of Health Equity and Policy, and Dana Blindt, Director of Care Transformation.
• Second place for Sports Feature for a patient story about an Osage County teen who made a comeback from a sudden cardiac event. Emergency Medicine physician Dr. Lindsay Schwartz was interviewed about how she and the Emergency Department team provided emergency care when the youth was brought to Stormont Vail.
• Honorable mention for a story about a Rossville student who was in a “dawg fight” again cancer and tells about how physicians at Cotton O’Neil Cancer Center and Children’s Mercy are coordinating his care close to home.

To Your Health segments are produced by Melissa Brunner and Doug Brown of WIBW in coordination with the Stormont Vail Marketing and Communications team.

We together,
Dr. Kenagy