Nemaha Valley Community Hospital is a 24-bed facility that provides acute care, including labor and delivery, skilled care, outpatient and inpatient surgeries, and a variety of outpatient services. We have a wonderful nursing staff ready to care for you when you need us most. Whether you are admitted as an inpatient or coming in for outpatient services, all of us at NVCH consider it a privilege to serve you.

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NVCH has a very dedicated surgery staff consisting of nurses with a combined work experience of 105 years, and the best surgery nurses around.

Harry Stewart, CRNA has been with NVCH since 1989 and is a very dedicated and knowledgeable anesthetist. He constantly strives to improve services to have the best options here for anesthesia and pain management. We are proud to have the BIS Monitor for use during surgical general anesthesia.

NVCH offers several inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures, including General surgery, Orthopedic, Ophthalmology, Gastrointestinal, Ear-Nose-Throat, Urology, and Podiatry.

Surgical Associates, Dr. Roderick Warren and Dr. Gary Sinning, provide 24-hour on-call coverage here at NVCH. They provide extensive surgical procedures, such as Hernia repair, Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), Hysterectomy, Cesarean-Section, Colonoscopy, and EGD’s.

Dr. Bartkoski also provides endoscopic procedures that are primarily done on Tuesdays, but an EGD or Colonoscopy can be scheduled on other days of the week if it works better for the patient.

Other Surgical Procedures provided at NVCH by Outreach physicians:

Dr. Barnes: ENT

• Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
• Nasal and sinus surgery
• Septoplasty
• Bilateral Myringotomy with Tubes (Tubes in ears)

Dr. Kresie: Ophthalmologist

• Cataract surgery
• Eye procedures

Dr. Teter: Orthopedic

• Total Knee
• Total Hip
• Arthroscopic Knees
• Arthroscopic Shoulders
• Carpal Tunnel Release
• Rotator Cuff Repair

Cotton O’Neil Gastrointestinal Specialists (Dr’s Baum, Braun, Ricci, Schroeder, and Welton)

• EGD
• Colonoscopy
• Esophageal Dilatation

Dr’s Isaacson, Rupp, & Iloreta: Urology

• Cystoscopy
• Transobturator Tape (“Bladder tie up”)

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Nemaha Valley Community Hospital Laboratory is an integral part of the healthcare system for our community.  Laboratory medicine is a highly technical field.  The function of the hospital’s laboratory is to provide analysis of laboratory specimens and consultation to aid in the maintenance of well-being and in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of diseases.  Laboratory tests are a very important aid for the physicians in determining diagnosis.  There are hundreds of laboratory tests available to assist physicians.  Testing can be performed on blood, urine, stools, and other body fluids.  The most commonly used specimen is blood.  Testing can be done on any age patient, from newborn to geriatric.  The laboratory staff is proficient in drawing blood from all ages.  The laboratory is open from 7:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. Monday through Friday for outpatient services.  Appointments are appreciated.  All laboratory results are given to your physician.  It is up to your physician to relay these results to you.  We regret any delay that this may cause you but we believe it is important for your physician to discuss any interpretation of the laboratory results with you.

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Nemaha Valley Community Hospital has a well trained and dedicated Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy staff.  The Physical Rehab department has expanded several times in the past 10 years.  Currently the rehab staff consists of a Licensed  Occupational Therapist, 2 Licensed Physical Therapists, 4 Certified Physical Therapist Assistants, and a Certified Athletic Trainer.  Most of the current staff is locally raised, and therefore we have a low staff turnover rate resulting in continuity and familiarity for the patient.  The Department is open from 7a.m. to 5:30p.m. Monday through Friday and as needed on weekends.  The Physical Rehab Department is located within Nemaha Valley Community Hospital.

The Physical Therapy Staff treats patients with various diagnoses including…

• Post surgical patients
• Total Joints
• Generalized Weakness
• Acute and Chronic Pain
• Sports Injuries
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Vestibular Training
• Wound Care
• Post CVA patients
• Work Comp patients

Therapy is performed in a variety of settings including In-Patient, Out-Patient, Schools, and Home Health.  Physical therapy results are accomplished through a variety of exercises, modalities, stretches, and evaluation tools.  The Physical Therapy staff treats students in the school system for students that are physically or developmentally delayed.  These children are above 3 years of age in Nemaha and Marshall Counties, and seen through the Special Education Cooperative.  The Athletic Trainer travels to 3 surrounding schools to treat sports injuries on a weekly basis.  Another service that is offered is onsite work station evaluations to ensure safe and ergonomic work sites, therefore decreasing the opportunity for injury or re-injury.  Home Health is offered through Nemaha County Home Health and Hospice of Sabetha.

The Occupational Therapy Staff offers services in the same settings.  Occupational Therapists treat patients with upper extremity diagnoses, difficulty with activities of daily living, post surgical patients, post CVA patients, and fine motor control difficulties. Occupational Therapy has contracts with the local school districts to provide Occupational Therapy to school age students while at school to work with various diagnoses including fine motor manipulation, developmental delays, handwriting, and classroom related difficulties.

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Cardiopulmonary Rehab offers a phase 2 Medicare covered comprehensive long- term program including prescribed exercise, risk factor modification and education.  Phase 2 is an outpatient medically supervised program that meets 3 times weekly after discharge from the acute setting and provides heart monitoring during exercise.

A phase 3 referral self-payment program is also available for those who wish to continue after completion of phase 2 rehab.  They exercise supervised with only occasional monitoring.  Other diagnosis will fall into this category as well, such as hypertension, diabetes, COPD etc.

Another service offered through our department is mobile nuclear stress testing.  This is offered as an outreach service from the Cotton O’Neal Heart Center and St. Francis.  A doctor’s order is required for this test.

Dr. Beard and Dr. Weyrens, cardiologist from the Cotton O’Neal Heart Center, come up each month in outpatient clinic. A new addition will be Dr. Malay from the Cardiology Consultant group.  She will start coming to the outpatient clinic in January to see heart patients, as well.

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Most people take breathing for granted.  Its second nature and an involuntary reflex.  But, for those who suffer from breathing problems, each breath is a major effort.  The range of people who suffer from breathing problems range from newborns to senior citizens.  They suffer from chronic lung disorders such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.  People with breathing problems might also include heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, and accident victims, premature infants, and people with cystic fibrosis, lung cancer or AIDS.

Under the direction of a physician, respiratory therapy practitioners are the health care specialists who evaluate, treat, educate and care for patients with breathing disorders.

At NVCH a specially trained and licensed Respiratory Therapist is available in-house from 7:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday with on-call personnel available for after hours, weekends, and holidays.  We provide a range of respiratory therapy modalities and work with all age groups on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.  Some of the modalities and diagnostic procedures provided are:

Therapeutic Modalities including:

• Nebulizer treatments                                   
• MDI and MDI instruction
• Aerosol therapy
• Postural Drainage and Percussion
• Suctioning,
• High Humidity Therapy
• O2 Therapy
• Croup Tents
• Incentive Spirometry
• Flutter Therapy
• Sputum Collection
• Trach Care
• Airway Care
• CPAP/BiPAP Therapy
• Ventilator Care prior to transport

Diagnostic Testing including :

• Pulmonary Function Testing- They are ordered to evaluate the condition of the lungs and diagnosis of lung disease.
• Arterial Blood Gases (ABG’s)- They measure acid/base balance, carbon dioxide and oxygen content in the blood
• Pulse Oximetry- Including overnight pulse oximetry, exercise pulse oximetry, and continuous pulse oximetry.
• Sleep Apnea Studies- A sleep study provides information about how a person breathes during sleep.  The data that is collected will enable your physician to determine the type and severity of sleep apnea (if present), and determine treatment options.  Qualified personnel come from Lee Summit, MO.  They bring their own testing equipment, and patients stay the night in our hospital for testing.

Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Services- We provide prompt in-home delivery, patient/caregiver education, and equipment inspections and repairs.  Our services include but are not limited to:

• oxygen concentrators
• cylinder oxygen for portability
• oxygen supplies
• nebulizer therapy and supplies
• CPAP and BiPAP supplies for obstructive sleep apnea.

To contact our Respiratory Therapist call 785-336-2189 x 189

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The Nemaha Valley Community Hospital Pharmacy provides all of the pharmaceutical services for the hospital.  All patients’ medications are screened for drug interactions, appropriate dosing, and appropriate indication.  The pharmacy consults with the doctors and practitioners to determine the best medication therapy for each patient’s medical conditions.

The pharmacy provides medication education to the doctors, nurses, and patients.  We are also responsible for stocking an appropriate inventory of medications and ordering any specialty medications to be administered to our patients. 

The Nemaha Valley Community Hospital Pharmacy Department consists of:

Travis Stallbaumer, Doctor of Pharmacy

Kelli Olberding, RN (Pharmacy Nurse)

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With state-of-the-art equipment and a wide variety of modalities offered here at NVCH, the imaging department plays a vital role in the diagnosing process. The radiology department is staffed with technologists certified by the ARRT and licensed by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts.  The mammography department is ACR accredited.

The radiology department is staffed Mon.-Fri from 6:30am to 6pm and on Saturday mornings with a technologist on call at all hours.  For more information, questions, or to schedule an appointment call at 785-336-2189, ext. 155.

The following modalities are offered here at NVCH:

• Computerized Tomography (CT scans)
• X-rays
• Fluoroscopy
• Mammography
• Ultrasound
• Vascular Studies
• Echocardiogram
• Osteoporosis Services—mobile service
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)—mobile service
• Nuclear Medicine—mobile service
• Holtor Monitor, King of Hearts Heart Monitor, & EKG

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