Wichita Medical Facilities Provide Health Care for Every Stage of Life
Published Aug 17, 2009
Via Christi is the largest Catholic, not-for-profit medical center in Kansas, with two regional medical centers in Wichita.
From the needs of newborns to the services elderly loved ones deserve‚ Wichita’s two largest health-care providers can be counted on to help.
The Via Christi Wichita Regional Medical Center and Wesley Medical Center offer state-of-the-art care for patients.
“We pretty much do everything‚ from the beginning of life to the end‚” says Larry Schumacher‚ chief executive officer for the Via Christi Health Network‚ which operates facilities in Kansas‚ Oklahoma and California.
The Catholic‚ not-for-profit health-care system includes two regional medical centers in Wichita – St. Francis and St. Joseph – along with a rehabilitation center‚ senior living communities‚ a behavioral health center and outpatient services of all types. Via Christi also offers medical residency programs in seven areas of specialization.
St. Francis and St. Joseph‚ located on separate campuses‚ are licensed for a total of 1‚532 beds. The hospitals are known for outstanding trauma care‚ as well as transplant programs for heart‚ kidney‚ pancreas and adult bone marrow.
Via Christi is committed to advanced technology‚ Schumacher says.
“We have recently implemented some minimally invasive surgical suites at both hospitals‚” the CEO says. These suites are designated for laparoscopic surgery requiring smaller incisions than traditional procedures.
“We also have a state-of-the-art CyberKnife®. That’s a radiation therapy approach that is revolutionizing cancer treatment throughout the country‚” Schumacher adds.
Via Christi may soon be expanding its already wide range of services to the region.
“Over the next year‚ our board and our physicians in Wichita will be looking at where and what services need to be provided in the metro Wichita area‚” Schumacher says.
Meanwhile‚ Wesley Medical Center also offers a full range of health-care services. Licensed for 760 beds and 102 bassinets‚ infant care is often in the spotlight.
“We have the highest-level neonatal center in the state‚” says Helen Thomas‚ director of marketing and public relations for Wesley Medical Center.
Other facilities include a Women’s Hospital and a freestanding BirthCare Center. Nearly 5‚500 births took place at the hospital in 2004.
Wesley also excels in the surgical arena. “We have a gamma knife‚ which is a radiation treatment using gamma rays for tumors that are hard to reach in the brain‚” Thomas says. “It can even be done on an outpatient basis.”
Wesley Medical Center has a 42-bed emergency department – the largest in the state – and plans are in the works to open a satellite emergency department in spring 2006.
“The satellite department will be on the west side of town and will be open 24/7‚” Thomas says.
“There isn’t anything on that side of town offering emergency care after about 9 o’clock‚ so people are really excited.”
Wesley also offers a center for wound healing and hyperbaric medicine.
“This center takes care of problem wounds that‚ for whatever reason‚ don’t heal very well‚” Thomas says.
Story by Renee Elder
Photo by Antony Boshier
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