After having carpal tunnel surgery, Tawny Sandifer, who serves as vice president of Operations and Nursing at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, needed Occupational Therapy services to get back to normal life.

Sandifer says she confidently chose Ascension Via Christi Therapy Center for her ongoing care not because of her role, but based on all the positive feedback from friends and community members.

Occupational Therapy, which works to develop, recover or maintain function of everyday skills, treats a variety of upper extremity injuries, disabilities or impairments such as: amputations, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, cerebral palsy, brain injuries, surgery recovery and much more.

For 12 weeks, Sandifer worked with therapist Chrissy Naccarato, OT, to strengthen and improve function in her hand.

“Chrissy always greeted me with a smile,” says Sandifer. “She took time to explain the ‘why’ behind what I was doing with my treatment plan and ensured that I understood how it was helping me to reach my goals.”

Although Occupational Therapy can sometimes be challenging, Sandifer expressed what a positive experience it’s been: “I look forward to my therapy appointment and seeing Chrissy. I know it will be challenging but I also know that Chrissy’s approach makes it fun.”

Now, Sandifer says that she has met her goals and has seen significant improvement in the strength and functioning of her hand, crediting much of that to her therapist.

“I would refer Occupational Therapy at Ascension Via Christi Therapy Center to all of my friends and family,” says Sandifer. “Chrissy is so knowledgeable, compassionate, engaging, professional and caring!”

To learn more about Ascension Via Christi Therapy services, go to ascension.org/PhysicalTherapyKS.

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About Ascension Via Christi

In Kansas, Ascension Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 75 other sites of care and employs nearly 6,400 associates. Across the state, Ascension Via Christi provided nearly $89 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2021. Serving Kansas for more than 135 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the leading non-profit and Catholic health system in the U.S., operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 145 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org.

On Apr. 14, 1903, Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg began its healing mission as Mt. Carmel Hospital,with just 20 rooms lit by oil lamps in which to provide care.

In the late 1800s, coal mining camps developed throughout Crawford County as Southeast Kansas experienced a period of rapid growth. Health conditions were poor and the city hospital in Pittsburg was unable to serve the influx of residents, so local doctors consulted the Rt. Rev. John J. Hennessy, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, for help in building a new hospital. The bishop called Mother Mary Bernard Sheridan, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Wichita, for help.

In 1989, Charles J. Devlin, owner of the Mt. Carmel Coal Company, presented the Sisters with a monetary donation and 40-acre tract of land between Frontenac and Pittsburg upon which  to build the hospital. As a gesture of appreciation, the new facility was named Mt. Carmel Hospital and was the first to be operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita.

“We are blessed to be part of a health organization that has provided care to our local community for 120 years,” says Drew Talbott, hospital president. “Our Mission began to provide care to the underserved and continues so today.”

In 1971 and after a highly successful community fundraising drive, the current hospital building was constructed to accommodate its ever-growing patient count.

Now, 120 years later with 110 rooms and a staff of more than 450, the hospital provides specialized orthopedic, cardiology, emergency, obstetric and gynecology, surgical, pediatric, cancer care, rehabilitation, physical therapy, sleep medicine and other health services.

It also features a Women’s Center with a Level II nursery and central fetal monitoring system; Heart Center with a $2.6 million Cardiac Stepdown Unit, catheterization lab and pediatric echocardiogram program; Emergency departments in both Pittsburg and Fort Scott recognized as Level III trauma Centers with Level 3 geriatric care accreditations; a 40,000-square-foot Surgery Center equipped with state-of-the-art robotic-assisted technology, 3D mammography capabilities and a recently-renovated Cancer Center equipped with a $1.5 million state-of-the-art TrueBeam linear accelerator.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the work of our incredible associates and medical staff,” says Talbott. “They make our Mission possible.”

Since 1903, Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg has been blessed to provide compassionate care, close to home and will continue to do so well into the future.

To learn more about Ascension Via Christi, go to ascension.org/pittsburgKS.

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About Ascension Via Christi

In Kansas, Ascension Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 75 other sites of care and employs nearly 6,400 associates. Across the state, Ascension Via Christi provided nearly $89 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2021. Serving Kansas for more than 135 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the leading non-profit and Catholic health system in the U.S., operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 145 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org.

Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg has recently added a PET/CT scanner, which can help detect the early onset of diseases before other imaging tests can.

The new scanner uses small amounts of radioactive materials, a special camera and a computer to evaluate organ and tissue functions. By identifying changes at the cellular level, the test helps detect cancer or make a diagnosis, determine if a cancer has spread, assess the effectiveness of treatment, evaluate prognosis, determine the effects of a heart attack, evaluate brain abnormalities and more.

“The installation of the PET/CT scanner at our hospital speaks to our continued commitment to provide the most technologically advanced quality care to our patients”, says Chris Stevens, Nuclear Medicine Lead Technologist.

An important test made possible by the PET/CT scanner is a PSMA prostate study. This test uses a diagnostic imaging agent together with PET/CT imaging to detect prostate cancer for both initial staging and suspected recurrence, typically sooner than other types of imaging scans.

“It’s a blessing to have the availability of PET/CT for our patients and physicians”, says Stevens. “Our list of available exams is now equivalent to those at the largest hospitals in the biggest towns.”

The new imaging technology allows the hospital to continue to provide advanced care close to home.

To learn more about services at Ascension Via Christi, visit ascension.org/pittsburgKS.

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About Ascension Via Christi

In Kansas, Ascension Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 75 other sites of care and employs nearly 6,400 associates. Across the state, Ascension Via Christi provided nearly $89 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2021. Serving Kansas for more than 135 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the leading non-profit and Catholic health system in the U.S., operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 145 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org.

Pittsburg’s Ascension Via Christi Hospital

earns High 5 for Mom & Baby recognition

Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg has once again earned recognition by High 5 for Mom & Baby, a program developed by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in Kansas.

“I’m very proud of our team and the work they do to continue to promote breastfeeding for our moms and babies,” says Janelle Wade, director of Inpatient Services, which includes Women’s Health. “They understand the importance and the health benefits that breastfeeding provides newborns.”

Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg first received High 5 recognition in 2018 and has maintained it each year since that time. High 5 for Mom & Baby provides resources and a framework to help Kansas hospitals implement 10 evidence-based practices proven to support successful breastfeeding, improve maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.

To obtain recognition, each facility must complete a voluntary and self-reported evaluation and demonstrate that it follows at least five of its 10 evidence-based practices:

• Have a written maternity care and infant feeding policy that addresses all 10 High 5 for Mom & Baby practices supporting breastfeeding
• Maintain staff competency in lactation support
• Provide all expectant mothers with information and instruction on breastfeeding
• Assure immediate and sustained skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby after birth
• Provide all families individualized infant feeding counseling
• Give no food or drink to newborns other than breast milk unless medically indicated
• Allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day
• Encourage feeding whenever the baby exhibits feeding cues, regardless of feeding methods
• Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants
• Provide mothers with information about community resources for breastfeeding support following their discharge from the hospital

These steps are designed to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in the state of Kansas. Factors that influence how long or if a baby is breastfed include hospital practices, education and encouragement, policies or support in the workplace, and access to community support.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, six out of 10 mothers stopped breastfeeding sooner than they had planned.

“Our goal is to provide the support that mothers and babies need to be successful at breastfeeding,” says Miranda Caskey, RN, the certified lactation consultant who led the hospital’s High 5 for Mom & Baby efforts.

That support is critical, which is why Ascension Via Christi converted its lactation and childbirth education classes to virtual offerings led by a registered nurse and offer them at no cost to parents. Breastfeeding mothers also can schedule in-person follow-up appointments and weight checks with Caskey to help ensure a successful breastfeeding experience.

Learn more about Labor and Delivery or sign up for a class at Ascension Via Christi by visiting viachristibaby.com.

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About Ascension Via Christi

In Kansas, Ascension Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 75 other sites of care and employs nearly 6,400 associates. Across the state, Ascension Via Christi provided nearly $89 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2021. Serving Kansas for more than 135 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the leading non-profit and Catholic health system in the U.S., operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 145 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org.

Volunteers at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg handmade Christmas outfits for the newest arrivals on the Labor and Delivery Unit.

One of the unit’s nurses, Rachel Johnson, photographed the bundles of joy as a gift to parents.