Medical partnership announced for Rawlins County Health Center

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

ATWOOD, Kan. -- Citizens Medical Center and Rawlins County Health Center will soon be collaborating in order to meet the needs of their communities. On Oct. 17, Kevan Trenkle, CEO, Citizens Medical Center Inc. of Colby, Kansas, and Sharon K. Cox, CEO, Rawlins County Health Center signed an agreement to partner together and to provide RCHC some physician services including medical leadership for their hospital & clinic. Dr. Kellogg will serve as their chief of staff and will oversee and supervise the mid-level providers at the RCHC critical access hospital, emergency department, and the primary care rural health clinic. He will be available and on-call to the providers 24 hours a day to offer support.

Dr. Kellogg will also provide primary care services at the Rawlins Clinic in Atwood four half days per month. The services shall be direct, hands-on care similar to those routinely provided in his principal office in Colby. In his role as Chief of Staff, Dr. Kellogg will serve on the Risk Management Committee and as the Chair of the Medical Staff Committee, provide quality assurance review, evaluate, advise and direct the care of nursing home residents under the care of supervised mid-level practitioners, participate in development and approval of policies by the Medical Staff and implementation of all policies. The contract will go into effect on November 1st, 2014 and shall continue for a period of two years. Dr. Kellogg can conveniently see his existing patients in Atwood and welcomes new patients as well.

Dr. Kellogg said "I am extremely excited to be partnering with Rawlins County Health Center. I think it is great that we can work together for the population of northwest Kansas to better serve our patients."

"This partnership is a great way to meet the needs of northwest Kansas. Family Center for Health Care is blessed with an excellent group of physicians and mid-level providers and we are excited to collaborate with Rawlins County in providing needed physician services to their health care system."

-- Scott Focke, Director of Clinical Services, Family Center for Health Care

"This is the direction health care should be moving towards; partnerships are imperative. We need to work together and collaborate instead of competing with one another, which is the only way we can all succeed."

-- Kevan Trenkle,

CEO, Citizens Medical Center Inc.

"I completely agree with Kevan that this is the direction both hospitals need to take to strengthen our communities. I look forward to building on this new relationship with CMCI."

-- Sharon K. Cox,

CEO Rawlins County Health Center

"The educational opportunities and physician "sounding board" that this partnership will provide our mid-levels will only help them grow as providers and allow us to continue to provide patient centered quality healthcare."

-- Amber Withington,

Chief Nurse Officer

"I'm excited to be working with Dr. Kellogg and alongside CMCI's talented medical staff. This partnership allows RCHC to extend the services we can provide to our communities."

-- Kyle Herspring,

PA-C, MS, MPAS

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