Labette Health | Summer 2019

2 Labette Health • Summer 2019 Brian Williams President and CEO | Kerri Beardmore Editor 2019 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Information in this LABETTE HEALTH publication comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. Questions or comments? Contact us at labettehealth.com . Sincerely, Brian A. Williams, President and CEO TINY INCISIONS, INCREDIBLE PRECISION—ROBOT GIVES RISE TO GREAT RESULTS SURGERY CAN BE INTIMIDATING, but the good news is that you have more options today than ever before. One of those is da Vinci robot-assisted surgery at Labette Health. This type of minimally invasive surgery helps your surgeon perform the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions— with incredible precision. Surgeons use a control panel to perform the procedure with robotic arms, so da Vinci is entirely human directed. Robotic gynecologic surgery For some women, robotic gynecologic surgery may be a good alternative to open surgery or standard laparoscopic procedures. Open gynecologic surgery, in which a large incision is made in the abdomen so a surgeon can access the uterus and surrounding anatomy, has been the standard approach to gynecologic procedures for years. However, open surgery can cause significant pain, physical trauma and a long recovery process. The benefits of laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy and other gynecologic procedures over conventional open surgery include smaller THE DA VINCI DIFFERENCE Take me to Labette Health Whether it is an emergency room visit, a home health visit or any other type of health care service, we hope you will ask to be taken to or referred to Labette Health. By keeping our health care local, or at least beginning our health care journey local, we better position southeast Kansas to sustain hospital services far into the future. We all live and work in an area where three hospitals have closed in the past four years, and it is through your support that we continue to grow to meet the needs of the communities that we serve in the face of these challenges. At a recent local funeral service, I was tapped on the shoulder by a gentleman who said, “I want to thank you for what you have done for Independence.” I thanked him for his sincere gesture, but I replied, “Sir, thank you for what you and Independence have done for Labette Health and southeast Kansas. Without your support, we would not be able to continue to grow, maintain the only Level III Trauma Center and maintain the highest quality rankings in the area.” Based on our outcomes and quality data independently reviewed and rated by such organizations as CareChex, U.S. News & World Report , Leapfrog, Healthgrades, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, Labette Health is one of the highest quality Hospitals in both Kansas and the United States. I say this not to be boastful but to provide you the best reason I know to say, “Take me to Labette Health.” With support from you and your families, Labette Health will continue to grow and expand to meet the future needs of southeast Kansas.