Sherman County

Updated February 2013

Sherman County is served by the Northwest office of KU Medical Center's Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) in Hays, which serves the state through student education initiatives, professional education for health care providers, health screenings, clinics and public presentations on health topics.

Enhancing Student Education

• 3 students from Sherman County are currently studying at KU Medical Center.
• 30 K-12 students in Sherman County participated in activities during 2012 that encouraged them to consider careers in health care, math and science. These events were hosted by the Area Health Education Centers and Office for Cultural Enhancement and Diversity.
• Sherman County is part of the Northwest Medical Education Network with Michael Machen, MD, a resident of Quinter, serving as the Medical Education Director. The medical education director helps coordinate the School of Medicine's efforts to mentor, train and place physicians throughout Kansas.

Strengthening the Health Care Workforce

• 3 KU Medical Center graduates live and/or practice in Sherman County.
• 1 health care provider has been placed in Sherman County since 2003 through the Kansas Recruitment and Retention Center, which provides placement assistance to rural health organizations and seeks to enhance the quality and quantity of health care professionals in rural Kansas.
• 2 Sherman County physicians received funding through the Kansas Bridging Plan, a loan-forgiveness program offered since 1991 to primary care medical residents who agree to practice in rural Kansas.
• 2 shifts were covered by temporary physicians, which allowed Sherman County physicians necessary time off in 2012. These coverages were made via KU Medical Center's Kansas Locum Tenens and Kansas Medical Resource programs.
• 1 Sherman County health care employer exhibited with 2012 Kansas Career Opportunities, which is designed to introduce medical students, residents and other health care professionals to rural communities looking to hire.
• 46 health care professionals from Sherman County participated in KU Medical Center continuing education courses and conferences in 2012.
• 19 professional education and administrative visits in Sherman County occurred in 2012 via telemedicine, an interactive video technology that connects providers and patients when distance separates the two. The technology is operated by the University of Kansas Center for Telemedicine and Telehealth. 

Researching to Improve Health

• Hospitalization has been identified as a teachable moment in which patients may be more likely to quit smoking. Goodland Regional Medical Center. is one 35 Kansas hospitals participating in Kan Quit II, a study that provides smoking cessation counseling, treatment and case management services to inpatients. The study then evaluates the effectiveness of the smoking cessation services. The project is led by Edward Ellerbeck, MD, MPH and is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health.

Advancing Health Care Access

• 11 Sherman County residents made visits to KU Medical Center health care providers in outreach clinics held outside of Kansas City in 2012.
• 273 Sherman County residents saw KU Medical Center health care providers via telemedicine, an interactive video technology that connects providers and patients when distance separates the two, in 2012. These services are provided through the University of Kansas Center for Telemedicine and Telehealth.
• Goodland Regional Medical Center is a member of the Midwest Cancer Alliance, a network of hospitals, physicians groups, and cancer support and patient advocacy organizations bringing cancer research, care, and professional support together to advance the quality and reach of cancer care, prevention, early detection, and survivorship in the Heartland.
• Read about a Sherman County woman's cancer journey in Psycho-oncologists take care of cancer patients' emotional health (2012)
• Learn about KUMC's pioneering telemedicine program marks 20 years in Kansas (2011)

Serving Communities

• The University of Kansas Medical Center provides patient and family education on a variety of health and wellness topics to residents of Sherman County. The project is in collaboration with Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing and funded in part by a federal grant from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth.