When help was needed, Cody Thacker stepped up and assisted with the front office duties in the PVCH Rehabilitation Department. He assisted with phone calls and other clerical duties to maintain high-quality customer service and patient communication. Cody even stayed late to assist the team. We appreciate everything he does for PVCH to keep it running smoothly.

Each quarter, our Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) determines the recipient based on the many amazing peer nominations received.

The new family nurse practitioner at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH) is back in familiar surroundings as she “combines clinical expertise with a holistic approach to improve her patients’ overall well-being.”

Lacy Bowman completed most of her clinicals at PVCH in the Family Medicine Clinic where she is now caring for patients of all ages. The hospital was her initial nursing job in Kansas after relocating from Arkansas, and she has also cared for patients working as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department.

“I have a special place in my heart for Pawnee Valley Community Hospital and Larned,” Bowman said. “My husband is a fifth-generation farmer and all our children currently attend and will attend school here.

“Since we are so thoroughly invested in this community, there is no place I would rather provide care. I look forward to giving back to the place I call home.”

Bowman’s family-medicine services include preventive healthcare, chronic-care management, acute care, women’s health, pediatric care and well-child visits.

“While I enjoy the diversity of family medicine, I have a special interest in diabetes management and prevention, as well as women’s health and postpartum mental health. My goal is to provide patient-centered care, while encouraging patients to be actively involved in making decisions about their health management.”

The nurse practitioner has worked in facilities of all sizes and believes that “sometimes there are misconceptions about smaller hospitals. PVCH is an incredibly nice facility with spacious patient rooms and high-quality equipment. PVCH is an organization that offers needed services locally, which is a benefit often missing in rural healthcare.

“What makes PVCH truly special is the deep bond we share with our community, patients and staff. We are caring for people we know and genuinely care about – those we see at ballgames, the grocery store and community events. That connection is something you won’t find everywhere, and it is what sets us apart. Our patients are also our neighbors, friends and family.”

Melanie Urban, administrator at PVCH, expressed her enthusiasm about Bowman joining the Pawnee Valley team, saying “family-medicine providers play a crucial role in delivering comprehensive healthcare to our community. Lacy’s interest in diabetes management and women’s health, along with her passion for caring for her community, make her a great addition to our team.”

Bowman was born and raised in Russellville, Ark., and earned an associate’s degree in nursing in 2018 at Baptist Health College Little Rock. She received her bachelor’s in nursing in 2022 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and was awarded her master’s in nursing, with a specialization in family nurse practitioner, from Chamberlain University last year.

The foundation for her career developed at Baptist Health Little Rock; other employers include HaysMed and The University of Kansas Health System Great Bend campus.

Bowman and her husband, Duskin, have three daughters. She enjoys reading, volunteering at her children’s school and lending a hand on the family farm.

Anyone who has a diagnosis of peripheral artery disease (PAD) now has access to a “proven, effective treatment” at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH), said Dusty Thacker, director of Cardiopulmonary Services.

The treatment is called supervised exercise therapy (SET) and is specifically tailored to PAD, a condition in which blood vessels to the legs and feet become narrowed or blocked. This is due to a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries that limits blood flow.

“SET is a structured workout program designed to help people improve their physical health under the guidance of a trained professional,” Thacker said. “Sessions are tailored to the person’s needs and focus on improving strength, endurance and mobility.

“The treatment also helps improve circulation, which can reduce or eliminate pain while walking.”

Exercise sessions typically involve a combination of aerobics, strength training and stretching. This includes walking on a treadmill at a moderate pace, with an incline, until the patient begins to feel mild to moderate leg pain.

The patient then rests until the pain subsides before resuming the exercise during up to 36 sessions with a registered respiratory therapist.

“SET is a key treatment approach that focuses on improving blood flow, reducing leg pain and enhancing overall mobility,” Thacker summarized.

Smoking and diabetes are the strongest risk factors for PAD, Thacker noted. Other factors include being over 75; high blood pressure and/or cholesterol; not enough physical activity; stress; diets high in saturated fats; obesity; chronic kidney disease; and family history.

“A few classic symptoms of PAD are pain, burning or cramping in your legs and feet during an activity that improve with rest,” Thacker said.

Others are leg and foot pain at night or while lying down, as well as coldness or numbness in the legs or feet. Additional possibilities are leg weakness or heaviness, slow-healing sores on feet or legs, discolored skin and leg-hair loss.

The therapist offers education about smoking cessation, a heart-healthy diet, weight management, blood pressure control and increasing physical activity.

“We are pleased that we now offer this important exercise therapy,” Thacker commented. “Many of our patients have benefited from our Cardiac Rehab and Pulmonary Rehab services by gaining control of their symptoms, improving their quality of life and reducing the risk of future hospitalizations.

“SET is a similar service. Patients with PAD now have a treatment that can help them manage symptoms and improve overall vascular health.

“We are excited to expand our cardiopulmonary services and incredibly fortunate to partner with HaysMed and the DeBakey Heart Institute. This collaboration connects our Larned community with any necessary advanced services and direct access to cardiologists. It allows us to offer specialized care close to home, significantly enhancing the quality of care and positively impacting our patients’ health and well-being.”