While the Family Medicine Clinic at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH) provides high-quality treatment for children’s physical health, the staff goes a step further for the little ones, said Jewel Davis, clinic manager.

Since the clinic cares for the whole child, it participates in the Turn a Page – Touch a Mind (TAP-TAM) literacy program. This entails offering a free book at every Well Child appointment for newborns to age 5.

“Early-childhood literacy improves children’s lives by helping them prepare for school and then excel when classes begin,” Davis said. “This is another example of how PVCH Family Medicine identifies patients’ needs and strives to improve lives.”

TAP-TAM’s mission is “to make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care so that children grow up with books and a love of reading.”

The feedback from parents indicates the program is meeting that goal, Davis commented.

“This has inspired some parents to go to the library to find more books to read to their babies and toddlers,” Davis explained. “Some have indicated they love story time as much as their children do. They also say that reading has really helped with their child’s comprehension.”

Davis noted she is not surprised by this feedback because of personal experiences with her own children.

“The time I spent reading to my kids helped build their literacy and expand their imaginations,” she recalled. “Reading also helped create healthy habits that have lasted into adulthood.

“Reading sessions created a time we all looked forward to every day, while strengthening our relationships as a family.”

Davis pointed to a study called Million-Word Gap, which illustrates the importance of reading.

When parents read one picture book a day to children during the five years before kindergarten, “it is estimated they hear approximately 1.4 million more words than children who are never read to,” Davis reported.

Last year, PVCH Family Medicine gave approximately 130 books to families. Davis expects that number to rise this year because of an increase in Well Child visits with the addition of new healthcare providers to the staff.

This staff includes Dr. Arlo Reimer; and Susan Aistrup, Kathryn Buchanan and Marley Palmer, all nurse practitioners. “Each of these providers demonstrates a real passion for pediatrics. They love the kiddos and want to help them nurture their bodies and minds,” Davis commented.

As the local TAP-TAM coordinator, Davis conducts inventories, compiles reports and places orders; TAP-TAM pays for the books. She and the medical director, Dr. Reimer, also participate in an annual training to stay current with the program.

The Kansas Pediatric Foundation supports TAP-TAM, which involves about 125 reading sites throughout the state, according to the website of the Kansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In 2022, Marley Palmer returned to her hometown of Larned to perform her nurse-practitioner clinicals at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital’s (PVCH) Family Medicine Clinic.

Today, she is the new addition to the full-time staff at the clinic where she is seeing patients of all ages.

“Larned is home to me,” Palmer said. “I wanted to come back and take care of my hometown people. I pride myself on caring for my patients as if they were my own family.”

Palmer’s family-medicine practice entails chronic-care management, women’s health, preventive healthcare and acute care.

“While I enjoy all these areas of family medicine, my specialty is well-child/pediatric care,” Palmer commented.

She noted that her previous experience at the PVCH Family Medicine Clinic played an instrumental role in her education.

“My clinicals here helped prepare me for the care and treatment of patients from birth on up,” she explained. “The experience also allowed me to become confident in my clinical decision-making, while treating a wide variety of health conditions.

“Family-practice clinicals allow you to use your knowledge and a variety of skills to provide the best treatment possible. I was fortunate to pursue my training with professionals at our Family Medicine Clinic.”

Palmer’s previous work experience includes progressive, acute and skilled care, along with pediatrics.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Fort Hays State University in 2019. In May of last year, Palmer graduated from the FHSU Doctor of Nursing Practice Family Nurse Practitioner program.

After receiving her bachelor’s, Palmer worked as an RN at Kearney (Ne.) Regional Medical Center on the Progressive Unit for more than two years.

“Then I moved home to Larned and worked as an RN at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital and in the Family Medicine Clinic,” she recalled.

Palmer is board certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

During her leisure time, Palmer enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to the lake and concerts, reading “and just living life in a small town.”

Melanie Urban, administrator at PVCH, expressed her enthusiasm about Palmer joining the Pawnee Valley team.

“Family-medicine providers play a crucial role in delivering comprehensive healthcare to our community,” Urban said. “Marley’s pediatric experience and community passion make her a great addition to our team.”

Melanie Urban, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital administrator, is pleased to announce that Dusty Thacker, director of Cardiopulmonary Services, and Chantell Richmeier, registered respiratory therapist, recently earned Pulmonary Rehabilitation certifications.

“These dedicated individuals successfully completed coursework to enhance their skills in pulmonary rehabilitation and passed the required test to earn their new credentials,” Urban said.

Thacker noted “this course has given us additional tools necessary to ensure we are up-to-date with the most recent information in pulmonary rehabilitation. Chantell and I have also acquired additional skills and knowledge necessary to provide high-quality care to our pulmonary-rehab patients.”

Pulmonary rehab is considered the standard of care for patients diagnosed with chronic lung disease, he added.

“This rehab program entails education and exercises that help people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung diseases,” Thacker commented. “We can help them manage their breathing problems, increase stamina and improve their overall quality of life.”

Despite these advantages, only about 1.5 percent of patients who are hospitalized with COPD exacerbation start pulmonary rehab within 90 days of being discharged from the hospital.

Richmeier noted that with the completion of this certification, “we now have a better understanding of patients that we believe would benefit from pulmonary rehab. Dusty and I have advanced our skills and knowledge to educate patients and prevent hospital re-admissions.”

The recent certifications were awarded by the American Association for Respiratory Care and American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

Coursework topics included: exercise assessment, prescription and training in pulmonary rehab; nutrition and pulmonary disease; psycho-social assessment and intervention; and assessment and management of patients with something other than COPD.