Stormont Vail Health Urges Appropriate Care Locations

Stormont Vail Health received notice this morning that the University of Kansas Health System-St. Francis, operated by Ardent Health System, had electronic systems shut down and returned to disaster diversion, which meant they stopped accepting ambulances to its Emergency Department and all emergencies via ambulance were routed to Stormont Vail. Later this afternoon, Stormont Vail was informed St. Francis returned to taking every other ambulance.

“The changing nature of this situation makes it difficult to be prepared for fluctuating patient volumes, but we are doing our best to staff up and be prepared to care for community,” said Dr. Rob Kenagy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stormont Vail Health. “We want to assure the community that we are here for them, and we are working to get patients to the right care setting.”

Because of increased patient volumes, the Stormont Vail team has made adjustments to ensure patients and community members will receive timely and appropriate care. Because of this situation, it is critical to encourage and educate those seeking Stormont Vail medical assistance to utilize medical resources available as appropriate. The following information may assist in accessing medical care through Stormont Vail until St. Francis/Ardent returns to normal status.

• Patients can call their Stormont Vail/Cotton O’Neil primary care doctor or send a non-emergent message through MyChart.

• Individuals who are needing assistance during after hours with non-emergent medical conditions, such as guidance on specific symptoms or appropriate location for care, can call the nurse triage program through Stormont Vail’s Health Connections. The trained nurses can be reached at (785) 354-5225 from 4:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday and around the clock on weekends and holidays.

• Cotton O’Neil Express Care urgent clinics are open to those in the Topeka area for patients needing to be seen for medical conditions that need quick treatment when you cannot see your own physician, but are not life-threatening emergencies, including:

  • High fever

  • Persistent diarrhea or vomiting

  • Ear pain

  • Painful urination

  • Fractures, strains and sprains

  • A deep cut that needs stitches

  • Infections

  • Skin rashes

  • Back pain

  • A mild burn

  • X-ray

  • Lab

Express Care clinics are open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

• Cotton O’Neil North Clinic, 4505 N.W. Fielding Road

• Cotton O’Neil Urish Clinic, 6725 S.W. 29th Street

• Cotton O’Neil Croco Clinic, 2909 S.E. Walnut Drive

• Stormont Vail Midtown Clinic, 1516 S.W. 6th Avenue

• For emergencies, please go to the Emergency Department. The Stormont Vail Emergency Department in Topeka is open 24 hours daily.

The notification about the status change by Ardent Health System with its St. Francis location returning to “full Disaster Diversion until further notice” came Thursday morning from Shawnee County Emergency Management. Stormont Vail was notified late Thursday afternoon that St. Francis returned to taking every other ambulance.