Stormont Vail Health Celebrates Doctors’ Day
Bill Sachs, M.D., vice president, Surgical Services, summed up what he feels is the best part of being a physician.
“The ability to immediately change somebody’s life for the better,” he said.
Practicing medicine has many sides to it says Doug Rose, M.D., vice president and chief medical quality officer. “Being a physician has an emotional side, as well as an intellectual side,” said Rose. “The emotional side is doing the right thing for the patient every day. The intellectual side is that health care is an ongoing puzzle. Every day we have to understand what is new, what is changing, so that ultimately we are better able to do the emotional side of our job.”
According to Robert Kenagy, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer, physician leadership is vital at Stormont Vail Health during the transition to a population health organization.
“Intimate understanding of a patient’s experience allows physicians to advocate effectively during times of change. Doctors take the pulse of the key health issues their patients face and help guide the organization in a rapidly evolving environment,” said Kenagy.
“Patients are looking for guidance or wisdom about their health,” said Dr. Kenagy. “They want to look to someone who they respect, a professional with the mantle of authority and compassion. I have the privilege to be a colleague to a tremendous number of skilled physicians who change the lives of thousands of patients every day for the better.”
When asked what the best part of practicing medicine has been for him, Dr. Kenagy said, “As a physician, I’ve had the joy of being involved in many patient’s loves over time, being a part of multiple generations of a family, hearing about their joys and concerns, seeing a child that I’ve cared for in a special care nursery do on to college. These were the aspects of practice that brought me the most joy.”
The first Doctors’ Day was on March 30, 1933, in Winder, Georgia. The idea came from Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, on the anniversary of the first administration of anesthesia by Dr. Crawford W. Long in Jefferson, Georgia, in 1842.
About Stormont Vail Health:
Stormont Vail Health is a nonprofit integrated health care system that has been serving the health care needs of northeast Kansas for more than 130 years. It is comprised of Stormont Vail Hospital, a 586-bed acute care hospital, and Cotton O’Neil Clinic, a multi-specialty physician group with more than 250physicians. More than 4,800 employees provide care and support services for patients in the hospital and 27 other locations, including the Cotton O’Neil Heart Center, Cancer Center, Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Digestive Health Center, Pediatrics clinics and multiple regional primary care clinics. Stormont Vail Health is committed to its mission of improving the health of the community by providing high quality, compassionate care with state-of-the-art equipment in convenient, comfortable facilities for patients and families.
