In the Greensburg healthcare community, Dr. Morsch, Docs Who Care and Heart to Heart hold a special place in our hearts. They have come to our rescue several times. In Greensburg, we have a tendency to identify times before the tornado, during the tornado and after the tornado. While it seems strange to have those references in time, they work for us!
Before the tornado, we had provider issues in our community and had difficulty covering our ER. Dr. Morsch came in and not only brought us coverage through Docs Who Care, but also assumed many of the duties of the Chief of Medical Staff. What a calm presence in the turmoil we were having. We had had the same providers for 40 years previously, so the community was not very accepting of “temporary” doctors. However, with the professional and caring staff scheduled thru DWC, the community became very accepting. When we were able to hire full time providers, DWC no longer covered. However, Dr. Morsch had become a friend and we were able to visit from time to time.
On May 4, 2007, a devastating EF-5 tornado destroyed our hospital along with our community. The first few days were a blur of just basic survival and providing bare essentials. We didn’t have to ask or request help – on Sunday, May 6, 2007, the Heart to Heart mobile unit drove into town along with Dr. Morsch. At a time, when I didn’t have any idea on how we would continue to serve the medical needs of the community, Dr. Morsch once again became our light at the end of the tunnel. He came to the hospital and met me, and worked to help salvage medical supplies and equipment. Volunteers from DWC and Heart to Heart, worked alongside my staff to salvage medical records. Medical staff from Dr. Morsch’s group set up the mobile clinic at the end of Main Street and met medical needs for about 2 weeks, while we set up our tent hospital. What a difference they made in our initial recovery.
After the initial recovery and the rebuilding of our new building was done, we once again faced a shortage in medical staff. Past experience made it an easy decision to contact DWC to provide coverage. Once again, professional and caring providers served our community well. They helped us plan acquisition of new equipment and helped us look at essential testing, as well as covering our medical needs in the ER and Clinics. Today, they continue to provide weekend ER coverage at Kiowa County Memorial Hospital.
DWC shares the same goals as KCMH – to offer quality, compassionate health care. We are fortunate to have Dr. Morsch in Kansas Health Care.
Mary Sweet, Administrator
Kiowa County Memorial Hospital
Greensburg, KS
