On November 11, Fort Hays State University (FHSU) and Hays Medical Center (HaysMed) concluded their 2024 Nightingale Experience series with an event designed to spark high school sophomores’ and juniors’ interest in nursing careers. This final session, prior to the year’s end, welcomed eight students, providing them with a unique insight into the healthcare field.

Named after Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing, the Nightingale Experience aims to introduce young aspirants to both the nursing profession and college life. The day-long event splits into two informative sessions focusing on educational and practical aspects of nursing.

The morning begins at FHSU, where nursing faculty members guide students through the university’s curriculum. Participants receive a tour of classrooms and the state-of-the-art simulation lab, which plays a crucial role in their training as future nurses. This firsthand look at the academic environment helps demystify the college experience and underlines the rigorous preparation involved in a nursing career.

In the afternoon, the venue shifts to HaysMed, where the students get a taste of a nurse’s daily life. They rotate through various units such as the Cath Lab, Critical Care Progressive Unit (CPCU), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Operating Room (OR), Special Nurse Services, Emergency Room (ER), Medical Oncology, Surgical, and Acute Care departments. Shadowing professional nurses, the participants learn about the challenges and rewards of different nursing specialties.

Special recognition is due to the FHSU nursing faculty and the HaysMed education department team, along with the various clinical units that generously shared their time and expertise to make this event a success. Their commitment greatly enhances the educational experience, providing invaluable real-world insights to the students.

The Nightingale Experience not only offers a comprehensive overview of the nursing field but also inspires students to consider a profession that is as demanding as it is rewarding. By providing these young individuals with exposure to real-world clinical settings and educational pathways, the program aims to cultivate the next generation of healthcare heroes.

For more information, visit FHSU’s Nightingale Experience page.

We are excited to introduce Dr. Manoj Jagtiani, a highly skilled pain specialist with training from some of the nation’s top institutions. Dr. Jagtiani brings extensive expertise in Interventional Pain Medicine, cutting-edge research, and patient-centered care.

Dr. Jagtiani completed his educational training at top notch institutions all in pursuit of his life-long dream to become a comprehensive evidenced based practicing pain physician. He completed medical school at the top of his class in New York where he was born and raised. Dr. Jagtiani went on to finish training Medicine within Brooklyn’s historic King’s County, and later Anesthesiology at the well-regarded Tufts University, in the birthplace city of the field’s inception, Boston.

He is Ivy League trained in Interventional Pain Medicine sub-specializing within anesthesiology completing training within ultra-competitive Stanford University, the field’s most premier and elite institution for cutting edge advancements and research in chronic pain medicine. He has been taught from key opinion leaders within the field and well immersed in pain medicine academia, publishing numerous studies, original research, and is well cited in media and literature. He is an osteopath, former personal trainer, and wholeheartedly believes in the balanced, patient-centered, bio-psychosocial model of practice.

Dr. Jagtiani joins an established Pain Center clinic at HaysMed, working alongside Dr. Keith Green and Sadie Seirer, APRN. The clinic focuses on non-pharmaceutical pain management strategies, aiming to assess and address all aspects of pain, including its underlying causes, functional rehabilitation, and interventional procedures. Please note that the Pain Clinic at HaysMed does not prescribe narcotics as part of its commitment to safe, innovative, and comprehensive care.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Jagtiani to our team at HaysMed,” said Dr. Heather Harris, HaysMed Medical Director. “His expertise for patient care will be a wonderful addition to our already talented group of providers. We’re excited for him to begin building connections with our patients and community.”

Dr. Jagtiani specializes in a wide range of pain management techniques and conditions, including:

• Spinal Stenosis
• Degenerative Disc Disease
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Myofascial Pain Syndrome
• Neuropathic Pain
• Degenerative Bone & Rheumatic & Cancer Pain
• Trauma & Psychological Pain
• Fibromyalgia, PTSD, Long Covid, POTS, Chronic Fatigue
• Headache & Migraine
• Pelvic Pain
• Nerve Entrapments & Peripheral Nerve Stimulation
• Spinal Cord Stimulation & Peripheral Nerve Stimulation
• Infusion Therapies
• Opiate Use Disorders & Buprenorphine & MAT
• Medical Fitness, Pain Exercise Science
• Pain Nutraceuticals
• Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
• Medical Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with the Empower Relief Program
• Expert and Secondary Opinion/Consultations

Procedures and Interests:

• Minimally Invasive Spine Procedures
• Epidural Steroid Injections
• Facet Joint Injections
• Radiofrequency Ablation
• Joint/Tendon/Ligament Injections
• Trigger Point Injections
• Peripheral Nerve Blocks
• Regenerative Medicine
• Diagnostic Ultrasounds and Injections
• Botox Pain Treatments
• Kyphoplasty
• MILD
• Intracept

For questions and more information, please visit the HaysMed Pain Center website or call 785-623-5940.

Congratulations to the newest HealthCare Champion, Dr. Nathan Smith in the Emergency Department!

The HealthCare Champion program at HaysMed gives patients and their families the opportunity to recognize the people who made a special impact on their stay. There is no higher compliment than being recognized by a patient or family for exceptional care.

The patient who submitted the nomination shared, “I can’t say enough about Dr. Smith. He was very sincere in everything he said and did and made my wife feel like she was not alone. I can’t speak highly enough about this man. He is very sincere and concerned about his patients. Everyone he treats is lucky to have him. “

Congratulations Dr. Smith and thank you for everything you do for the ER and HaysMed!

Photo includes ER crew members Jacey, Maci, Dr. Smith, and Natalie.

For Immediate Release: January 22, 2025
Contact: Jill Bronaugh Jill.P.Bronaugh@ks.gov

Boil Water Advisory Rescinded for City of Hays, Ellis County

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has rescinded a boil water advisory
for the City of Hays public water supply system located in Ellis County. The advisory was issued because of a
waterline break resulting in a loss of pressure in the distribution system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure
may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

The Advisory remains in place for Countryside Estates Mobile Home Park pending laboratory results from
water samples collected from the mobile home park.

Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure
or shutdown. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will
issue the rescind notice following testing at a certified laboratory.

Drinking water samples collected from the City of Hays indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination
and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be
resolved.

For consumer questions, please contact the water system at: 785-628-7380 or you may call KDHE at
785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit our webpage: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/468/Disruptionin-Water-Service.