American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® awards
Community HealthCare System (CHCS) is proud to announce that we have once again been honored with American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® awards for excellence in stroke and cardiac care. CHCS received Bronze-level recognition for both Coronary Artery Disease – NSTE-ACS and Rural Coronary and Rural Stroke care, and silver achievement Coronary Artery Disease STEMI, Rural Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Referring Center and Rural Heart Failure, for demonstrating our team’s commitment to providing timely, evidence-based treatment when every second counts.
These awards are part of the American Heart Association’s national initiative to help hospitals consistently follow the latest research-based guidelines and improve patient outcomes. To earn this recognition, hospitals must meet strict quality measures over a designated period—something our team has achieved through diligence, collaboration, and a strong culture of continuous improvement.
2025 OSHA SHARP: Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program
For the 23rd year in a row, Community HealthCare System (CHCS) has been nationally recognized for its outstanding commitment to workplace safety, earning recertification through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).
CHCS remains the only hospital in Kansas—and currently one of just two in the nation—to hold this prestigious designation, and has done so every year since 2002.
SHARP recognizes employers that operate comprehensive, effective safety and health management systems. CHCS first partnered with the Kansas Department of Labor’s Safety Assistance and Consultation Program in 2001 to strengthen and standardize safety practices across its growing system of clinics, hospital, and long-term care facilities.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do,” said CHCS CEO John Fitzthum. “Being recognized again by OSHA shows our unwavering dedication to protecting our patients, residents, and team members, and providing the safest care possible.”
2024 Home Health Honors
Community HomeHealth Recognized for Outstanding Patient Satisfaction
Our HomeHealth was named a 2024 HHCAHPS Honors recipient by MatrixCare. This recognition highlights our commitment to providing exceptional care and a positive experience for our patients.
The HHCAHPS Honors program celebrates home health agencies across the nation that go above and beyond in patient satisfaction, as measured by the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) survey.
To earn this distinction, Community HomeHealth was evaluated using data from April 2023 through March 2024, beginning with the “Willingness to Recommend” question and including 18 additional measures. We’re proud to have exceeded the national average on 85% or more of those questions.
This recognition is a reflection of our team’s dedication to compassionate, high-quality care—and the trust our patients place in us every day.
St. Marys Manor has achieved a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the highest possible rating for quality of care and resident satisfaction.
This outstanding achievement places St. Marys Manor among the top tier of nursing home facilities in the nation. CMS star ratings are based on rigorous evaluations of health inspections, staffing levels, and quality measures.
Shannon Heim, Senior Services Director for CHCS, praised the dedication of the team. “This 5-star recognition is a direct result of the compassionate care, professionalism, and tireless effort our staff provides every day. Our team at St. Marys Manor is committed to treating residents like family—and it shows in every interaction, every service, and every outcome,” Heim said.
CHCS Birth Center Achieves Gold Level Status
Our birth center was awarded Gold Level status by the Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative’s Fourth Trimester Initiative—a statewide effort to improve care for mothers and families during the critical months following childbirth.
Over the past three years, CHCS staff have implemented best practices in postpartum care, including personalized care plans, reproductive health education, screening for social needs, and ensuring continued insurance coverage.
“Our team has worked hard to create a program that supports moms beyond delivery,” said Katie Kufahl, OB Manager at CHCS. “This recognition reflects our commitment to helping families thrive during the fourth trimester.”
Chief Nursing Officer Mindy Olberding added, “This initiative is one more way we’re enhancing care and improving outcomes for our OB patients.”
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High 5 for Mom & Baby Premier Facility
We have continued our commitment to improving the health of moms and babies by earning High 5 for Mom & Baby Premier recognition for the second straight year. High 5 for Mom & Baby is a program developed by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund to increase and support breastfeeding in Kansas.
DAISY Award
Thank your nurse for extraordinary care—nominate a nurse (LPN, RN, or Nurse Practitioner) for the DAISY Award. DAISY Award honorees personify Community HealthCare System's remarkable patient experience. These nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary, compassionate care. They are recognized as outstanding role models in our nursing community.
About the DAISY Foundation
The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died of complications of the autoimmune disease idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) at the age of 33. During Pat's eight-week hospitalization, his family was awestruck by the care and compassion his nurses provided. One of the goals they set in creating a foundation in Pat's memory was to recognize extraordinary nurses who make an enormous difference in the lives of so many people by the super-human work they do every day.
What is the DAISY Award?
The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day. Community HealthCare System is proud to be a DAISY Award Partner. Nomination is all year long. Selection process takes place semi-annually.
To find out more about the program please go to DAISYfoundation.org.
Each DAISY Award Honoree will be recognized at a ceremony and will receive a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, a hand-carved stone sculpture titled, A Healer's Touch, and a copy of the nomination letter. The department of the recipient will receive cinnamon rolls, which were Patrick's favorite during his illness.