Provider story

They care for clinic patients, they help cover weekends and nights at the hospital and emergency room, and they keep up with the latest developments in patient care and the COVID-19 pandemic. Now three Community HealthCare System physicians add County Medical Director to their list of responsibilities.

Dr. Nick Cahoj, Dr. Nancy Zidek, and Dr. David Allen are all serving in the capacity of Medical Director for Pottawatomie, Marshall, and Jackson Counties, respectively. The position entails...

CHCS provides a number of specialty clinics each month in our Onaga, Holton, and St. Marys locations. Dr. John P. Devine, urologist, is our October Specialty Clinic Provider of the month.

Dr. Devine provides general urology care for adults and children in Onaga two days each month. Dr. Devine assists patients in managing diseases of the urinary tract, including the kidneys and adrenal glands, bladder, ureters, the prostate in men, and more. He manages all aspects of...

By Dr. Nancy Zidek, CHCS Chief of Medical Staff

Community HealthCare System has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases in our area in recent weeks. We want to make sure our patients know that early testing combined with effective treatment of COVID-19 can prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and other poor outcomes.

If you or a loved one develop any of the symptoms of COVID-19 and have ANY of the risk factors, you should get tested as soon as possible. Community...

CHCS provides an array of specialty clinics in several of our locations each month. Tiffany Engelken, APRN, is our September Specialty Clinic Provider of the Month. Tiffany is a Dermatology Certified Nurse Practitioner with 18 years of experience, and she offers an array of services from skin cancer screenings to cosmetics.

Tiffany recently took time to answer a few questions.

What services do you offer?

I offer skin...

Community HealthCare System will offer orthopedic services starting in August. Dr. Heidi Smith of Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center in Manhattan will take appointments in Onaga every other Wednesday each month starting August 11.

Dr. Smith provides care for a wide variety of general orthopedic complaints and injuries in patients of all ages and functional status. Her area of specialty is orthopedic surgery, and she has additional specialty training in sports medicine/arthroscopy,...

CHCS provides a number of specialty clinics each month in our Onaga, Holton, and St. Marys locations. Dr. Brian Beard is our June Specialty Clinic Provider of the month. Dr. Beard is a cardiologist with the University of Kansas Health System and Vascular Center, and he visits our Holton Family Health Center location. His colleagues, Dr. Joliff and Dr. Boolani, visit our Onaga and St. Marys locations.

Dr....

CHCS provides a number of specialty clinics each month in our Onaga, Holton, and St. Marys locations. Dr. Dagoberto Heredia, psychiatrist, is our May Specialty Clinic Provider of the Month. Dr. Heredia provides general adult, child, and adolescent psychiatry in our Holton location.

Dr. Heredia diagnoses mental health issues and provides medication and management of conditions including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, ADHD, OCD, ODD, panic disorders, schizophrenia,...

Dr. Tom Walsh, who moved back to Onaga in 1975 to practice medicine with his father, has announced that he plans to retire by the end of 2021.

“This is my hometown. I love the people here. I have enjoyed practicing here all these years, and it has been a blessing for myself and my family,” Dr. Walsh said.

Dr. Walsh was newly married to Marcia Walsh when he came back to Onaga, and they carried all of their possession in the back of a borrowed pickup truck. They raised...

CHCS provides an array of specialty clinics in several of our locations each month. Dr. David Cancelada, general surgeon, is our April Specialty Clinic Provider of the Month. Dr. Cancelada serves CHCS patients well because of his range of experience as a 25-year military veteran and specialized training in trauma surgery, tissue repair, and bariatric surgery to assist in weight loss. He is also known for a caring and calming presence that his patients appreciate.

Dr....

Claire Blumer, physician assistant, will join the Community HealthCare System Centralia Clinic in early April. Blumer will see patients Wednesday through Friday each week and is eager to develop personal relationships with her patients.

“No two days are the same in family practice, and I appreciate the variety of ages and medical cases that come with this field,” Blumer said.

She particularly appreciates rural medical practice.

“I...