I just need to give a big thank you to the people who work so hard to staff Johnson County Healthcare. Towards the end of 2017 my son got very sick and we didn’t really know what was going on.  We made a couple visits to the clinic here in Kaycee and the Emergency room in Buffalo.  I felt like everyone who saw us was very patient, really listened to our concerns, and tried their hardest to find answers. Which they did and thankfully he is happy and healthy now.

One especially tender moment was when I we were in the ER and my son had been screaming on and off the day before and most the night with tummy pain. I think anyone near the ER could hear his screaming and unfortunately, he needed a blood draw.   The phlebotomists were aware of how unhappy he was before the draw and were very patient and kind to him. They also brought Mary, the nursing director, with them to help hold him while they got blood, so I didn’t have to. Afterwards Mary scooped him right off the bed and held and rocked him in her arms for a very long time. He just melted into her and cried on her shoulder until he calmed down. He is not typically very friendly to strangers, but he was happy at that moment to let her hold and rock him. I was happy to see him finally calm down. She also took the time to carry him to radiology for more tests and then back to our room afterwards and make sure he was comfortable before getting back to her work. I can’t say thank you enough to her for making a very stressful situation more manageable. 

One month later we found our selves back at Johnson County Healthcare Center, but this time for the birth of our daughter. It was my first baby born in Buffalo and was a wonderful experience.  Again, I have felt extreme gratitude to the many nurses and to Dr. Rice for helping to get my girl here safely. Most of my children were delivered in hospitals or birthing centers with nurse midwives. I was concerned that with a doctor I wouldn’t get the time, support, and care that a midwife would give. Thankfully that was not my experience at all. The whole health care team was willing to help me have the delivery I wanted. I loved how supportive and patient Dr. Rice was. I had a big list of questions and concerns I brought with me to my 37 week appointment and she sat down and listened carefully and answered every question in detail for me. I am sure she had other patients waiting that day but didn’t show that she was rushed at all. She was also great with my little boys who came to several appointments with me. She let them pull out the measuring tape and turn the doppler on and off. On delivery day Dr. Rice was every bit as caring, compassionate, and helpful as my midwives have been. I would recommend her to any friend looking for a doctor to deliver their baby. Also, it was nice to have a nurses who were genuinely in awe of the birthing experience and didn’t act as if it was just an everyday thing. That has not been my experience in other hospitals, so to my nurse, Heidi, thank you! I loved that I got to hold my baby skin to skin for 2 hours and quietly enjoy her before anyone else held her, or weighed her, or did anything else.  I loved that she got to stay right by my side for as long as I wanted during my time there and she wasn’t whisked off for a bath. I feel like for a rural hospital in a small town in Wyoming the nurses and doctors I saw work hard to keep up to date on their practices.

We have been back several times since for basic blood draws and checkups and everyone greats us with a smile, remembers who we are, and treats us respectfully. Thank you!

"I was treated like a person and not like a policy number."

I first came to JCHC in the fall of 2014. I was three months pregnant and was not receiving the type of care I felt was of high quality at the time. My concerns were dismissed and I was treated like a policy number. It wasn’t until a made an appointment with Dr. Lisa Mullen that my entire experience shifted. I was a first-time mom experiencing a difficult pregnancy and I was terrified. I knew from the moment I was in Dr. Mullen’s presence that I would be seen as a person first – not a number or patient file – and I was no longer fearful. Dr. Mullen is someone with a uniquely gentle spirit who listens with intention, demonstrates compassion, and empathizes with your fears and concerns. She’s the kind of doctor who will hold your hand during labor and tell you, “you’ve got this.” These are traits largely missing from the general healthcare landscape. My family and I have been so impressed with the care she’s provided, along with rest of the members of JCHC – medical practitioners and staff alike – that we recommend your facility to everyone we know. It is more than worth the 34-mile drive from Sheridan – even while in labor! JCHC is the barometer by which other facilities should be measured. Thank you for your constant care and love.

~Erin Nitschke

"We went from a major, regional hospital, to JCHC. We couldn't have been more satisfied."

Before moving to Buffalo our family lived 25 miles from the nearest medical facility. That medical facility was a major, regional hospital and our two oldest children were born there. After moving to Buffalo, we were grateful to find ourselves living less than a mile away from Johnson County Healthcare Center. We confidently chose JCHC as the medical facility where I’d receive prenatal care and deliver two additional children. Dr. Jennifer Rice, and other members of the medical staff, made it a wonderful experience for our family. The way that Dr. Rice relates to others, shares her medical knowledge and guides her patients through medical decisions is like none other that we had experienced before. Furthermore, our interaction with her did not end at delivery; because she practices Family Medicine, we are able to maintain our relationship with her as our children grow. Our family is grateful to have such high quality doctors, such as Dr. Rice, accessible to our community.

~Molly Keil

"JCHC put our minds at ease knowing we were 1200 miles from home."

Hi.

My brother and I recently set out on a “bucket list” journey from Dallas with our mother. That journey led us to an over night stay in Buffalo on Sunday night. When Mom woke up on Monday morning we could tell she wasn’t feeling right, and we decided to seek treatment. She is 86, with COPD and other health issues,  so we were concerned with what kind of care we would find in a small town in Wyoming. After a google search we found your facility and headed straight there. From the moment we walked in we were extremely happy with the care she received. I apologize  for not knowing the receptionists name because she was so helpful and caring. The nurse, Haley,  met us in the lobby and was also helpful and caring from start to finish. We saw Dr Darnell and were equally impressed. I just wanted to thank you all for getting Mom back on her feet and feeling better, and for setting our minds at ease 1200 miles from home. You have fantastic people working for you!! Please pass on our sincere appreciation to them all!!

Thanks again!

~Matt Griffin

"It's not about the facilities...to me? It's about the PEOPLE"

To me, Johnson County Health Care isn’t about the facilities I have watched expand and improve throughout my 82 years. (Although I am very thankful for that.) No. To me, Johnson County Health Care is about the PEOPLE.

It’s about nurse Lauri Prosinski realizing how uncomfortable I was and stuffing lots of pillows around my back so that I could sink into this puffy cloud and finally go to sleep.

It’s about nurse Kay Philpott sitting at my bedside all night keeping me awake when I wanted to go to sleep permanently.

It’s about Dr. John Knebel assuring me I could call him any time and I knew he meant it.

It’s about Dr. Larry Kirven telling me about my 99 year old dad, “You know when you are desperately stranded in a cabin and all your wood is gone and to survive you have to start burning the furniture? Your dad is burning the furniture.”

It’s about Lou Braten and Francis Thompson helping me when my mother needed extra care.

It’s about Dr. Fehir asking me to stay a minute after helping my mother.  She then asked how I was doing!  She said, “Caregivers need support also.”

It’s about Dr. Mark Schueler being with me in the ER in the middle of the night and after all the completed tests, staying to question and help me realize the multi stresses I was trying to avoid.

It’s about Dr. Tabb going beyond ordering the tests I needed, to reassuring me with a hug when I was in so much pain.

All these and more stories have convinced me thourghout the years that I was listened to, cared for “above and beyond,” and that this wonderful medical facility was, and is, there for me.

THANK YOU!

~Louise Meldrum Anderson

"We're finally having a baby!"

My husband and I struggled with infertility for 5 years before visiting with Dr. Darnell in 2017 about doing some sort of treatment. I had spoken with doctors before about it but was always told things like your young you have plenty of time ect. and was unable to find a doctor who would listen. I had never even thought about the possibility of asking my primary care doctor for help but once I did I was so pleasantly surprised! Not only did Dr. Darnell listen me he immediately took an active role in helping us to conceive. He prescribed a medication for me to start and a month later we were pregnant! After 5 years of infertility all it took was one doctor who was willing to listen and take me seriously and now we have our son. Throughout my entire pregnancy Dr. Darnell and my nurse Liz were so amazing! They always addressed my concerns with care and compassion and even though my pregnancy was higher risk I was able to deliver here in Buffalo at our hospital which was super important to me. I feel so blessed to have this hospital here and so grateful to have found such a wonderful doctor and nurse. I couldn't be more happy with the care my family and I have received. It has gone well above and beyond what I expect as a patient! I would highly recommend our clinic and hospital for prenatal care!!

~Jalissa Olsen

*Note:  this letter has been edited to protect the patient’s medical privacy

Dear Mr. McCallister:

I had the distinct pleasure of staying at your facility on the evening of Thursday, May 2, 2019.  I had collapsed, was revived and transported via ambulance to your emergency room.

I want to express my gratitude for the cowboy/cowgirl hospitality given to me during my stay.  The staff, nurses and physician on duty were extremely professional, hospitable and made me feel at home under the circumstances.  You all get a Yelp rating of 5 from me.

And I am especially thankful for Mary Litzel, Director of Nursing, who was summoned to personally take me back to my hotel after all tests were complete and I was cleared to go.

Again, thank you for such a wonderful experience and exceptional staff.  I can truly say that I owe my life to your facility and your staff.

Sincerely,

Peter Gottfried, Dubois, WY