On a tree-lined street in Emporia, in a red, two-story home lives Margarita, a beautiful two-year-old child with dark hair and dark eyes. She has a special smile for her friend Dr. Mike Mawdsley visiting from the Flint Hills Community Health Center. Born at just 11 ounces, Margarita is a walking, talking testament to the work of the clinic. She is the smallest surviving infant in Kansas. After her birth and four months of care at a regional hospital, Margarita and her family needed to find a local health partner for crucial continuing care. Dr. Mawdsley and the Flint Hills center stepped into the gap to help the family.

Margarita’s story is one of thousands that illustrate the way the health clinic is focusing on lifelong coordination of care. Executive Director Lougene Marsh explains that the clinic’s goal is to deliver integrated medical services, not just a quick fix. “We want to follow patients throughout life, if possible, by creating an integrated care plan,” Marsh says. “We are working with other community health partners to create better care through less fragmentation and less duplication of services.”

The clinic provides all-important preventative care including prenatal care, works with other hospitals for obstetrics, and welcomes mother and child back to the clinic for pediatric care. An internal medicine physician is key to helping the elderly population. Flint Hills views itself as a community partner, inviting other organizations to look to them as a resource. “It’s important we collaborate to deliver general health care, mental health services, and social services,” says Marsh.

Founded in 1923 as the Lyon County Health Department, the majority of the clinic’s growth occurred in the late 1990s as the facility became a Federally Qualified Health Center, expanding services to include individuals with insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and HealthWave, as well as the uninsured. 

Over the last nine years, Marsh has successfully worked to expand services. In 2005, Marsh applied for and received a Bridge Grant from the Sunflower Foundation in order to hire one full-time family practitioner, providing care to about 3,525 additional patients in Lyon County. To help provide more specialized care for children, Marsh again applied for and received a 2006 Sunflower Foundation Bridge Grant. Using these funds, Marsh was able to hire Dr. Mawdsley, a full time pediatrician. 

“Since we hired Dr. Mawdsley, ill children are usually worked into the schedule within a day or two, and it’s possible to schedule a physical within three to five days,” says Marsh. The clinic expects to increase the number of pediatric visits 2,057 this year. 

For Marsh and other staff members, it’s not just about medical care being available; it’s also about the manner in which it is delivered. Cultural barriers compound economic barriers. “Imagine having an illness and being unable to express or describe the pain you are experiencing. We provide a culturally sensitive interpreter who works alongside our physician and dentists.”

Margarita’s one-year portrait is pinned to Dr. Mawdsley’s office bulletin board. He has visited her many times and has become quite close to the family. During his most recent visit, the beaming faces of Margarita’s parents tell a story of its own. “We really appreciate Dr. Mike,” says Margarita’s mother Sandra. 

For the Tierrablanca family, as with so many others, Flint Hills is a vital part of a healthy life. More than simply a place for immediate care, Flint Hills Community Health Center is a portal to services throughout the community. The family is connected to additional resources including developmental screenings, dental care and childcare. It is care that is stronger as caregivers and community partners work together.