Welcome to Community HealthCare System
Your good health and well-being is our top concern, and our goal is to exceed your expectations.
With more than 450 associates at seven locations serving a large service area, Community HealthCare System (CHCS) is a first-class, nonprofit health care system with a longstanding tradition of providing compassionate, high-quality care to the rural communities of northeast Kansas. As we continue to integrate and expand into the areas we serve, CHCS is making it easier for Kansans to access the care they need.
We invite you to explore this website to learn more about CHCS. Within its pages, you will get a glimpse of the comprehensive range of medical services we offer within our health system. And you will see firsthand how CHCS takes a truly integrated, team approach to every patient’s care. Patients and families receive comprehensive treatment, while we respect your unique needs, preferences and sensitivities.
Our team of caring professionals assists you and your family in every way possible, whether you’re at one of our seven Family Practice Medical Clinics or at Community Hospital Onaga, we ensure you have access to the information you need, and are able to make informed decisions with the help and support of your health care team.
At CHCS, we truly benefit from a professional, caring staff who are recognized as much for their achievements as for their commitment to care.
Thank you for your trust in us.
Our Mission
The Mission of Community HealthCare System, Inc. is to Enrich the Health and Lives of the People We Serve.
We believe, in everything we do, our responsibility is to add value and purpose as we enrich the experience of our patients, our long-term care residents and every family. Most important, our single and only purpose for existence is to serve the people we have the privilege of caring for.
Our Vision
We Will Be the trusted resource for quality, innovative, personalized care,
We Will Be the integrated healthcare system of choice allocating resources to be responsive to the unique characteristics of the communities we serve, and
We Will Be an outstanding environment for our associates.
Our Values
True to our heritage, we hold the following values.
Integrity.
Excellence.
Respect.
Compassion.
Commitment.
Innovation.
Loyalty.
Collegiality.
Kindness.
Citizenship.
Accountability.
We model these values by treating patients with courtesy, respect and dignity.
Our History
The Beginning
Dr. John Koentz, who obtained his medical training in Amsterdam, Netherlands, homesteaded near Onaga in 1859 and established his medical practice. From these "horse and buggy" beginnings, the residents of Onaga and the surrounding communities of Havensville, Soldier, Circleville, Holton, Corning, Centralia, Emmett and Westmoreland have had continuous, professional medical care. In 1943 the Charles Day 3-story victorian residence was converted into a hospital that offered inpatient care for adults and pediatrics, emergency services, obstetrical and surgical services.
In 1955, the communities of Emmett, Havensville, Onaga and Wheaton came together to create Community Hospital District 1 and built a new hospital for this area in northeast Kansas. The hospital opened its doors in 1957 under the leadership of C. C. Stauffer and Roy Tessendorf. It provided the same services as the initial hospital with Dr. Fleckenstein and Dr. Eugene Walsh as the medical staff. Dr. Tom Walsh joined them in July 1975.
The Growth Years
The decades of the '80s and '90s saw tremendous growth, both in program and service development as well as geographical expansion. As the organization expanded into other communities, Community Hospital District 1 changed its name to the more inclusive Community HealthCare System (CHCS).
CHCS has always been centered on serving rural citizens. This focus was the guiding principle behind its expansion: recognizing the communities of its existing patient base and establishing family practice medical clinics in those communities to better serve them. By the beginning of 2000, CHCS was directly serving the communities of Centralia, Frankfort, Holton, Onaga and St. Marys. It developed a continuum of care services meeting the needs of patients of all ages with inpatient and outpatient services, skilled services, wellness services and programming, home-based care, senior services, expanded lab, imaging, and rehabilitation services.
Today
CHCS has added two additional locations in the past few years, taking health and wellness services to the communities of Corning and Westmoreland.
The health system covers a four-county area. Family practice is the core of our care and is complemented by a full array of hospital outpatient services. CHCS employs more than 25 providers. It is an award-winning health care system and an economic contributor for a number of communities in northeastern Kansas.
CHCS has always had its roots in caring for rural communities. It finds its strength in the relationships of our patients, communities, physicians and advanced practitioners in carrying out its mission: To enrich the health and lives of the people we serve.
Community Benefits
Since 1954, Community HealthCare System has had the privilege of serving the communities of northeast Kansas. While technology and techniques over the years are ever changing, at its core health care is personal.
The caring professionals at CHCS understand that and remain steadfast in providing programs and services that meet the needs of the community, our friends and neighbors, young or old, from wellness to emergencies and natural disasters, with a consistent aim to enrich the health and lives of the people we serve.
CHCS associates serve on civic, chamber, school and nonprofit boards, champion charitable causes, and provide hours of volunteer service to make our community a better place to live, work and play. Whether conducting free sports physicals, mentoring children in area schools, walking for the American Heart Association or American Cancer Society, or simply helping to make a child’s Christmas special, CHCS is giving back, getting involved and taking action when and where it’s needed most.