When Karla Joe of Hebron, former County Assessor for Thayer County, decided to move to Hebron, she knew her job would require her to live within Thayer County. When determining which community she and her husband would move to, access to healthcare played an important role. “The hospital and access to good healthcare was a very important decision in where we located within the county. That was one of the reasons we actually moved into Hebron, it was truly because of the hospital,” said Karla, “Everyone is so friendly. You sit in the waiting room and when employees walk by, they say ‘Hello.’ Everyone is very courteous and welcoming.”

Having access to healthcare, but access to Specialists was important to Karla and her family. The majority of Karla’s care has been wellness-focused and she greatly appreciates having Maggie Johnson, PAC as her primary care provider. “Maggie has been very good; she not only addresses the issue that you come in for but asks and cares about your total health – I feel comfortable coming here with any issue. I know with the providers, if they can’t take care of it here, they have no problem sending us on to someone who can. Plus, the follow up you receive from your provider at Thayer County Health Services is good too,” said Karla. When Karla did need a Specialist, she noted that the communication between the specialists and providers has been great, whether it be a continuum of care, setting up appointments, etc.

Within the past year Karla has used not one, but two of our visiting Specialists, Dr. Adam and Dr. Krejci, and has been impressed with the care she received. She had surgery here at Thayer County Health Services with Dr. Adam and didn’t have to travel to have the procedure performed. “It makes your healthcare so much easier when we can see the Specialists that come to the Specialty Clinic. We are not running to Lincoln for everything. The fact that we have the Specialists and can perform surgeries here, that we can get our follow-ups here, it has made a difference in our lives as well as a lot of other people’s lives. The convenience of it goes so far,” Karla stated.

While impressed with Dr. Adam’s care, Karla’s experience with the nursing staff stood out the most. Karla said, “When I went in for surgery, from the pre-op nurses all the way through (I had to stay overnight) to the hospital nurses, you couldn’t ask for anyone more caring and kind, and they explained everything to me. I just can’t say enough; I thought the care was wonderful!”

When asked about her overall experience at Thayer County Health Services, Karla had nothing but praise and gratitude, “I have had a good experience; I feel that everyone is very caring. I think they should feel very comfortable coming here and know that they would get very good healthcare. I think people need to realize how fortunate we are in our rural area to have a hospital that not only serves our basic needs but brings in Specialists, that we are able to have the surgeries here in many cases and get our follow-ups taken care of here. I think the Korff Fitness & Wellness Center is wonderful and is a real asset as well. I just feel very fortunate and sometimes people don’t realize how fortunate we are.”