I am writing on behalf of my husband and myself in regard to the recent loss of doctors and medical personnel at Hays Medical Center, specifically, in our case, Dr. Robert Rodriquez.
My husband was diagnosed three years ago with stage 4 metastatic melanoma and is under the care of Dr. Rodriquez, but I consider him to be our doctor.
If you’ve had a family member diagnosed with cancer, you’ll realize it affects the entire family. Dr. Rodriquez understands this and treats my husband and myself like members of his family.
My husband's cancer is not curable. He will require scans, lab work, biopsies and treatments for life. The confident, truthful and speedy diagnosis, as well as efficient treatments, from Dr. Rodriquez has made this difficult phase of our life more bearable.
Dr. Rodriquez is my husband's primary doctor, but he has also seen radiologists, surgeons, dermatologists, and pain management doctors, most of whom have been in Hays, as well as doctors from outside of the Hays area.
In every situation, the appointments were scheduled efficiently and quickly. I must stress that the care my husband has received at HMC has been exemplary, from the first receptionist he sees to every nurse, technician, PA, or doctor we encounter.
My thought is, when you have a staff and facility of this caliber that fights so hard to keep their patients alive, why wouldn't the Board of Directors and CEO not fight to keep their staff in Hays? I find this deeply disturbing.
My husband and I live in western rural Kansas and drive 100 miles to Hays. We do this willingly, but the thought of having to go farther, look for a new support team and doctor, and basically start over is more than daunting.
It adds a level of stress I can't begin to explain. There are also so many other people who travel to Hays from surrounding smaller communities, who also need the level of care that Dr. Rodriquez and the other doctors there can give.
I hope that the Hays Medical Center's Board of Directors and CEO can do what is right for the Hays community, its staff members, and the countless patients who depend on them.
— Cynthia Scheuerman of Scott City