Stormont Vail Health has been caring for patients in Manhattan for 10 years. Clinics and services have been dispersed around town, so many area residents and visitors may not have realized the extent of Stormont Vail’s reach into Manhattan. It’s no longer easy to miss: Anyone looking east from Bill Snyder Family Stadium or driving through the Edge Collaboration District off the northeast corner of the Kansas State University campus can clearly see a new, 79,000-square-foot facility on 6.92 acres near the Kansas Department of Agriculture, K-State Innovation Partners and the USDA National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.
The facility is a response to growing demand for specialty medicine and ancillary services such as laboratory testing and imaging. Mary Martell, vice president and regional administrator of Stormont Vail Health, said the organization committed several years ago to providing a space to bring services and staff together along with the technology needed to expand the quality of care for patients. Although planning the opening of a building isn’t easy — especially when the process is interrupted by a global pandemic — removing physical barriers has been a game-changer for the company’s 100-plus Manhattan employees as well as patients.
“Being together and watching physicians get to know each other and other staff, from imaging and lab, for example — seeing that collective experience — has been remarkable. It wasn’t physically possible before, and patients will feel the impact of that integration, which is the point of all of this: taking care of people, making them better, and making them feel good,” Martell said.
Martell noted that Stormont Vail is also functioning regionally. The 150-year-old company maintains its home base in Topeka, a 586-bed hospital with a Level 2 Trauma Center, a neonatal intensive care unit and much more. Stormont Vail added its Flint Hills Campus, the former Geary County Hospital in Junction City, at the beginning of 2023 after working to stabilize and improve the hospital and its clinics in 2022. It also operates a clinic in Emporia and other regional communities. Resources and lessons learned from other locations were brought to bear in planning the Manhattan Campus.
“In many ways, this is a flagship facility. We’ve learned so much along the way, especially from ambulatory buildings we have developed, so a lot of functionalities are at their peak performance here,” Martell said.
Visitors to the new building will notice up-to-date architecture, landscaping and interior design, of course, but they’ll also see some uncommon elements. Stormont Vail used its membership in the Mayo Clinic Care Network to restructure how it communicates with patients. Signs are nearly absent, for instance. Instead, patients are greeted by a Stormont Vail team member who directs them to their destination. Exam rooms are also free of marketing or education materials to protect “a sacred place between a provider and a patient.” Photography from local artist Tim Sigle showcases the area’s beauty, and a local coffee shop, Radina’s Coffeehouse, will soon offer a full menu of drinks and treats plus fresh sandwiches and salads, encouraging people to linger in a lobby that feels more like a four-star hotel than a doctor’s office.
The partnerships with a local artist and restaurant are firsts for Stormont Vail. Martell said these amenities send an important message to patients and team members. Availability of fresh, healthful food reinforces health messages and adds convenience for hardworking staff, and responding to beautiful artwork with familiar scenery reduces patients’ stress and anxiety.
“We want to be a neighbor in this region, and we hope our new neighbors will come and spend time with us in this building. It helps demystify healthcare when people are here not only when they have a doctor’s appointment,” she said.
Employees and staff are already using the facility, but an August 18 ribbon-cutting ceremony will provide an opportunity for more neighbors to celebrate. Martell said she is “looking forward to recognizing and appreciating the work so many people have done.”
Stormont Vail decided to invest in Manhattan because of the growing population and increasing demand for healthcare, but intangibles also played a role. Martell said Manhattan is known for having high-quality healthcare and a strong medical community, and Stormont Vail was eager to help fill the gaps — particularly in outpatient specialty medicine — in fast-growing Riley, Pottawatomie and Geary counties. But Manhattan also provides a special environment of celebration and cooperation.
“Right now, there’s unique opportunity and momentum in Manhattan for organizations to shine. Maybe that stems from a generally grateful community, a community that pays attention to each other and notices each other and what’s happening. There seems to be an ease within this community where people celebrate each other, both individually and organizationally. That’s a lens that leads to understanding and collaboration,” Martell said.
Stormont Vail has found plenty of collaboration in Manhattan. Because of a partnership with the Manhattan Surgical Hospital that began in 2019, Stormont Vail neurosurgeon Dr. Matthew Wills provides both consultations and surgery locally, thus preventing patients from having to travel to Topeka, Kansas City or Wichita. Martell said Dr. Wills could be anywhere in the world — a full patient load in Topeka could keep him busy full-time — but he chooses to come to Manhattan and help patients here.
Kansas State University has also been an eager partner. Stormont Vail affiliated with K-State’s recently established College of Health and Human Sciences Physician Assistant Program and is providing access to clinical rotations for students, plus it funded the state-of-the-art Stormont Vail Health Simulation Lab to ensure PAs receive the best possible training. Martell said more partnership announcements are forthcoming.
As Stormont Vail continues to deepen its involvement in Manhattan, Martell looks forward to helping area citizens see Manhattan as a destination for healthcare — and to appreciating all Manhattan has to offer.
“There’s something about Manhattan that draws people in after they have been here and connected to our people,” Martell said.
Stormont Vail’s new campus in Manhattan joins Ascension Via Christi Hospital, Manhattan Surgical Hospital and numerous urgent care and family or specialty practices that care for the needs of greater Manhattan residents.
To learn more about establishing your business in the Greater Manhattan region, please reach out to Daryn Soldan at daryn@manhattan.org.
