Holdrege Rotarians learned about the Phelps Memorial Health Center Cardiology program from Pete Whitley, Cardiovascular Services Director. The cardiology program is a collaborative program between Phelps Memorial Health Center and Pioneer Heart Institute, Lincoln.
Whitley told Rotarians the goal of the program is to bring experienced cardiologists and innovative cardiology care to rural Nebraska. He said Sadie Johnson, PA-C, and Cheryl Klausen, APRN, are instrumental to the cardiology program and stated that four cardiologists from Pioneer Heart Institute see patients at the clinic.
Mark Harrel, CEO, Phelps Memorial Health Center, said “We built this cath lab because of a need in our community.”
Harrel, a Rotarian and the program host, introduced Whitley and said, “Pete came to us 3 ½ years ago and took on a program from the ground up and it is meeting so many needs in our community and saving lives.”
Whitley said that the cardiology clinic has increased clinic availability and nearly doubled patient volume in the past year with 1123 patient visits in 2023 and 2125 patient visits in 2024.
The clinic sees patients for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chest pain, heart failure, pre-op clearance, heart valve disease, arrhythmias, and syncope.
He noted that since started seeing patients, Phelps Memorial has sent 50 procedure referrals to other parts of Nebraska.
One example he shared was of a Watchman procedure. The Watchman is a small parachute-shaped implant designed to reduce stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation who need an alternative to long-term blood thinners.
Whitley said, “We set the patient up here and get everything ready, send them to get the procedure, then we can care for them in our clinic and get them off blood thinners within six months.”
Procedures done at the cardiology clinic at Phelps Memorial include: heart catheterizations, pacemaker implants and battery changes, loop recorder implants, transesophageal echocardiograms, vein alations, and peripheral artery/vein procedures.
Whitley updated the Rotarians on new procedures and technology in 2025 and said “The first ICD placement occurred this month by Dr. Korpas.”
An Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small battery-powered device placed under the skin to monitor heart rhythm and deliver electrical shocks when needed to treat life-threatening arrhythmias. The device monitors one's heart rhythms, ready to detect any dangerous patterns that could lead to sudden cardiac arrest, and if it detects a dangerous rhythm it can deliver electrical pulses to restore normal rhythm.
Whitley said, “We’ve got new procedures and technology coming in 2025 and goals to continue to meet the needs of our patients.”
For more information about the Phelps Memorial Health Center cardiology services visit: https://www.phelpsmemorial.com/cardiology.
