From Kaiser Health News
Keely Connolly thought she would be safe once the ambulance arrived at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in Kansas.
She was having difficulty breathing because she’d had to miss a kidney dialysis treatment a few days earlier for lack of child care. Her potassium was dangerously high, putting her at risk of a heart attack. But she trusted she would be fine once she was admitted and dialysis was begun.
She panicked when a nurse told her that no beds were available and that she would have to be transferred possibly more than 450 miles away to Denver. She had heard a rumor about a dialysis patient who died waiting for a bed at a hospital in Wichita, about an hour down the road.
Stanley Ray Kjellberg, 1957 - 2020 Stanley Ray Kjellberg
Stanley Ray Kjellberg, 62, passed away December 17, 2020, at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. He was born December 28, 1957, in Ness City, to Clifford and Wilma (Frank) Kjellberg.
Stan graduated from Ness City High School in 1976 and went on to attend Northwest Kansas Technical College. In 1995, he decided to make a life change and go back to school. Stan graduated from Barton County Community College in 1996, as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. After one year working in Parsons, he moved with his family to Hutchinson, and began working at the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. During the 23 years that he worked there, Stan was able to touch the lives of many, many coworkers and patients. He loved his work, especially working with older patients. Stan would talk and listen to them, and would be able to bring out stories of their lives. He touched them as people, not