Health | Sedalia Democrat

Front row, left: Rebekah Oehrke, patient navigator; Christy Goalder, RN, Program Director; Theresa Acklin, LPN Back row, left: Dr. Trevor Beckham; Grace Thompson, LPN; Gail Meyer, NP; Dr. Jeff Wadley; Dustin Griffith, RN; Shawna Asbury, RN

Bothwell Wound Healing Center earns three national awards for clinical excellence

Bothwell Wound Healing Center has again earned top honors from Healogics, the nation's largest provider of advanced wound care services, receiving the 2025 President's Circle award alongside the … more

6/11/26

Healthy Blue invests more than $150,000 into Pettis County organizations

Several Pettis County organizations will receive a significant boost this summer thanks to an investment of more than $150,000 from Healthy Blue Missouri, a managed care organization serving Missouri … more

By Chris Howell, chris.howell@sedaliademocrat.com | 6/10/26

Centerstone staff members and executives cut the ribbon to celebrate the clinic’s official rebranding at the 1795 W. Main St. facility on Tuesday, June 9.

Burrell Behavioral Health cuts ribbon for rebrand to Centerstone

The Burrell Behavioral Health clinic has officially transitioned to its new identity. Staff members and executives gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to debut the facility, 1795 W. … more

By Jack Denebeim, jack.denebeim@sedaliademocrat.com | 6/10/26

The financial reality facing Bothwell, and what it means for local care

For residents of Pettis and Benton counties and surrounding communities, Bothwell Regional Health Center has been the cornerstone of local health care for generations. It’s where babies are born, … more

6/9/26

Cindy Gail, right, Bothwell's 2026 Nurse of the Year, is pictured with Chief Nursing Officer Michele Laas during Bothwell Regional Health Center's National Nurses Week award ceremony.

Bothwell recognizes staff during National Nurses Week

Bothwell Regional Health Center celebrated National Nurses Week by recognizing nominees and presenting its Nurse of the Year, Nurse Preceptor of the Year and Nursing Support Staff of the Year awards … more

6/3/26

Knowing where to go can make all the difference

I spent nearly seven years working in emergency, trauma and cardiac care at University Hospital in Columbia before coming back to Sedalia. That experience gave me a lot of perspective on a common and … more

By Savannah Jeffries, DNP, FNP-BC Bothwell Regional Health Center | 5/18/26

Dr. Stephanie Schirding has worked in Bothwell’s Cole Camp Clinic for around a year and said the move is like coming home.

Bothwell’s Schirding right at home in rural Cole Camp clinic

After a year in Cole Camp, Dr. Stephanie Schirding has found both a home and a purpose serving rural patients at Bothwell Regional Health Center’s clinic. “My husband is stationed at … more

By Chris Howell, chris.howell@sedaliademocrat.com | 5/13/26

Harlie Arnett and husband, Joseph Arnett, feed their daughter, Josie in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Born at 37 weeks gestation, Josie's lungs had not developed surfactant, a condition which affects a small subset of early-term infants.

A year after being gripped by postpartum depression, Harlie Arnett looks back

On the day of her interview in early March, Harlie Arnett had a rare free hour. While her husband, Joseph, is a farmer — and was soon to be consumed by planting season — he volunteered to take … more

By Kayla Nilges, Special to the Democrat | 5/11/26

A pregnant woman stands for a portrait in Dallas, Thursday, May 18, 2023. On Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, U.S. health officials approved the first pill, Zurzuvae, specifically intended to treat severe depression after childbirth, a condition that affects thousands of new mothers in the U.S. each year.

Expert provides insight of maternal mental health

According to the non-profit organization Postpartum Support International, one in every five women who give birth will experience a perinatal mental health disorder – yet the notion of motherhood … more

By Kayla Nilges Special to the Democrat | 5/4/26

David Hockett, of Columbia, came to Bothwell Regional Health Center seeking answers during an unexpected medical scare and left a passionate advocate for the care he received.

Unexpected stop leads to reassuring care at Bothwell

David Hockett came to Bothwell Regional Health Center during one of the most unsettling moments of his life, looking for answers and hoping he was not having a stroke. What he found was calm, … more

5/4/26

Bothwell Regional Health Center Board of Trustees welcomes interim COO, new mayor

Bothwell Regional Health Center’s Board of Directors welcomed two newcomers Tuesday night, introducing newly elected Sedalia Mayor Traves Williams and the hospital’s new interim chief operating … more

By Chris Howell, chris.howell@sedaliademocrat.com | 4/30/26

When a wound won’t heal, it’s time to get help

One of the biggest misconceptions about wound care is that time alone will fix the problem. Sometimes it does. Yet sometimes a wound is not improving because something more serious is getting in the … more

By Christy Goalder, RN, Clinical Program Director | 4/29/26

Marshall's Fitzgibbon Hospital files for bankruptcy

Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall is filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and is selling its facility, it announced Tuesday, April 21. The hospital's leadership emphasized its operations are not going … more

By Democrat Staff | 4/22/26

Dr. Bethany Geotz, owner of Patterns for Health Chiropractic and Acupuncture, offers a combination of chiropractic care and acupuncture treatments designed to address a wide range of conditions.

Geotz offers chiropractic patients new Patterns for Health

Dr. Bethany Geotz has returned to her roots with a mission to help others heal—physically, mentally and emotionally, through a holistic approach to care. Geotz is the owner of Patterns for … more

By Chris Howell chris.howell@sedaliademocrat.com | 4/14/26

Kevin and Miranda Dillon, left, stand on the deck and ramp built for their son Adam Larsson at their home in southern Pettis County. Larsson was paralyzed in a car accident in September 2025. The project was primarily funded by the Bothwell ToRCH program with support from Solid Value Contracting in Lowry City, which also did the work. Second from right is Elizabeth Green, Bothwell ToRCH program manager, and Traci Miller, Solid Value Contracting general manager.

From injury to independence, how Bothwell ToRCH program support made a difference

Thanks to a newer funding source available to eligible Pettis County Medicaid recipients and help from an area contractor, a young man who suffered life-changing injuries has a more accessible home. … more

4/14/26

Charli Carl, RN at Bothwell Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center, received the prestigious DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in March.

Bothwell Regional Health Center's Carl receives prestigious nursing award

Bothwell Regional Health Center recently presented its latest DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to Charli Carl. The DAISY Award is for patients and their families to nominate nurses who give … more

4/11/26

Spring back into activity without getting injured

Caring for people at Bothwell Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, I notice the same pattern in the clinic every spring as the weather starts to improve here in the Midwest. More patients are coming in … more

By Cade Chiles, PA-C | 3/16/26

Bothwell awarded Acute Stroke Ready Accreditation from Joint Commission

Bothwell Regional Health Center has earned Acute Stroke Ready Accreditation from Joint Commission, an independent, evidence-based standards setting organization that sets the benchmark for safe, … more

3/13/26

Dr. David Limbaugh runs Limbaugh Chiropractic Center, 810 Winchester Drive, and has been in practice for 40 years.

Limbaugh dedicates life to better living through chiropractic care

For more than four decades, Dr. David Limbaugh has been helping patients in Sedalia find relief from pain and injuries through chiropractic care. Although he has practiced in Sedalia for 45 … more

By Chris Howell, chris.howell@sedaliademocrat.com | 3/10/26

Bothwell physician named to Missouri Academy of Family Physicians board

Misty Todd, MD, a family medicine physician at Bothwell Regional Health Center, has been appointed to the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) Board of Directors. Dr. Todd will serve a … more

2/26/26