The organization includes a 25-bed critical access hospital, a family practice clinic with 23 providers, a 60-bed long-term care unit and a network of visiting specialists. Remarkably, the medical center actually serves more patients from outside their county than inside it, seeing over 12,000 patients in their family practice clinics alone.
In a region where healthcare access is often limited, Citizens Health rises to meet the challenge by offering everything from primary care to obstetrics while adapting to the ever-changing demands of the industry. At its core, the organization is dedicated to enhancing the lives of the patients they serve.
A Partnership Built on Trust
In rural healthcare, where the health of an entire region is dependent on the care accessible to residents, reliability and trust aren’t optional; they’re critical. That reality shapes every decision, especially when it comes to investing in imaging equipment.
“One of the most important aspects of any piece of equipment that you buy is your ability to fix it when it breaks,” said David McCorkle, CEO of Citizens Health. “In a rural community, you have to ask: how quickly and how competently can you get it fixed when you need to? Because on the other side of that, people are waiting to use the machine.”
That’s where relationships come in. For David, his long-standing partnership with Cassling Field Service Engineer Jeremy Long has been key.
"Jeremy is not just an engineer, he's an all-in-one, Swiss army knife guy for me in my life," said David. "He's also a friend. The relationships you develop along the way are far more importatnt in life than having somebody who can just show up and fix your machine."
When Citizens Health set out to upgrade equipment, the decision wasn’t just about technology. It was about who they could trust to stand behind it.
“Jeremy shows up and does the work in an efficient manner to ensure that the next patient on the table can get their exam done,” McCorkle shared. “He cares as much about our patients as we do, and that’s what’s truly important. I know I can count on him. I know I can trust him.”
Building for the Future of Care in Colby
That focus on people and relationships carries into Citizens Health’s vision for the future. The organization is currently constructing a new 180,000-square-foot medical campus, set to open in 2026. The facility will bring the hospital and clinic under one roof, expand capacity and give departments room to grow, all while ensuring the design supports efficient patient care.
The community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive, and that excitement is what fuels David’s drive to continue strengthening healthcare access in the community.
“We’ve grown a lot as an organization, and we’ve struggled to keep up with growth. We’ve used every square inch of every closet that we can find in this place,” said David. “This project is about ensuring that our facilities represent the level of care and compassion our caregivers already provide every day.”
Cassling’s project management team has been a key partner in that process, too. They’ve worked alongside Citizens Health and its architects to make sure every detail is ready—from floor troughs to power requirements—so the new facility is prepared for state-of-the-art imaging equipment and built to serve the region for decades to come.
Shared Values, Shared Success
What makes Citizens Health successful is the same thing that makes communities like Colby strong: service, compassion and relationships. And those same values are rooted in every decision Citizens Health makes for its community, from patient care to equipment selection.
“When you’re a CEO at a rural healthcare facility, you try to minimize the things you don’t need to worry about, because there are already so many,” said David. “Having Jeremy and the Cassling team, and Siemens and the great equipment they provide, is nothing but reassurance for me. It puts my mind at ease to know that we’re well taken care of.”
For Citizens Health, service isn’t just about uptime or repair speed. It’s about ensuring the people of northwest Kansas can access care close to home when they need it most. And for Cassling, it’s about standing alongside healthcare providers like Citizens Health so that they can reliably deliver the kind of care that transforms lives.