How Weatherby helped bring back allergy services to a rural Kansas community

In Colby, Kansas, the retirement of a long-standing visiting allergist created an immediate care gap for hundreds of patients who relied on regular allergy testing, immunotherapy, and biologic treatments. Citizens Health, a rural health system serving Colby and surrounding communities, had historically worked with a private allergist who visited the area two to three days per month and brought his own equipment. When he retired, the organization was left without provider coverage and the necessary infrastructure to continue offering allergy services.

A partnership with Weatherby proved fruitful

With no allergists practicing within a 200-mile radius and limited travel access to the region, efforts to recruit a local physician proved challenging. To preserve access to care, Citizens Health partnered with Weatherby Healthcare. The two organizations collaborated to implement a locum tenens strategy aimed at addressing both immediate patient needs and long-term sustainability.

Dr. Rekha Raveendran, a Weatherby locum tenens allergist, agreed to help rebuild the allergy service line. In addition to seeing patients, Dr. Raveendran supported the selection and setup of equipment, developed clinical and EMR workflows, and trained nursing staff on skin testing, serum formulation, spirometry, and the administration of biologics and IVIG. She also created standardized documentation templates, reaction kits, and pre-charting processes, leaving Citizens Health with a fully operational allergy clinic supported by confident, well-trained nurses.

After helping to launch and stabilize the program, Dr. Raveendran accepted a full-time academic position and had to move on. To ensure continuity of care, Weatherby placed Dr. Snehal Patel, who assumed responsibility for ongoing allergy services. Dr. Patel built on the established foundation, providing consistent on-site care and supporting a hybrid model that incorporates telehealth to serve patients across a wide geographic region. Leadership and staff report strong clinical quality, seamless integration into the care team, and a deep appreciation for her impact, crediting her with igniting a renewed passion for medicine across the care team.

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Getting the allergy care patients need

Today, Citizens Health provides allergy care to patients within a 200-mile radius, many of whom would otherwise face long travel distances or potentially forgo treatment. Several hundred patients now rely on the program for ongoing immunotherapy and biologic therapies. The stability created through this phased locum tenens approach has enabled Citizens Health to maintain specialty services while supporting staff development and patient continuity.

What began as a staffing challenge evolved into a long-term partnership. Citizens Health plans to continue using locum tenens physicians for allergy coverage over the next several years, recognizing the model’s flexibility and effectiveness in sustaining specialty care in rural settings.

Weatherby Healthcare can help you solve your healthcare organization’s staffing challenges. Give us a call at 954.343.3050 to learn more.