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Heart Care

Offering sophisticated cardiology services to treat heart emergencies and manage serious conditions such as chronic heart failure.

Heart Care in Grand Island and Hastings

Experience expert heart care that’s in rhythm with you. Our local heart experts at CHI Health Clinic in Grand Island and Hastings have been caring for the community for more than 20 years and have 70+ years of combined experience, advanced knowledge and techniques to keep your heart in tune. We’re proud to live and work in the community, and continue to serve our friends and neighbors in Central Nebraska with 24/7 in-person care.

A sophisticated range of cardiology services is also available nearby at CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island, should you need it for:

  • Managing serious conditions such as chronic heart failure
  • Treating heart emergencies at our brand new, state-of-the art, 24/7 Cath Lab
  • Recovering from heart illness and improving your health with Cardiac Rehabilitation 

A benefit of being part of CHI Health is easy access to the advanced care and services of our extended team, including:

We also offer the online convenience of one consistent medical record system, MyChart, so all of your information is one place for managing your health care. 

Local Services

St. Francis was one of the first hospitals in Central Nebraska to utilize Aquapheresis™ Therapy, also known as ultrafiltration therapy, which is designed to safely and effectively remove excess salt and water from the bodies of patients who are suffering from fluid overload due to heart failure.

A low salt diet, fluid restriction or other therapies can help patients reduce fluid – such as a water pill, or diuretic, given orally or intravenously. However, these treatments do not always work effectively, resulting in a need for alternative therapy – such as Aquapheresis™.

One in five adults over the age of 40 will develop heart failure. Early diagnosis, treatment and lifestyle improvements can help people with heart failure enjoy longer, more fulfilling lives. Our comprehensive heart failure program and team of experts offer highly specialized, proven treatments to help those with heart failure get back to the life they love.

St. Francis is pleased to provide superior heart and vascular care through a partnership with CHI Health Nebraska Heart, which has been ranked as a top cardiac hospital in Nebraska. The same cardiovascular physicians from Nebraska Heart also practice at St. Francis. This partnership allows us to provide you with a high level of specialization in the fast-advancing field of cardiology.

Because we work together, you can be confident that your care team uses the Nebraska Heart approach that has been proven to offer superior outcomes based on a variety of measures.

If you’re dealing with a heart or lung condition, you may need to make lifestyle changes that can seem overwhelming. Our cardiac and pulmonary rehab staff is here to help you make the changes needed to become healthier.

Our cardiac rehab staff includes nurses with special training in caring for patients who have heart and lung problems. What they do best is make everyone feel welcome every time they walk through the door. Our nurses will teach you, encourage you, and support you on your path to wellness, so you can achieve:

  • Improved physical fitness and ability to exercise
  • Better knowledge of heart and lung disease
  • Increased independence and quality of life
  • Understanding of a heart-healthy lifestyle and decrease the risk of future heart problems

The all-new Cardiac and Vascular Catheterization Lab at St. Francis (opened in March of 2022) is on the leading edge of heart care. In addition to heart attack care, the new Cath Lab accommodates routine and diagnostic cardiac procedures, such as:

  • Heart catheterizations
  • Angioplasty
  • Implanted pacemaker device
  • Vascular Procedures

New innovative imaging technology for cardiac and vascular procedures, including an echocardiography ultrasound, allows physicians to better and more accurately visualize small vessels, devices and tissue with lower radiation doses.

At the new Cath Lab, we’re able to prevent heart damage by opening blocked arteries as quickly as possible. Because every second matters when trying to save heart muscle, the Cath Lab is located strategically off the Emergency Room. Our current “door-to-balloon time” is already 30 minutes faster than the national average. The new Cath Lab location and state-of-the art imaging will only improve our time and provide better outcomes for our patients.

Your vascular system is a complex expressway of veins and arteries. Vascular surgery may be needed when blocked or hardened arteries lead to vascular disease. CHI Health’s vascular program offers a range of preventive screenings and vascular surgery options with providers who are experienced in vascular procedures.

Vascular Screenings:

  • Abdominal Aortic Ultrasound: Using ultrasound, the abdominal aorta (the main artery of the body) and branching arteries are imaged to determine if there is enlargement (aneurysm) and to evaluate for plaque and blockage.
  • Arterial Extremity Study: Blood pressures are taken at the ankle and arm levels, and ultrasound is used to examine the arteries to evaluate for plaque and blockage.
  • Carotid Doppler Study: A large proportion of strokes are caused by plaque in the carotid arteries. A carotid artery screening is a painless ultrasound exam of the arteries in the neck which supply blood to the brain. It is used to assess the plaque buildup in these arteries.

Vascular Diagnostic Tests:

  • Venous Doppler Study: Ultrasound is used to examine veins in the legs or arms to see if there are blood clots or to evaluate the veins from the leg used in heart bypass surgery.
  • Renal Duplex Ultrasound: Ultrasound is used to examine the arteries that carry blood flow to the kidneys and to examine the flow within the kidney.

Our Heart Care Team

Cardiology

Chelsie Doane, PA-C

Cardiology

Clayton Jose Friesen, MD

Cardiology

Erich Fruehling, MD

Cardiology

Jeffrey King, MD

Cardiology

Douglas Kosmicki, MD

Cardiology

Amy Nelson, APRN

Cardiology

Amy Theesen, APRN

Cardiology

Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery 

Christopher Darst, PA-C

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Heidi K. Hansen, MD

Vascular Surgery

Parker Hoffman, PA-C

Vascular Surgery

Lauren Nitz, PA-C

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Andre Orduna, PA-C

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Kallie Roberts, DO

Vascular Surgery

Allie Sohn, MD

Vascular Surgery

Diana Zapp, PA-C

Vascular Surgery

Electrophysiology

Stephen Ackerman, MD

Electrophysiology

Mary Baxter, APRN

Electrophysiology

Nayanjyoti Kaushik, MBBS, FACC, FHRS

Electrophysiology