Echoing off the Heart of the Heartland: The Mid-States Companies, Echocardiography, and Rural Medicine

In many cases, residents in rural communities requiring specialized medical diagnostics and care have had to either endure long journeys to larger cities or do without. In response, a number of programs and services have emerged to bring the latest medical advances to rural populations. For example, in the 1970s a team of cardiologists in Wichita established a system of mobile echocardiography units that went to hospitals in Kansas and in neighboring states. In addition, the physicians themselves conducted regular clinics at these facilities. Sometimes the physicians drove, but in many cases, they flew to the location. In the 1980s these individuals formed a series of companies under the name of "Mid-States whose employees performed diagnostic work ranging from echocardiography to pregnancy sonograms. One company even provided fitness equipment. Lasting into the 1990s Mid-States's legacy lives on in the personnel who have gone on to from new businesses and practices, as well as in the many patients who recived treatment over the years.