Newman Regional Health Honors Dr. Brock Kretsinger 

Medical Staff Retirement Reception: Celebrating 45 Years of Medical Staff Service 

Following the July Medical Staff meeting, physicians, hospital leaders, and staff gathered to celebrate the retirement of Dr. Brock Kretsinger after 45 years of service to Newman Regional Health and the Emporia community. The reception was marked by heartfelt tributes from colleagues whose remarks reflected the profound influence Dr. Kretsinger had on generations of patients, healthcare professionals, and the Emporia community.

Throughout the reception, several themes emerged repeatedly: his extraordinary work ethic, his clinical brilliance, his commitment to lifelong learning, his expectation of excellence from those around him, and his genuine kindness.

A Physician Who Set the Standard

Dr. Michael Lloyd described Dr. Kretsinger as “a true role model for all physicians,” noting that during more than four decades of practice, his “tireless dedication and selfless service have touched countless lives.” His early mornings and late evenings had become legendary.

“It has not gone unnoticed—all your early arrivals and late departures. Your work ethic is legendary.”

His thoughtful participation in Medical Staff leadership was equally recognized.

“On your membership on committees, I’ve always found your comments thoughtful, progressive, and very erudite.”

He was celebrated as “a brilliant diagnostician” who had cared for multiple generations of families throughout Lyon County and the surrounding communities.

Always Teaching

Several physicians reflected on Dr. Kretsinger’s influence as a teacher.

Adam Galindo, APRN, recalled beginning practice at Newman Regional Health and being warned by experienced nurses:

“You need to know this patient—everything about the chart, everything about the personal life—because he will quiz you on it.”

Rather than viewing those questions as intimidating, he reflected that they became a source of professional growth.

“I’ve always strived to be better. Dr. Kretsinger would round and ask you about the patient, the diagnosis, what you thought was going on, the labs. He would quiz you constantly… and it always made me strive to be better.”

Dr. Ryan LaSota remembered how welcoming Dr. Kretsinger had been to every new physician joining the Medical Staff.

“You were always one of the most welcoming people, always approachable, always eager to check in and say, ‘How are you doing?'”

He expressed the hope of extending that same generosity and hospitality to future generations of physicians.

Patient First—Always

Medical Executive Committee colleagues reflected on Dr. Kretsinger’s leadership style.

He was consistently kind and respectful, yet never hesitant to challenge the Medical Staff to improve.

Dr. Anna LaSota shared:

“You don’t ever hesitate to push us to recognize the things we need to be doing… always striving for improvement with that patient-first perspective.”

Colleagues also recalled Dr. Kretsinger’s frequent reminders about the importance of physician-to-physician communication. Before the hospitalist model was established, he often spoke about personally calling consulting physicians rather than relying solely on written referrals.

Holly French, CFO, recalled:

“You always talked about picking up the phone and talking to the specialist you were referring to—having a personal conversation—and how important those connections were in caring for patients.”

Dr. Turner remembered that with every referral, Dr. Kretsinger would include a simple note of human connection:

“This is a really special patient and is in need of your help.”

Those comments reflected his belief that medicine is fundamentally a relationship-based profession.

Legendary Dedication

Stories illustrating Dr. Kretsinger’s commitment to his patients prompted laughter and knowing smiles throughout the room.

Adam Galindo and Dr. Kretsinger joked about the calls when on vacation, prompting laughter from those gathered.

Another colleague remarked that whenever they happened to be at the hospital on a weekend, it was no surprise to see Dr. Kretsinger’s car in the parking lot.

Staff also remembered his routine. One leader shared a story from her first days working as a hospital phlebotomist:

“When I first started as a phlebotomist, I was told we were going to start at four in the morning. I asked, ‘Why?’ They said, ‘Because of the Green Group. You always draw Dr. Kretsinger’s patients first because he needs those labs on the chart when he gets here at six.”

The story perfectly illustrated a physician whose preparation and expectations became part of the hospital’s daily rhythm.

Dr. Kretsinger’s Reflections

When invited to respond, Dr. Kretsinger began with characteristic humor.

“Well… this all started about 78 years ago.”

He shared that he had wanted to become a physician for as long as he could remember. After completing residency in 1981, he and his wife returned to Emporia to begin practice.

He recalled those early days with remarkable honesty.

“We didn’t have anything. We didn’t have any money. We didn’t have a salary. We didn’t have anybody to work for. We didn’t have any patients.”

Becoming emotional, he credited his wife for making everything possible.

“My lovely wife took care of everything. Frankly, that was the beginning of a fabulous career for both of us.”

Throughout his remarks, Dr. Kretsinger repeatedly returned to one theme: gratitude.

He reflected fondly on the friendships and professional relationships that shaped the early years of his career, recalling how physicians from different practices came together with a shared commitment to their patients and to one another.

“Everybody worked together and everyone treated each other collegially. It was an ideal world back in those days.”

His remarks underscored an appreciation for the relationships that defined those formative years. He remembered how, after only a few years in practice, close friends invited him to merge practices and form Internal Medicine Associates. That partnership eventually became known throughout the hospital community as the “Green Group,” named after the distinctive green charts they used.

Pride in Newman Regional Health

Dr. Kretsinger expressed deep appreciation for Newman Regional Health and the community it serves.

“This is a great hospital. Emporia is lucky to have this hospital.”

He praised not only Newman physicians, but also Cotton O’Neil physicians and independent practitioners, observing that the community had “a heck of a deal going” because of the collaborative relationships among its physicians. His appreciation reflected not only pride in the institution, but also confidence in the physicians, employees, and community that have sustained it through decades of change.

Watching Medicine Change

Looking back over more than four decades of medicine, Dr. Kretsinger reflected on how dramatically healthcare had evolved.

When he began practice, a patient suffering an acute myocardial infarction routinely remained hospitalized for two weeks, spending the first week on bedrest in intensive care before gradually recovering.

Today, he joked, advances in interventional cardiology allow many patients to receive a stent and return home the same day.

With a smile, he lamented one unintended consequence of modern medicine:

“How in the hell can you get to know your patients? You keep them here for 30 minutes and send them home.”

The room responded with laughter, recognizing both the humor and the deeper truth behind his words.

Building Programs That Endure

Dr. Kretsinger also reflected on the programs he had the privilege of helping develop, including Cardiac Rehabilitation, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, Diabetes Education, and the Stroke Program.

One of the most poignant moments of his reflections came as Dr. Kretsinger recalled helping establish the hospital’s stroke program alongside his uncle, Dr. Brockhouse. Years later, after suffering a stroke himself in 2016, he became a beneficiary of the very program he had helped create. Fortunately, he experienced no lasting deficits—a remarkable testament to the enduring impact of his contributions to patient care and the programs he helped build.

Final Thoughts

As he concluded, Dr. Kretsinger reflected on the speed with which a lifetime passes.

“It’s been a long haul. It seems like it started yesterday, and all of a sudden it’s gone.”

His final advice to colleagues was simple and heartfelt.

“Enjoy every day, because that’s the way things are in life. They just go… and then you have to start thinking about hobbies.”

Before the celebration concluded, one final tribute was offered—not only to Dr. Kretsinger, but also to his wife. Steven Bazan observed:

“It is hard to be this great at something, and it takes a wonderful partner like you have. Thank you, too, Mrs. Kretsinger.”

The room responded with unanimous agreement.

The reception concluded with photographs, cake, and fellowship, celebrating not only the retirement of an exceptional physician, but the legacy of a man whose influence reached far beyond the patients he treated. Through his leadership, mentorship, clinical excellence, and steadfast commitment to compassionate care, Dr. Brock Kretsinger helped shape both the culture of Newman Regional Health and the practice of medicine in Emporia for nearly half a century. His legacy will endure in the programs he helped build, the physicians he mentored, and the countless patients and families whose lives are better because he chose to practice medicine in Emporia.