Hays Medical Center

Two longtime Hays physicians are retiring after providing healthcare to patients in the region for a combined 65 years. Dr. Randy Cook and Dr. Dallas Richards, both members of the Hays Med Center medical staff have announced their retirements. Dr. Cook will retire in June and Dr. Richards’ last day was May 16.

Dr. Cook was born in St. Francis and spent his childhood there graduating in 1970.  He attended Kansas State University graduating in 1974 with a degree in biology and minor in chemistry.  He graduated medical school at the University of Health Sciences in Kansas City in 1981.

Dr. Cook completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas-Wichita. After completing his residency he moved to Hays, where he began practice in the Vic Eddy Clinic and eventually moving to Medical Specialists at HaysMed.  Hays afforded him the opportunity to remain close to family and friends and also provide services to the people of northwest Kansas.

Dr. Richards was born in Oberlin. He spent his childhood in Norcatur, Oberlin and Atwood, attending Oberlin Grade School and graduating from Atwood High School in 1967. He attended Kansas State University and graduated with a degree in psychology in 1971, and graduated from the University of Kansas Medical School in 1974. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Kansas University Medical Center in 1978. That same July, Dr. Richards began his practice in Hays joining Dr. James Allen, MD, and in 1980 became a solo practitioner.

Dr. Richards has held numerous leadership positions at HaysMed during his tenure, including Chief of Staff and serving as the Department of Medicine Chair for multiple years.  He was instrumental in helping establish an outpatient renal dialysis unit in Hays in 1985.  In cooperation with KU Medical Center, he brought the first oncologists to Hays, and they held clinics at his office for several years. He is one of the original developers of the Oak Park Medical Complex.  He rounds at all Ellis County nursing homes monthly and each Assisted Living Facility every other month.  He has been the only staff physician at FHSU for many years, spending two hours each weekday when school is in session at the student health facility.  He has been active in the Kansas affiliate of the American College of Physicians.

“Both of these men leave a legacy with the HaysMed Medical staff that speaks for itself,” said Dr. John Jeter, president and CEO of HaysMed.  “They were compassionate, caring physicians who always put patients first.  They embody quality medicine and will be greatly missed by both patients and staff.”

In addition to the above retirements HaysMed is pleased to announce that Dr. Jeffery Curtis has transitioned from the DeBakey Heart Clinic to Medical Specialists, where he will be primarily practicing general internal medicine.  Dr. Curtis began seeing patients on May 16.