Hartley Joins WNH, Thielen Transitions to HPW

Jun 19, 2023

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William Newton Hospital in Winfield recently announced changes to providers across four clinics. Melanie Hartley, APRN, is returning to William Newton Hospital to provide primary care at William Newton Dexter Clinic and William Newton Hillside Family Medicine.

Also, after three years at William Newton Hillside Family Medicine, Laura Thielen, APRN has joined the team at Health Professionals of Winfield following the departure of Dr. Angela Meyer. Dr. Meyer has been providing care in Winfield for the last five years but has chosen to spend additional time with family and serve the underprivileged in the Wichita area.

Hartley is a familiar face at William Newton Hospital. She started as an aide while in nursing school at Southwestern College in the early 90s.

“I came to WNH while at college as it was suggested by one of my classmates and it was ‘the’ place to work. I was honored to be offered a job while I was in nursing school,” Hartley shares.

During her years at William Newton Hospital, her roles included intensive care nurse, med/surg supervisor, and house supervisor. She left for brief periods to work at St. Francis, Angels Home Health, and The Little Clinic, but has always come back.

Since 2020, Hartley has been board certified as a family nurse practitioner. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Spring Harbor University.

“I went back to school for my FNP to find new ways to use my nursing experiences and serve our local communities as well as to further my education and knowledge base,” says Hartley. “I try to really listen to my patients and view them as team members in their health care decisions.”

She is married to retired paramedic Kevin Hartley. They met while both working at William Newton Hospital in 1994. The couple has two children.

Thielen began working as a nurse at William Newton Hospital in 2011, completing her preceptorships with local physician offices. In 2020, she earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Clarkson College and continued her professional career as a board-certified family nurse practitioner at William Newton Hillside Family Medicine. Two years later, Thielen also started seeing patients at William Newton Pediatrics.

“When it comes to patient care, I try to view patients holistically and treat the whole person, rather than treating a disease state,” says Thielen. “I believe it is important to work together with patients to develop goals and make decisions regarding their health and wellness.”

Thielen resides in Arkansas City and is married with three children ages eight, seven, and one.

Hartley is now scheduling patients in Dexter on Mondays and in the mornings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She sees patients in Winfield on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Thielen sees patients at William Newton Pediatrics on Mondays and at Health Professionals of Winfield on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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