Northland Connections

When we opened in February 1974, we had 175 employees and 39 physicians, and we admitted 96 patients in our first week. Within four years, we had grown enough to add more space for surgery, physical and respiratory therapy, lab testing and more.

Liberty Hospital continued to grow throughout the 1980s, including an East Wing expansion that doubled our hospital size. During this decade of growth, we opened our Breast Diagnostics Center, Emergency Department, Obstetrics Unit and Education Center.

Our crowning achievement of the 1990s was our new Doctors Building, which brought 100 more physicians to our medical staff, along with some additional hospital services. We also added several outpatient special procedures and new, state-of-the-art technologies.

In the 2000s, we added new floors to our hospital, enabling us to open more beds and serve more patients. We acquired and expanded numerous primary and specialty care clinics, including Sports Medicine and Breast Care Center. In 2015, Liberty Hospital Urgent Care Shoal Creek was our first clinic to open west of I-35. In 2017, we began a beloved new local tradition: the annual Liberty Half Marathon/5K.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020s started off in uniquely challenging ways, but our service and dedication to our community never wavered. We remained strong – and today, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we are preparing to partner with The University of Kansas Health System and look forward to what’s ahead. To learn more about our history, click here.

Primary Care

Longtime Liberty physician John Burroughs, MD, joins the Kearney Clinic. Board-certified in family medicine, Dr. Burroughs previously practiced at Cobblestone Family Health in Liberty. He received his medical degree from Bowen Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest, N.C. He completed his residency at the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics. To schedule an appointment, call 816.407.4820.

Amanda Thomas, DO, is accepting new patients at Liberty Hospital Primary Care Shoal Creek. Dr. Thomas received her degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University New York Institute of Technology, Jonesboro, Ark., and completed her family medicine residency at Unity Health, Searcy, Ark. To schedule an appointment, call 816.415.3451.

Nathaniel Nielsen, DO, is the newest physician to join Primary Care Liberty Clinic. Dr. Nielsen brings family medicine experience from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He received his degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota. To schedule an appointment, call 816.781.7730.

Ashley Wilson, APRN, a board-certified nurse practitioner, recently joined Primary Care Liberty Clinic. She graduated from the William Jewell College School of Nursing, Liberty, and Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa. To schedule an appointment, call 816.781.7730.

Specialty Care

Interventional cardiologist Varda Singhal, MD, joins the Liberty Hospital Heart Center and will co-lead the development of a women’s heart program with Tehmeena Shah, MD. The addition of Drs. Singhal and Shah make Liberty Hospital Heart Center the only heart program in the Kansas City region to feature two female interventional cardiologists.

Dr. Singhal received her medical degree from Stanley Medical College and completed an internal medicine residency at Rochester Regional Health. Additionally, she completed a cardiovascular medicine fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and an interventional cardiology fellowship at Lenox Hill Hospital/Northwell Health.

Breast surgeon Kayla Barnard, MD, leads the hospital’s new breast surgery program. Barnard received her medical degree from the Creighton University School of Medicine. She completed a general surgery residency at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. She completed a breast disease fellowship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Morgan Ayers, MD, joins the organization as a hospitalist and will provide care exclusively to patients who are hospitalized. Ayers received her medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She completed her internal medicine and pediatrics residency at the Indiana University School of Medicine.