KANSAS

ABILENE
Antel Long, M.D. 
Tara Neil, M.D. 
	Family Care Clinic
	785-263-4131 
	abilene ks 67410 
	both of these women have been great to me. i weigh 300 pds and dr
	long has delivered 2 of my babies and i'm going to use her or dr
	neil for the next for sure. they asked me for my inputs and also
	said the mother's feelings mean a lot. i did get extra
	ultrasounds for size but was in no way pressured to do so. they
	were very praising during labor. both births were natural. i
	consider myself ultra blessed to have these women looking after
	me and my family. 

HIAWATHA
Julie Rosa, MD, Family/general practitioner 
	314 Oregon St
	Hiawatha, KS 
	Large seating in waiting area/seats with no arms. Large
	wheelchairs. Sturdy table. Dr. Julie is the best Dr. I have ever
	had. She was honest and straight with me without ever making me
	feel bad. She encouraged me and cheered with me during my
	difficult pregnancy. She trusted me to manage my gestational
	diabetes through low carb diet and carefully monitored my
	gestational high blood pressure. She has the most wonderful
	bedside manners and I love her to pieces. I gave birth to a very
	healthy baby girl. I had to have a csection because my cervix
	refused to open and it went so smoothly. I was up and walking
	the very next morning. After my experience with her, my husband
	made her his Dr as well. Can't say enough wonderful things about
	this lady.

LEAWOOD
Overland Park Family Health Partners, PA
	Shari Berl, DO 
	Joel Feder, DO
	Andrea Murray, MD
	Ann Murphy, MD
	6740 W 121st St, Leawood, KS 66209
	913-894-6500
	My wife and I are overweight, as are some of our friends that
	we've referred to this practice.  I've never experienced or
	heard of any type of discrimination or abuse, or dismissal of
	health problems because of a person's weight.  My wife did talk
	with Dr. Berl about losing weight, and she was told that the
	best thing to do is get regular exercise and eat well - but to
	not try to starve herself or use "diet foods."  The doctor said
	that getting enough exercise and not eating pure garbage all the
	time will allow the body to find its best size.  Dr. Berl also
	said she's extremely reluctant to prescribe medication for the
	purpose of losing weight.

LEAVENWORTH
Anita Woods, CPM, Certified Professional Midwife 
	My office is located in Leavenworth, KS.  I serve the entire
	northeastern quarter of Kansas, including the Greater Kansas
	City metropolitan area.
	(816)392-2555
	www.nekansashomebirth.com
	Self-referred.
	I offer non-interventive homebirth services to women of all
	size, with a VBAC specialty.
	I am a woman of size myself, I advocate healthy eating and
	excellent nutrition without restriction for all healthy women.
	The number on the scale means nothing to me, it is the quality
	of the food you are eating that matters.  A 400-lb scale is
	provided and weight at prenatal visits is optional. 

WICHITA
Tamara Pryor, Ph.D, Psychology, Specialty in Eating Disorders 
        9415 E. Harry Street, Suite 505 
        Wichita, KS  67207-5072
        316-686-6303
        Dr. Pryor has been treating me for a Binge Eating Disorder for 
        several years now.  When I began treatment, I weighed 400 lbs.
        I had been yo-yoing up and down in weight for all of my life.
        Dr. Pryor made it clear that she was not there to start me on a 
        diet program.  She was there to treat the Binge eating and to
        try to help me discover what was causing it.  The purpose of
        that treatment was not weight loss, although that might occur as
        a result of the therapy.  The purpose was to bring me out of
        depression; to encourage a good self image not by changing the
        way I looked, but by helping me accept myself and realize that
        size is only one aspect of a person, and a insignificant aspect
        at that;  and to work with me to stop letting my size control my
        life.  The emphasis has never been on weight, but on my right to
        be who I am, for me to accept who I am, and for me to begin to
        re-engage the world around me. At the same time, I have 
        expressed concern about my lifestyle's impact on my health.  I
        had a double by-pass in 1993.  Dr. Pryor's response has been to
        help me incorporate healthy life habits into my lifestyle,
        within the bounds of my tolerance.  She has encouraged exercise,
        healthy food options, learning how to cope with stress,
        acceptance of self, and development of social and spiritual
        support groups in a holistic approach to good health that does
        not involve watching the numbers on a scale. -- Larry Smarsh
        (lsmarsh@kscable.com)