Olathe Medical Center opens facility for final stage of life
Olathe Medical Center officials say they have added a building block to their vision of providing cradle-to-grave care. On Wednesday, in front of a crowd of about 300 donors, employees and other well-wishers, the hospital officially opened a freestanding inpatient hospice on its land at Interstate 35 and 151st Street. “In the early 1980s, when…
Mothers gather at interfaith vigil 1 month after Michael Brown's death
A month after the death of Michael Brown — the allegedly unarmed black teen who was shot and killed by a white police officer — community members gathered Tuesday evening at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri, for an interfaith prayer vigil. The service, titled “Mother’s Prayer,” was led by Rev. Betty…
Kansas seeks to address prison guard ‘correctional fatigue’
A new program in Kansas aims to improve conditions in prisons, but it’s not for inmates. The state Department of Corrections is one of many prison and jail systems around the country working to overcome “correctional fatigue” — the mental and physical stress that lead to corrections workers burning out. From Orange Is The New…
‘Chicken rule’ reaction
A Sept. 6 investigation of the USDA’s meat inspection division by the Hale Center for Journalism prompted a record number of hits on the station’s website, a political cartoon and editorial in The Kansas City Star and numerous comments and tweets. [View the story “Commentary on meat inspection story from the Hale Center for Journalism” on…
Missouri’s E-Cigarette veto override may lead to showdown with FDA
Call them e-cigarettes, vapes, e-juices or e-liquids. Just don’t call them tobacco. Early last Thursday, Missouri legislators overwhelmingly overrode the governor’s veto of a bill governing electronic cigarettes and the nicotine-infused mixtures they deliver. While the new law bans sales to minors, it also prevents e-cigarettes from being classified as “tobacco products.” “It was operating…
Medical PACs concentrate spending on incumbents
Political action committees for medically related groups in Kansas tended to throw their money behind incumbent House members before this year’s primary — even if those members did not support all of the groups’ political initiatives. Fifteen medically related PACs raised about $253,000 and spent about $125,000 this year in the reporting period that ended…
Kansas City Week in Review: truth-checking the debates…
This week, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and his Democratic opponent Paul Davis shared the stage for the first time in a debate at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. It was a lively, contentious exchange. But how many of the candidates claims were true? Working feverishly behind the scenes this week to check the facts: Prof. Bob…
Chefs-in-training
The Broadmoor Bistro serves a gourmet dinner on Wednesday nights. Four courses, selected by diners from a small, carefully constructed menu of locally sourced dishes, can be purchased for only $30. Menu items like duck liver, heirloom tomato gazpacho, crawfish and sweet potato tempura would not be out of place at any fine dining restaurant…
KC nonprofit spotlights women in media
The 2014-2015 season of Community Cinema kicks off this Saturday with “MAKERS: Women in Hollywood.” As part of the MAKERS series, which celebrates trailblazing women, “Women in Hollywood” spotlights the roles ladies have played in front of and behind the camera. Kansas City Women in Film and Television is co-sponsoring the screening, and some its…
USDA sued over new chicken rule
A group that advocates for food safety went to federal court Thursday to try and stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture from implementing new rules for poultry inspection that they say would put consumers at risk. The new rule — the biggest change in meat inspection in the last half century — was featured in an investigative…
Early signs show promise for Rainbow Mental Health, officials say
A reconstituted mental health facility in Kansas City, Kan., has been a financial and therapeutic success in its first five months of operation, officials involved in the transition said Wednesday. “It’s great news so far,” said Kari Bruffett, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), “and I think it’s only going…
IKEA store opens in Merriam, Kansas
The home furnishings megastore IKEA opened its Merriam, Kansas, branch this Wednesday. Customers started lining up outside the store a full two days before the doors opened. And, they were rewarded for their patience with free giveaways, including sofas, chairs and Swedish meatballs for a year. IKEA, a Swedish company, is known for its inexpensive…
Fresh food tax exemption on the table for Missouri lawmakers
Missouri lawmakers might sweeten the pot for consumers who want to eat healthy and for the growers who provide the food. Legislators return to Jefferson City today to reconsider nearly three dozen measures that Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed in this year’s regular session. The veto session could extend to Friday. One of the bills up…
Doctor running for lieutenant governor swears by ‘direct primary care’ model
Wichita physician Josh Umbehr has never understood the traditional model of health care reimbursement — the one in which doctors and hospitals fill out pages of forms to bill a patient’s insurance company for everything from a $3 test to a $30,000 surgery. “You don’t have car insurance for gasoline,” Umbehr said in a recent phone interview. “Why would…
Behind Kansas City’s ridesharing fight
Increasingly popular ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft allow you to summon a taxi or car service by using a smartphone app. Instead of calling or hailing a cab, the apps track your GPS position, and the car shows up at your location. No physical money changes hands. All payments are made with credit cards,…