News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
For vaccination rates, Kansas and Missouri fall in lower half of states
With measles making a comeback in the United States after it was thought to have been eradicated 15 years ago, a new analysis finds that fewer than 90 percent of preschoolers nationwide have received the recommended vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella. Both Kansas and Missouri fell below the 90 percent threshold for preschooler vaccinations, the baseline goal set by Healthy People 2020, a federal interagency task force.
New cancer center planned for eastern Jackson County
HCA Midwest Health, the region’s largest health system, announced Wednesday that it plans to open a comprehensive cancer center near Centerpoint Medical Center, the company’s hospital in Independence, Mo. HCA will house the center in a 17,000-square-foot building near Centerpoint, according to a system spokeswoman. HCA purchased the building, a former furniture store, in 2012.
Savings accounts for children with disabilities could be impacted by Kansas budget struggles
A Kansas House committee unanimously passed a bill Tuesday to allow for tax-free savings accounts for children with disabilities. But even as they sent the bill to the full House, committee members expressed concerns that cost could keep it from coming up for a vote there.
Here’s what Brownback’s budget plan could do to the Kansas safety net
Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan for plugging a $325 million-plus hole in the current fiscal year’s budget includes a $254,000 cut in state-funded grants for safety net clinics that provide care for the poor and uninsured.
St. Luke’s and Liberty hospitals join forces on cancer care
Saint Luke’s and Liberty hospitals on Monday announced an agreement to partner on the provision of cancer care.
President Obama proposes boost in funding to fight superbugs
In the budget President Obama is sending to Congress he’s asking for more than $1 billion to combat antibiotic resistance, and some of that money would focus on animal agriculture. Antibiotic resistance can make common medications ineffective, meaning sick people don’t get better and doctors have fewer options to treat bacterial infections.
Olathe Medical Center Unveils $100 Million Expansion Project
Olathe Medical Center on Friday announced the largest expansion in the hospital’s six-decade history, a cradle-to-grave project that calls for new buildings for obstetrics and for patients with dementia.
New KS education commissioner tours state for talkback sessions
Randy Watson, the incoming Kansas Commissioner of Education, is starting work even before he officially takes office in July. Watson is touring the state of Kansas to speak with parents, students, educators, legislators and business leaders about education in the state. The series of town hall–style meetings, dubbed “Kansas Children, Kansas’ Future,” will stop in…
How big of a problem do you think concussions are in football?
For football fans everywhere, the NFL’s concussion crisis has raised some uncomfortable questions about what it means to love a sport that’s been shown to cause lasting harm to its players. The league’s ratings continue to enjoy near-record highs, yet at the same time, scientific research increasingly suggests that football can lead to a wide…