News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Retiring CEO reflects on his experiences at Truman Medical Centers
After only two weeks as the new CEO of Kansas City’s safety-net hospital system, John Bluford called an emergency 6:30 a.m. meeting of the Truman Medical Centers board. After assurances that he was not going to quit, Bluford told the board members, “I understood when I took this position that the system was broken. It’s…
One in eight Kansas pregnancies in 2013 involved women who smoked
In Kansas last year, more than 4,800 women smoked cigarettes during their pregnancies, according to a preliminary summary of birth statistics released Tuesday by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The finding means that in 2013, about one in every eight births – 12.5 percent – involved mothers who smoked for at least three…
Brownback discusses opposition to Medicaid expansion in Heritage Foundation Interview
The inaugural edition of a Heritage Foundation news site features an interview with Gov. Sam Brownback explaining “how Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion hurts states.” The interview http://dailysignal.com/2014/06/03/interview-brownback-discusses-medicaid-expansion-hurts-states/ is featured in the Daily Signal, a new online publication “supported by the resources and intellectual firepower” of the foundation, which describes its mission as promoting “conservative public policies…
KC Week in Review: Marking 20 years of Casinos in Missouri: Is it an industry in decline?
On this week’s program: Mayor Sly James proposed recognizing Kay Barnes for her contribution to making Kansas City what it is today; Kemper Arena, KU and MU rivalry rekindled, doubled traffic enforcement in KC, Cerner, Casinos and…what would take to get the Super Bowl to Kansas City? Reviewing this week’s news headlines: Neal Jones, KCTV5…
Blunt cites KC shooting in call for VA reform
The weekend shooting death of a former Army paratrooper in Kansas City highlights deficiencies in the care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, said during a visit to to Kansas City on Thursday. On Sunday, police shot 26-year-old Issac Sims after he emerged from his family’s home…
MO state dental director briefs oral health advocates in Kansas City
Missouri’s new state dental director has been on board for about half a year, and during a visit to Kansas City on Wednesday, he outlined a number of initiatives aimed at making the state a national leader in oral health. “I want (other states) to come to us,” Dr. B. Ray Storm said at a…
Kansas City Public Schools partner with community groups to expand summer learning opportunities
From an arts-focused camp with the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey to swimming lessons through the YMCA to kindergarten boot camp, Kansas City Public Schools is expanding its summer learning offerings through collaborations with community partners. KCPS Superintendent Steve Green announced today that working with partners, including Freedom Schools, Boys and Girls Club, Upper…
KC Week in Review: May 23, 2014
Kansas City Mayor Sly James officially breaks ground this week on the downtown streetcar project; Kansas City still in the running for the RNC; Why a Hy-Vee store is creating a fuss in Leawood, Kansas; United States Supreme Court intervention in a Missouri execution; Missouri lawmakers approve eight ballot questions for the upcoming election. And, have hospitals in Kansas…
Harding tapped as new CEO of Wyandotte Health Foundation
The Wyandotte Health Foundation has named a veteran of the regional safety-net health system as its next leader. The foundation board announced Thursday the hiring of Cathy Harding, who since 2007 has served as executive director of the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, the Primary Care Association of Kansas in Topeka. Harding will take…
Johnson County clearing legal, financial issues with mental health center
Correction appended Six months ago, the Johnson County Mental Health Center was struggling to meet payroll, and shortly thereafter it was at the heart of a lawsuit filed against the county commissioners. But now, county officials say, the organization is making financial strides, and a district court judge has dismissed the suit. The center today…