News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Sebelius pushes health exchanges
Alex Smith — KCUR Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urged the uninsured to enroll in the federal health exchange at a press conference in Kansas City, Mo., Monday morning. At the Full Employment Council near 18th and Vine, Sebelius touted the benefits of the health exchange for both the uninsured and for the…
Local student tackles concussion story for PBS NewsHour
Six schools from across the country contributed video packages investigating the impact of concussions for the PBS NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs.
Mental health officials brief stakeholders on KCK facility
A new short-term mental health facility in Kansas City, Kan., will have the capacity to serve community needs and will not abandon patients after they are treated, the operators of the facility said at a Friday forum. There should always be adequate space in the facility because the focus of the treatment will be quick…
Profile: Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute CEO
Wayne Carter, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, loves technology. His phone is constantly buzzing with updates and tweets, he wears a Fitbit 24/7 and he tests pioneering healthcare apps. He said these apps will change the way medicine is practiced in America. “It’s putting healthcare and the ability to…
New quality official announced for Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center
Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, a health clinic based in Kansas City, Mo., said Thursday it has taken steps to boost its efficiency. Among the changes, according to a news release, is the naming of Linda Zimmerschied as CEO for quality and clinical services. She is currently director of quality. Other changes include strategies to…
Public hearing spotlights plans for unaccredited districts
The auditorium at Paseo Fine and Performing Arts Academy was nearly full of parents, teachers and community members Wednesday night for a public hearing hosted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on plans to address unaccredited school districts in the state. Kansas City Public Schools is one of three districts currently…
CEO of Research Medical Center announced
HCA Midwest Health System announced Tuesday the appointment of Jacqueline R. DeSouza as CEO of Research Medical Center, a 490-bed hospital in Kansas City, Mo. Her appointment takes effect Feb. 10. She is currently CEO of Lee’s Summit Medical Center, another HCA Hospital. DeSouza succeeds Kevin Hicks, who left recently to become CEO of HCA’s…
Local efforts aim to curb Medicare costs
Mike Sherry – The Hale Center for Journalism Established five decades ago, the Medicare program has a budget rivalling that of the Pentagon, and congressional budgeters project the roughly $600 billion price tag will double within the next decade. But three Kansas City-area physician partnerships, serving both sides of the state line, are on…
Education Q&A: Christina Chandler, student teacher
Christina Chandler is a 3rd grade student teacher at Red Bridge Elementary School. After hours, she devotes 10-20 hours a week coaching Center School District’s FIRST® LEGO® League teams. FLL gets 9 to 14-year-olds interested in engineering through robotics competitions. One of the teams Chandler works with is the Rocking Robo Roadrunners. This month they…
A Local Solution
Part 3 continued: Undocumented and Uninsured – A Health Care Challenge [Editor’s Note: Click this link for an overview of the series and an interview with the author.] Tammy Worth — Special correspondent to The Hale Center for Journalism The cleaning crew at the Farmland Foods plant in rural Milan, Mo., clocks in at 10 p.m. every weeknight….