Elana Gordon

The flu is widespread in Kansas and Missouri. It has been an especially rough season, but some say relief may be on the way.

Wyandotte County has cashed in on its first payment from a new casino at the Kansas Speedway.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is continuing his push to expand the state’s Medicaid program, an optional provision for states under the federal health law. The governor rallied some key allies near Kansas City Thursday afternoon but also pointed to some rather unlikely ones.

A very personal yet public weight loss competition between two prominent city leaders is getting bigger. About two dozen area CEOs have signed up for the challenge.

Efforts to establish a prescription drug monitoring program in Missouri are making a comeback this year. But there’s a twist: the main opponent of establishing such a program is now sponsoring legislation.

Armed with more than 100 staff members and 1,000 volunteers, the bustling Kansas City Free Health Clinic in midtown is one of the largest free health clinics in the country, treating upward of 15,000 patients a year. “KC Free,” as it’s commonly called, doesn’t charge fees or bill patients for care. It only sees people who are uninsured.



But this year, all that changes.



The CEO of General Motors will announce details of a major expansion at its Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is slated address education, mental health, and Medicaid in his State of the State address this evening. City leaders in Kansas City will host several public meetings this week, aimed at strengthening arts and culture in the region.

If a person suddenly collapses, CPR could mean the difference between life and death. That’s the message coming from city and hospital leaders in Kansas City, Kan., who want to train a lot more residents in the lifesaving technique.

Kansas City’s health levy has long funded ambulance services and other care for residents without insurance or a means to pay. A portion of that levy is temporary, and it expires next year.

While much has changed since the levy was first introduced, city leaders and proponents of the tax are pushing to renew that temporary portion for nine more years. The full council is slated to take up the proposed renewal later today, and doing so could pave the way for a popular vote on the tax this spring.

A federal court is scheduled today, to take up one Missouri business’ challenge to a recently enacted provision of the federal health law. The provision requires that most employee-health plans include no-cost coverage of contraceptives, but the rule has faced backlash from several businesses and lawmakers around the region.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback wants to continue funding mental health services at the state's current level.

Residents of Kansas City may soon decide whether to renew a tax to support area health services. The city’s finance committee has moved the proposal to the full council.