Missouri lawmakers have repeatedly introduced bills to try to significantly reduce the number of hospital boarding days each year and eventually end the practice altogether.

A wide-ranging healthcare bill made it to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe's desk Thursday, the second-to-last day of this year's legislative session.

Proponents of the bill say the legislation is necessary to protect those who survive an attempted abortion, while opponents say it creates a hostile environment for medical workers.

Health experts say the virus presents a low public health risk.

Area health departments are putting the finishing touches on plans to keep residents and travelers healthy during the FIFA World Cup. Officials are hopeful increased wastewater surveillance and unified messaging will help prevent outbreaks.

A growing partnership between a Kansas organization and an Oklahoma breast milk bank is expanding access to donated milk and donation drop off locations in Kansas. Breast milk is critical in situations like premature birth.

Doctors at Missouri and Kansas birthing hospitals have noticed an uptick in families turning down an inexpensive vitamin K shot, driven by unfounded fears of vaccines. But babies who don't get the shot are significantly more likely to die or suffer severe brain damage.

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway was taking particular aim at the more potent 7-OH products, which she argues are “hazardous opioids” banned by state and federal law.

The most recent data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment show more than 70% of abortions in 2024 used the drug mifepristone. There’s a court battle over mailing the medication to patients.

The University of Kansas Health System says the pediatric intensive care unit, or PICU, only serves about 150 patients a year. KU faculty say closing the PICU creates a cascading series of problems.

The survey of Missourians ages 18 to 35 found widespread support for birth control, with 85% of those polled in favor of "access to all methods."

Although Missouri voters restored abortion rights in 2024, multiple legal, political and court battles over the common abortion medication mifepristone continue to run through the state. Hawley is taking aim at the drug through proposed legislation and calling for federal investigations.