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This week marked three years since the first announcement of a COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. After more than 31,000 deaths in Missouri and Kansas, local health officials are trying to keep people vigilant — but people are tired of pandemic measures.
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Kansas is one of 11 states that have not expanded Medicaid eligibility. Will 2023 be the year it passes?
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Facing shortages of critical care beds, medication and frontline staff amid the onslaught of RSV, COVID-19 and the flu, hospitals serving Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska are collaborating to get children with acute conditions the treatment they need.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, two-thirds of volunteers in the U.S. cut down their volunteer hours or stopped altogether. Now, the University of Kansas Health System is encouraging people to re-engage in their philanthropic efforts.
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In many rural towns, local hospitals are community fixtures. When they close, the entire community feels the ripple effects.
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COVID-19, RSV and the flu cases are filling up emergency rooms in the metropolitan area. Many area hospitals are at capacity, with some even putting beds in the hallways. All of this is overwhelming nurses already stretched thin.
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A new federal designation would allow struggling hospitals to end inpatient services, but some have concerns about how that could affect rural health care.
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Missouri lawmakers this year passed the No Patient Left Alone Act as a result of some patients being unable to have visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Months later, the impact of the law is likely dependent on a future health emergency.
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The nursing shortage has led to a greater reliance on travel nurses — who come with big price tags — at hospitals around the country. According to leading travel nursing agency Aya Healthcare, there are nearly 1,500 openings for travel nurses in Missouri and 340 in Kansas. That’s causing some hospitals to rethink their nursing staff retention efforts.
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Community health centers around the country paid $410 million from 2018 to 2021 in 485 settlements or judgments over malpractice suits. The centers and their employees have immunity from medical malpractice lawsuits, meaning the federal government pays any settlements or court judgments.
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In Missouri, hospital doctors told a woman whose water broke at 18 weeks that "current Missouri law supersedes our medical judgment" and so she could not receive an abortion procedure even though she was at risk of infection. That hospital is now under investigation for violating a federal law that requires doctors to treat and stabilize patients during a medical emergency.
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Two of the major private equity firms flipping health care companies have bought and resold businesses in Johnson County that handle home health, surgical products and regulatory compliance. Health care in rural Missouri has also taken a hit as private equity snapped up and, in some cases, closed hospitals — leaving residents with staggering bills and a longer journey to necessary care.