Johnson County Department of Health and Environment

Kansas City-area public health departments are scrambling to make up for lost funds since the Trump administration canceled over $12 billion in federal health grants last month. Local agencies have been forced to lay off staff and halt research projects.

Casi uno de cada cinco padres que viven en la zona dijo a Children's Mercy Kansas City que la salud mental de su hijo era "regular" o "mala", y el 11% informó que su hijo se sentía "triste" o "sin esperanza". Los hospitales y centros de salud locales ahora intentan preparar a los padres para ayudar con el manejo de problemas de salud mental entre los jóvenes.

Nearly one in five parents in the area told Children's Mercy Kansas City their child’s mental health was "fair" or "poor," and 11% reported their child feeling "sad" or "hopeless." Local hospitals and health centers are now trying to prepare parents to help manage rising rates of mental health issues among youths.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services without warning canceled more than $12 billion in grant funding to states. Those funds, including millions for Missouri and Kansas, paid for public health basics like vaccines for children, infectious disease tracking, and funding for mental health and addiction treatment.

Johnson County will have 11 youth crisis stabilization beds. Only a handful of counties offer similar services.

Kansas health authorities identified about 450 close contacts of the infected student. More than 300 have been tested during clinics on October 12 and November 14.

Health officials announced an active tuberculosis case at Olathe Northwest High School in early October. Now, four other people tested positive for the bacteria.

An updated COVID-19 vaccine will be in Kansas City in the next few weeks. The shot combats newer variants more effectively and comes as case numbers creep up across the metro.

A fire at a recycling plant on Friday morning sent smoke billowing miles away, impacting air quality across the metro. By Saturday, fire fighters managed to control the fire and air quality levels in the area are considered "acceptable."

Director Sanmi Areola plans to resign in November. Data compiled by Kaiser Health News and the Associated Press show at least 303 state or local public health leaders in 41 states resigned, retired or were fired between April 1, 2020, and Sept. 12, 2021.

According to county data, COVID positivity is now 6.1%, compared to 2.2% a month ago, but officials caution that's likely an undercount, given that most testing is now being done at home and people may not be reporting their results.

An ordinance proposed by Jackson County legislator Crystal Williams would return authority to the county health director. But Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has already threatened a lawsuit.