regional health

A St. Louis scientist has spent her career studying sound and is now speaking out about the noise pollution that data centers could bring to the region.

These are the first measles cases reported in Kansas since an outbreak of 91 cases in 2025. The individuals were exposed to measles while traveling within the United States, outside of Kansas.

Religious exemptions, in which a parent or guardian declines to vaccinate their child with some or all required immunizations because of sincerely held religious beliefs, have more than doubled statewide in the past five years.

The free-to-use machine, called a Bluebox, has public health items like the naloxone product Narcan, fentanyl test strips, COVID tests, safe sex kits and more. It’s the third such vending machine in Jackson County, with more still to be installed.

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.

The expansion at the hospital’s downtown campus would increase capacity by 25-30%, Children’s Mercy leaders say. The investment will help make more room for pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, increasingly complex surgical procedures and more.

A University of Kansas Cancer Center bus retrofitted to serve as a clinic is headed out to cover rural communities in Kansas and western Missouri that don't have easy access to cancer screenings.

A new partnership will create a theranostics health care platform in the region with radiopharmaceutical production and therapy, molecular imaging, and clinical trials all at the same location. One Kansas City health care system will be among the first to offer the treatment to children.

The influx of people could mean a greater chance of disease spreading. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment will have training, reporting and testing information for diseases and travel health notices.

According to recent data from medical records, Nebraska and Kansas have the highest rates of Parkinson’s disease diagnoses. Groups in Kansas are helping people with Parkinson’s slow the progression of the disease through activities including exercise and art classes.

An Independence museum for artwork made out of human hair recently closed its doors for good. Hear the story of the final days of Leila’s Hair Museum. Plus: Missouri families have to navigate tough food decisions after getting alpha-gal syndrome from ticks.

Kansas has more rural hospitals at risk of closure than any other state, and federal changes could further reduce revenue. However, a change to a state tax will give a few years' cushion for hospitals to implement long-term strategies.