University of Kansas Health System

Hospital directors and health officers across the Kansas City metro addressed concerns with available bed space Tuesday, driven in part by low staffing numbers. It's already creating difficulty getting patients the services they need and could get worse if the level of need increases.

Society often depicts pregnancy as a blissful experience, but for some moms-to-be that's not the case. One psychiatrist discusses risks and treatment for reproductive mental health.

Driven by two omicron variants, daily COVID-19 cases in the Kansas City area jumped to an average of 162 at the end of April. That's a higher average than last year at the same time.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are trending downward across Kansas City after the omicron variant caused a spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in January. These metrics are encouraging but doctors remain cautious as case numbers are still high.

COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the metro, and hospital systems are showing strain as workers are out with the virus and inpatient cases increase.

Hospitals say they're facing a "double whammy" as patient burden increases while more staff are out due to illness. In some regions, patients have to wait days for a bed to become available.

The average number of daily COVID cases in both Missouri and Kansas climbed to record levels on Monday, and hospitalizations are near all-time highs in the Kansas City metro. But tests are in short supply.

Though holiday case numbers so far remain well below those from 2020, the COVID trendlines appear similar.

Local health departments, hospitals and pharmacies are gearing up to start offering the vaccine to children ages 5 to 11 years old.

Experts, including a pregnant OB-GYN doctor, warn pregnant patients reluctant to get the COVID vaccination that there could be deadly consequences for both mother and child.

More Kansas City health care workers are feeling burnout and even quitting as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to kill unvaccinated patients.

The hospital's president and CEO said that while 80% of the hospital’s employees have been vaccinated already, “we believe we can and must do better.”