COVID paused prevention efforts, which helped fuel the rise in new infections. Now federal funding cuts threaten to disrupt those efforts again.
Suzanne King
Suzanne King is The Beacon’s health care reporter and has covered the beat since November of 2023. Previously she covered the telecommunications and technology industries for The Kansas City Star and the Kansas City Business Journal. She also covered local government, crime and education at newspapers in western Massachusetts and upstate New York. She grew up in Missouri and has lived in Kansas City for almost 30 years. Suzanne holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Posted inHealth
Fewer preterm births and C-sections. Doulas seen as key to improving maternal health in Kansas City
Through a new partnership with Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, a rural maternal health clinic will bring doula services to Kansas City’s Westside.
Posted inHealth
‘So many people are going to lose coverage’ in Missouri and Kansas if ACA tax credits expire
People in Missouri and Kansas who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace should be ready to spend more on premiums — a lot more.
Posted inHealth
Kansas City food pantries brace for federal cuts to SNAP benefits as free food lines grow
Cuts to federal food aid have already reduced the food available at area food pantries and meal sites. If SNAP gets hit too, nonprofits worry they won’t be able to keep up with demand.
Posted inHealth
Missouri knows from experience: Medicaid cuts will be felt throughout the economy
Health providers and hospitals are watching to see how proposed federal cuts to Medicaid play out. When Missouri cut the health program 20 years ago, the result was a rise in charity care and bad debt.
Posted inHealth
Ending Missouri’s tampon tax won’t make period products much more affordable
But advocates say that growing awareness about ‘period poverty’ and its health consequences is a good step toward reforms that could widen access to affordable menstrual supplies.
Posted inHealth
FAQ: What Kansas Citians need to know about measles as the virus moves closer
What to do if you are exposed to measles, how sick will it make you and how to know if your vaccine needs an update. Some questions and answers about measles as the number of cases keeps growing.
Posted inHealth
‘Just a car ride away.’ As a measles outbreak creeps toward Kansas City, public health leaders urge people to get vaccinated
With vaccine skepticism on the rise, immunization rates in decline and public funds disappearing, the country faces its largest measles outbreak since 2019.
Posted inHealth
Long waiting lists and kidneys wasted: The state of organ transplants and how it affects Missouri and Kansas
When Carthesa Hutson’s son, Chris, finally got around to getting his driver’s license he was almost 19. She remembers being at the DMV with him when he paused on the application question about becoming an organ donor and looked to her. She told him to follow his heart. “He said, ‘Well, if I’m not here, […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Sparking change for a better Kansas City
The Beacon heard from community leaders who gathered at Union Station on April 9 to explore pressing issues facing Kansas City. The 2025 C3 Conference, hosted by the Junior League of Kansas City focused on five key themes — equity and access, community empowerment, education and workforce development, and urban development — unified by a […]