Kansas child care providers likely will soon be able to take in more children, care for more infants and work under new health and safety training requirements. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has proposed 37 changes to current regulations to strip away burdensome regulations and clarify language — some aimed at easing rules […]
State Government
Posted inState Government
A year later, the Kansas trans athlete ban appears to matter more as a symbol than in practice
It’s been a year since Kansas lawmakers banned transgender women from women’s sports in schools or colleges. But the hotly debated issue — banning trans female athletes from girls’ and women’s sports has been a pet issue of Republican-controlled legislatures across the country — appears to have had little practical effect so far in Kansas. […]
Posted inState Government
Insurance covers mammograms, but Kansas patients are often on the hook for costly follow-up screenings
Delaying a diagnostic mammogram carries potentially deadly risks. Diagnostic mammograms, MRIs, sonograms and other types of specialized breast imaging can help detect breast cancer when it’s most treatable. Stage 1 breast cancer has an almost 100% survival rate. That’s why yearly mammogram testing is free for women over 40. But when doctors find something that […]
Posted inElections
Here’s how to register and vote in Kansas
Polling places are open from at least 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Counties are allowed to open polls as early as 6 a.m. and close them as late as 8 p.m.
Posted inHealth
Missouri and Kansas families will be getting money for kids’ summer meals — eventually
Summer may be half over by the time Kansas families get extra food aid meant to see them through long hot days when school breakfasts and lunches disappear. For Missouri families, the aid may not arrive until a new school year is well underway. But that still beats the 13 states where families won’t be […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas lawmakers are temporarily limiting a program that increases mental health services
Targeted federal tax dollars turbocharged Sedgwick County’s COMCARE mental health clinic by helping it give patients more behavioral health treatment and add sorely needed staff. COMCARE cut its staff vacancy rate from around 50% years ago down to 13%, thanks in part to a federal program. Other community mental health centers have expanded their services […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas budget approves millions for mental health workforce development
Finding mental health professionals in Kansas is hard. Crisis teams that talk down suicidal Wichitans struggle to fill evening shifts and mental health hospitals that can rescue someone from a crisis have open beds they can’t use because they don’t have enough staff. States across the country can’t hire enough workers for critical mental health […]
Posted inState Government
A Kansas ban on gender-affirming care couldn’t overcome a veto last year. Things are different now
Takeaways: Conservative Kansas lawmakers couldn’t ban gender-affirming care for transgender children last year after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill and Republicans fell short on an override vote. This year, they’ve passed a more restrictive ban and run into another veto from Kelly. Yet a veto override that would outlaw puberty blockers, hormone treatments […]