Takeaways: For generations, the job of talking somebody down from a psychotic episode in Wichita usually fell to whatever police officers fielded the call for help. That meant somebody with a gun and handcuffs was sent to deal with everything from a depressive episode to erratic behavior to paranoid delusions. Last year, city and county […]
staffing
Posted inEconomics, Health
Years of nurse short-staffing culminate in second strike in six months at two Ascension hospitals
After a monthslong struggle against cost-cutting measures, nurses at two Ascension Via Christi hospitals in Wichita went on strike for the second time in six months on Dec. 6 as negotiations dragged between the union and the state’s largest health care provider. Ascension Via Christi’s St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals are dealing with ongoing […]
Posted inLocal Government
Is the city of Wichita understaffed? The Wichita Beacon analyzes a public sector staffing problem.
Gretchen Lenth, The Wichita Beacon’s Dow Jones News Fund data intern, contributed data analysis and graphics to this story. On the morning of June 28, Jeff Erker stood outside Wichita City Hall with his daughter and a sign that read “Support Wichita Firefighters.” Trucks and cars sped past, honking their support for the higher wages […]