Washington ? The food industry is likely to find a receptive Congress come January in its fight against mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods.Republicans and Democrats on a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee questioned on Dec. 10 whether requiring a label on any packaged food ...
As many in our community are aware, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled when they reviewed the Affordable Care Act that states could not be required to expand their Medicaid eligibility. As a result, to date, Kansas has declined to expand Medicaid eligibility for low-income residents. Current income ...
Topeka ? Two new programs in Topeka will provide court and dental services to some people in Topeka who are suffering from mental illness, beginning in January.An alternative sentencing court run through the Topeka Municipal Court will allow mentally ill people who committed relatively minor ...
With flu activity increasing and family and friends gathering for the holidays, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department urges residents to receive an annual flu vaccination to protect themselves and their families.National Influenza Vaccination Week, Dec. 7-13, serves as a reminder that ...
Minneapolis ? A man accused of fatally hitting a Muslim teenager with his car last week in what’s being investigated as a possible hate crime had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, committed to a hospital and sometimes stopped taking his medications, according to court records and his ...
Topeka ? Kansas continued to rank as the 27th healthiest state in the nation in 2014, according to the latest America’s Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation.That’s the same position Kansas held last year, but it’s down sharply from its eighth place slot in 1991, a decline ...
Washington (AP) — MIT economist Jonathan Gruber — an often-quoted adviser on the president’s health care law — told Congress on Tuesday he was glib and “inexcusably arrogant” when he said it was “the stupidity of the American voter” that led to the law’s passage. Democrats ...
Tami Shirey had to remind herself she'd just had surgery. The property manager from McLouth had a hysterectomy Oct. 29 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and the surgeon used the da Vinci surgical system, essentially a robot that assists in surgery. Procedures that utilize the da Vinci system ...
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in America, claiming the lives of one in three women every year. Every woman should try to learn more about this disease and also discuss her personal risk factors and screenings tests with her healthcare provider. If you’re a woman, you ...
Miami ? When Olivia Papa signed up for a new health plan last year, her insurance company assigned her to a primary care doctor. The relatively healthy 61-year-old didn't try to see the doctor until last month, when she and her husband both needed authorization to see separate specialists.She ...
Dear Dr. Wes & Kyra:Our daughter is a freshman in an out-of-state college. She recently complained to us that we are “stalking her” by texting her too frequently. The way we see it, she refuses to call us or keep in contact so we’re reaching out. We’re happy she’s enjoying ...
About a month ago, Kylee Manahan had a scare in the middle of the night when her Pekingese, Chien, developed a sweet tooth.Manahan found Chien chowing down on some leftover chocolate Halloween candy and feared the worst. Knowing chocolate can be toxic to dogs, she called her veterinarian at ...
Osawatomie ? A new Kansas policy in response to federal threats against overcrowding at Osawatomie State Hospital has mental health workers worried that more patients could end up in jails instead of hospital beds.The policy, initiated this week after federal regulators threatened to cut off ...
The Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence has received a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation for its Triple Play health and wellness program.The Kansas Health Foundation Recognition Grant awarded to the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence provides financial support to organizations doing ...
Chicago ? Though it may sound like one, this is no joke: Two miniature horses trotted into a hospital.Doctors and patients did double-takes when the equine visitors ambled down long corridors in the pediatric unit at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center. Wide-eyed youngsters hooked up to IV ...
Kansas University’s Edwards Campus in Overland Park is adding a bachelor of applied science in biotechnology degree to increase career opportunities in the growing field.Offered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the biotechnology program is KU’s first bachelor of applied ...
Topeka ? More than 2,000 state, municipal and school district employees in Kansas will become eligible for full-time health benefits starting Jan. 1, at a cost of about $5.3 million a year to state and local government taxpayers, state officials said Tuesday.Mike Michael, director of the Kansas ...
There are about two and a half months between now and the Feb. 15 deadline for anyone to find health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Over 1 million Americans in the first week submitted applications for coverage in the 35 states that use the HealthCare.gov platform. Last year, when ...
Dear Dr. Wes and Kyra:I’m an eighteen-year-old girl. Two years ago I had a guy best friend. One night we were at a party and there was some drinking and we had sex. I guess I had more feelings for him than I realized because the following week I started texting him a lot and wanting to spend ...
Chicago ? Too many U.S. infants sleep with blankets, pillows or other unsafe bedding that may lead to suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome, despite guidelines recommending against the practice. That's according to researchers who say 17 years of national data show parents need to be ...