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Missouri and Kansas keep losing pharmacies, and a key part of health care
Less than two years ago, neighbors near Brush Creek Boulevard and Troost Avenue had choices when they needed to pick up a prescription — or a carton of milk. A CVS pharmacy stood on the northeast corner of their intersection. Its retail rival, Walgreens, was just a block south at Troost and Emanuel Cleaver II […]
KC pharmacist walkout a year ago highlighted industry troubles. Problems haven’t gone away
A year ago this week, 27 pharmacists walked off their jobs in and around Kansas City to protest understaffing, low technician pay and burdensome workloads at some CVS-owned pharmacies. Their action forced about a dozen Kansas City-area pharmacies and 10 others in outlying areas to close anywhere from a few hours to two full days. […]
Summer COVID surge is starting to recede in Missouri. The next wave is likely only weeks away
A summer COVID wave fueled by a highly contagious variant, increased travel and hot days that crowded people indoors may be starting to ebb in the Kansas City area. Health officials said they hope that surge prompts far more people to sign up for the new COVID vaccine, which could reach area pharmacies next week. […]
COVID surges across Kansas and Missouri as free shots go away
Last year, when COVID vaccines were still free, barely one in five Americans rolled up their sleeves for the latest dose. Now that some people will have to pay $100-plus for the shot, health officials expect even weaker demand when the next version of the vaccine comes out this fall. Meanwhile, a surprisingly strong summer […]
Fate of Missouri’s gag order about ivermectin in the hands of a federal judge
A politically charged Missouri law that would prevent pharmacists from counseling patients or doctors about ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, two treatments that have been debunked for COVID-19, has been on hold for two years in federal court. Yet the Missouri Board of Pharmacy posted a guidance statement at the end of June that doesn’t mention that […]
How Missouri is getting more people to the dentist — for more than a pretty smile
Missouri Medicaid began covering teeth cleanings, and almost no other routine dental work, for adults a few years ago. But the bill for the dentist actually peering in your mouth to check teeth and gums went to the patient. While some dentists wrote off the cost of the dental exam, many patients just stayed away […]
Plasma donors in Kansas City are helping fuel a $34 billion industry
Michael Mullen donates blood plasma every Tuesday and Thursday. He has for 12 years. The money it brings in — a little over $100 a week — augments what he makes as a chef. He’s come to rely on it. “It helps supplement bill paying,” he said recently, smoking a cigarette outside the Biomat USA […]
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 […]
More KC schoolkids are asking for help with their mental health. A few are finding it
Melvin White sits with his generation at a demographic Ground Zero for mental stress. The Schlagle High School junior survived COVID isolation during middle school. He’s never known a world without smartphones. And he’s finishing high school amid the FOMO energy of a social media world in its own adolescence. All of those factors, experts […]
KC-area politicians pick between war on drugs or treatment when spending opioid settlement
Johnson County spent the biggest piece of its opioid settlement windfall so far cracking down on drugs. Jackson County chose to put its dollars into treatment. In both cases, the money came from massive legal settlements with opioid makers, distributors and retailers. The counties’ choices illustrate opposite approaches to tackling opioid addiction, which kills an […]
Kansas City nurses kick off contract talks saying they’re prepared to strike
When nurses rallied outside Research Medical Center last week to kick off contract negotiations, the refrain rang familiar. “Hey HCA,” the nurses’ signs read. “Put patients over profits.” In an increasingly unionized health care industry, still recovering from the pandemic, nurses across the country demand that hospitals beef up staffing and improve working conditions. And, […]
Artificial intelligence already plays a part in Kansas City health care, without much regulation
In September, the mom of a 4-year-old boy made national news when she used ChatGPT to diagnose her son’s pain, teeth grinding and leg dragging, a diagnosis that had eluded 17 doctors over three years. It’s an increasingly common scenario: Patients are looking to artificial intelligence for health care answers. And so are medical pros. […]