Health
Latest IN HEALTH NEWS
Douglas County launching local program to restore people’s legal competency as they await trial
People who are booked into jails statewide have long waited several months — even more than a year — for beds at state mental hospitals, so their competency to understand court proceedings can be restored. Douglas County is now working on a local solution to that problem.
See the latest COVID-19 stats for Lawrence and Douglas County on The Lawrence Times’ stat dashboard at this link.
Find out where you can get the free COVID-19 vaccine at this link.
MORe HEALTH NEWS
No, you won’t get hepatitis A from Lawrence’s drinking water
The concentration of hepatitis A in Lawrence’s wastewater — aka sewage — has been on the rise, but the drinking water is clean and safe, according to the city.
Kansas Republicans introduce new anti-abortion bills, including prison time for ‘coercion’
House and Senate Republicans — in their latest attempts to weaken the state’s constitutional right to bodily autonomy — have introduced legislation to require prison time for coercing a pregnant person into getting an abortion and to mandate ultrasounds before terminating a pregnancy.
New estimate predicts Medicaid expansion would serve 152K at no cost to state
The Kansas Health Institute on Thursday unveiled its analysis of Gov. Laura Kelly’s proposal to expand Medicaid, predicting 152,000 Kansans would enroll in the first year with no additional cost to the state government.
Health department to offer immunizations, screenings at Lawrence Community Shelter
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health and the Lawrence Community Shelter are partnering to bring the health department’s clinical services directly to guests staying at the shelter.
More than 100K Kansans could be booted from Medicaid by end of redetermination process
Kansas is close to determining who will remain eligible for Medicaid after months of glitches and ongoing confusion over how to reapply. Current estimates suggest thousands of Kansans will be removed from the system.
Kansas lawmakers propose new restrictions on abortion providers
The Kansas Legislature will consider bills that would amend the state’s ‘born alive’ law and prevent abortion providers from purchasing liability insurance from a state fund.
Applications open for Treatment and Recovery Center advisory group
Douglas County and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center are seeking applicants for an advisory group that will be asked to point out issues and pose solutions to improve care at the Treatment and Recovery Center.
Opioid settlement money is meant to fight addiction. Kansas gives a lot of it to police
As millions of dollars flow into the state of Kansas from opioid settlement funds, local and statewide groups are vying for that money to go toward opioid use treatment and prevention rather than law enforcement.
Researchers are finding high levels of fertilizer in drinking water from rural Kansas wells
College students are testing private wells in south-central Kansas. The results are prompting families to install treatment systems to reduce nitrate levels.
Abortion remains hotly contested in Kansas heading into the 2024 legislative session
From an influx of patients to evolving state restrictions, 2023 brought changes to abortion access in Kansas — and more could be on the way in 2024.
Grant boosts access to addiction treatment at Heartland Community Health Center
For more than a decade, Eden lived each day trapped in a vicious cycle. Today, she’s celebrating 28 months of recovery with the help of medication-assisted treatment at Heartland Community Health Center.
Kansas governor unveils revenue neutral Medicaid expansion plan with work requirement
Gov. Laura Kelly unveiled Thursday her proposal for a Medicaid expansion package that includes a work requirement, revenue streams to offset the state’s cost, abortion restrictions, and other provisions to address concerns raised by opponents.
Cover Kansas navigators to offer help signing up for health insurance marketplace
Navigators with Cover Kansas will be available in the Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health lobby Thursday to help people sign up for coverage through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.
Thousands more people are now traveling to Kansas for abortions, research finds
In the first half of 2023, nearly two-thirds of people getting abortions in Kansas traveled from out-of-state, according to new data from the Guttmacher Institute.
KU Health System doctor highlights value of COVID public health interventions for at-risk children
A KU Health System physician says a study affirmed public health interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased respiratory-related hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths among medically fragile children.