Healthcare
Consumers, advocates rushing toward health-reform deadline
Mike Sherry – The Hale Center for Journalism As an uninsured agriculture worker, Salvador Lopez said he’d welcome health coverage so he could afford diabetes medication. Health insurance would also help his wife, said the Excelsior Springs, Mo., resident. Not feeling well on Saturday, she actually had her blood pressure checked at the health fair…
KC health commission expands anti-violence effort
For several years, the Kansas City, Mo., Health Commission has delved into the city’s violent crime problem by trying to stop the spread as if it’s a communicable disease. The commission’s main vehicle for this approach has been the Aim4Peace program, which (among other things) sends trained “interrupters” into the streets to help curb the…
Truman opens new cancer center
The new Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Center at Truman Medical Centers started treating patients this week, the hospital said Wednesday in a news release. TMC announced the project in June after receiving a $2.3 million gift from the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation. Annette Bloch’s husband, Richard, battled cancer for more than two decades before dying…
Improvements suggested for regional health initiative
Leaders of a key initiative to coordinate and expand healthcare services for the region’s low-income residents must sharpen its focus and do a better job of measuring its outcomes, according to a review by an outside consultant. Known as the Regional Health Care Initiative, the effort operates through the Mid-America Regional Council. Major funding…
Truman Medical Centers CEO to retire in July
Truman Medical Centers announced Friday that CEO John Bluford will retire this summer after 15 years in the position. His retirement is effective July 18, according to a news release. Bluford turns 65 on May 1. Bluford is working with a committee that includes TMC board members and appointees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City…