Mental Health
REACH Foundation elects board members
The REACH Healthcare Foundation has added three new members to its board of directors and re-elected another three to a second term, the foundation announced Monday. Based in Merriam, Kan., REACH is a charitable organization that provides grants and other support to improve health care access and quality. It serves six counties in Missouri and…
Discussion aims to put words into action on mental health
Mike Sherry – The Hale Center for Journalism There are, no doubt, a million things teens would rather do on a beautiful weekend morning than talk about mental health with a bunch of adults. Nevertheless, students like 16-year-old Jarel Wilson were among about 100 participants who took part in a discussion Saturday at the…
Kansas City groups pursuing mental health crisis center
By Kansas City, Mo., would be home to a regional facility aimed largely at diverting substance abusers from jail and hospital emergency rooms under a plan that has garnered support from law enforcement officials, political leaders and health care providers. The vision actually represents dual efforts that began independently, but which might coalesce as a…
Medicaid expansion advocates rally at Statehouse
By Jim McLean KHI News Service TOPEKA — Medicaid expansion is nowhere to be found on Gov. Sam Brownback’s list of priorities and those of Republican legislative leaders as they work through a legislative session now dominated by school finance issues. But that didn’t stop nearly 200 expansion supporters from crowding into a wing of the Statehouse…
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…