Health / Medicine Archives

Ashcroft defends handling of referendum request attempting to overturn abortion ban

August 16, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Pro-choice supporters say Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft “manipulated” an effort to overturn new abortion regulations through “obstructionist behavior”. Ashcroft approved a referendum effort on Wednesday to gather signatures for a public vote. The move makes it extremely difficult for abortion rights collectors to gather signatures before most of the new restrictions take effect on August 28. Ashcroft defends his office’s work on the request.

The Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City

“The ACLU, frankly didn’t file the referendum in a timely manner. They had ten days to file it before the law went into effect, which would have changed how we approached that referendum,” says Ashcroft tells Missourinet at the State Fair in Sedalia. “But they waited until after the governor had signed it – until after the emergency clause had gone into effect.”

Ashcroft, a Republican, goes on to say the petition took more investigation to make sure his office was following the law.

“The same organization (the ACLU) that was saying that I wasn’t listening to the voice of the people, was trying to stop me from having the statutorily-mandated 15 day comment period for the people of Missouri to comment on the referendums. By the end of that 15 day period, we had over 1,100 comments,” says Ashcroft.

In a statement from Robin Utz, treasurer of the No Bans On Choice Committee, she says the crusade will continue.

“Our commitment to protecting Missourians’ right to legal abortion is unwavering. The referendum is one tool to protect the rights of the people. There are others, and we will evaluate the best route forward to ensure Missourians retain control over their bodies, their decisions, and their democracy,” says Utz. “We are reviewing the ballot language released by Secretary Ashcroft today. He dragged his feet for 78 days before providing this ballot language, leaving Missourians with the impossible task of collecting 100,000 signatures in 14 days. He has effectively prevented voters from defeating the extreme eight-week abortion ban at the ballot box. It is outrageous that Secretary Ashcroft, Missouri’s chief elections officer, ran out the clock.”

Under House Bill 126, it would ban abortions around eight weeks of pregnancy. Medical emergencies are exceptions but not rape or incest.

Physicians who violate the law would face five to fifteen years in prison. It would also forbid doctors from doing abortions if the baby would have Down syndrome or for sex or race-selective abortions.

Additionally, the legislation requires both parents to be notified if a minor child wants an abortion.

CDC says 13 Missouri counties at risk of HIV and Hepatitis C outbreaks from opioids

August 14, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Graphic courtesy of CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 220 U.S. counties at risk of outbreaks of H.I.V. and Hepatitis C because of the opioid crisis – thirteen are in Missouri. The CDC lists Iron, Bates, Cedar, Hickory, Ozark, Wright, Ripley, Crawford, Madison, St. Francois, Reynolds, Washington and Wayne counties as vulnerable.

Iron County Sheriff Roger Medley tells Missourinet affiliate KREI in Farmington the addictive prescription drug epidemic is not letting up.

“We just now at the tip of the iceberg. It’s going to manifest into something that no one is expecting,” he says. “Actually, I think Iron County ranks 1 or 2 in the whole state as to population ratio to the fatalities.”

Neighboring Kentucky has 54 counties on the CDC list. Tennessee is not far behind with 42 counties. West Virginia has at risk 28 counties.

Bellefontaine Neighbors “hammered” by seven inches of rain; Missouri heat advisory remains (AUDIO)

August 12, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says parts of north St. Louis County received more than six inches of rain and flooding early Monday morning. NWS hydrologist Mark Fuchs tells Missourinet far north county was “hammered” by rain.

“Folks in north County had upwards of over seven inches of rain, measured, in automated rain gauges up around Bellefontaine Neighbors and Glasgow Village,” Fuchs says.

The NWS issued numerous flash flood warnings across the St. Louis metropolitan area this morning.

“Just an incredible amount of water and quite a bit of flash flooding across north county,” says Fuchs.

Meantime, virtually all of Missouri remains under a heat advisory until 9 p.m. Monday. The heat index in Columbia and Jefferson City makes it feel like 107 degrees, and the heat index in southeast Missouri’s Poplar Bluff is about 110.

Fuchs tells Missourinet the heat has created a dangerous situation in which heat-related illnesses are possible.

“We’re looking at heat indices in parts of west-central Missouri, heat indices might exceed 110 degrees. And the same is true down in southeast Missouri,” Fuchs says.

You’re being urged to drink plenty of water and to avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with NWS hydrologist Mark Fuchs, which was recorded on August 12, 2019:

Southwest Missouri voters oppose tax increase to help fund hospital

August 8, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Voters in southwestern Missouri’s Cedar County have decided not to raise property taxes to help fund an area hospital.

Southwest Missouri voters oppose tax increase to help fund hospital

Missourinet affiliate KSGF in Springfield reports Cedar County Memorial Hospital in El Dorado Springs has been operating on the same $1.15 tax levy since it opened in 1960. Tuesday’s special election ballot proposal would have raised the tax levy for the average house by around 22 cents a day, or around $80 a year.

The hospital says it’s doing its best to keep things running. It ran a deficit of $1.5 million last year.

Springfield television station KYTV reports the vice president of the Cedar County Memorial Hospital board in El Dorado Springs, Carla Griffin, says the hospital “is not in IMMINENT danger of closing,” but employee cutbacks will need to be made.

The 25-bed hospital has more than 120 employees and is the second largest employer in the county. It includes a surgery center, sleep lab and wound care clinic.

Hundreds of rural health care centers have closed nationwide over the last 5 years, including seven in Missouri.

Rural Missouri town approves sales tax aimed at saving hospital

August 7, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(News director Tony Abati at Missourinet Nevada affiliate KNEM contributed to this story)

Voters in southwest Missouri’s Nevada have voted to increase their taxes to save their hospital. Tuesday’s half-cent sales tax ballot measure was approved by 89 percent of voters.

Nevada Regional Medical Center (NRMC) is located in southwest Missouri’s Vernon County (2019 file photo courtesy of NRMC)

Dr. Warren Lovinger, who chairs a group called “Citizens United to Strengthen Our Hospital”, tells our Nevada affiliate KNEM (AM 1240) that the vote is a strong community mandate for Nevada Regional Medical Center (NRMC).

“I can honestly say of all the people I had the pleasure of speaking to, it was almost unanimous the support,” Lovinger says. “And in situations where people were concerned, it was a matter of communication.”

The vote will help the 71-bed NRMC pay off its debts. The tax is expected to generate about $800,000 annually, specifically for bond payments.

Nevada Regional is the only hospital between Kansas City and Joplin that delivers babies. Dr. Lovinger tells KNEM he’s ecstatic.

“We feel that the issue sells itself, that we really want to have a hospital and a strong hospital not just now but in the future,” says Lovinger.

Nevada Regional serves six counties and is an acute, intensive and skilled care hospital.

The Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Hospital Association note seven rural Missouri hospitals have closed in the past five years.

Missouri Hospital Association President Herb Kuhn wrote a June column on this very issue.

“When a rural hospital closes, it leads to a daisy chain of events- including the loss of access to hospital and other health services that result in medical deserts. That’s unacceptable,” Kuhn wrote.

The Missouri Hospital Association launched a Reimagine rural health initiative in January, that emphasizes the need for investments in rural health care. Mr. Kuhn says it was influenced by Governor Mike Parson’s (R) rural health summit.

State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, and other House Democrats have called for Medicaid expansion, saying that would help rural hospitals and residents.

Fall trial date set for Columbia Planned Parenthood arson suspect

August 3, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A September trial has been scheduled for a Columbia man charged with last winter’s arson at a mid-Missouri Planned Parenthood facility.

42-year-old Wesley Brian Kaster is charged in federal court with the February 10 arson at the Columbia Health Center, which is operated by Planned Parenthood Great Plains. He’s charged with one count of maliciously damaging a building, owned by an organization that receives federal financial assistance, by means of fire or an explosive.

U.S. Attorney Timothy Garrison’s spokesman, Don Ledford, tells Missourinet that Kaster’s trial is set for September 23 at the Christopher Bond U.S. Courthouse in Jefferson City.

Federal prosecutors say surveillance video from Planned Parenthood and from neighboring businesses recorded Kaster starting at about 2:30 a.m. on February 10, when he allegedly broke the front door and placed a bucket inside the building that was later found to be filled with gasoline. After a few attempts over the next hour, prosecutors say Kaster ignited a Molotov cocktail-type device inside.

Kaster was arrested on March 2, after federal agents served multiple federal search warrants. The FBI investigated the case.

Missourians warned of genetic testing scheme

August 1, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

The State Department of Social Services warns Missourians to be alert to fraud involving marketers offering free genetic testing to Medicare and Medicaid recipients. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General says scammers are offering cheek swabs for genetic testing to get an individual’s Medicare or Medicaid information for identify theft or fraudulent billing purposes. Fraudsters are targeting victims through telemarketing, door-to-door visits and booths at public events or health fairs.

Missourians warned of genetic testing scheme

The Department of Social Services has received reports of fraudulent genetic testing marketers contacting Missouri residents throughout the state. The scam might be a game, like bingo, with prizes or food to get residents at senior housing facilities to participate. Scammers may be in scrubs or white coats to look like health care professionals or researchers and typically ask if the individual has Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

The individual may be asked to do a short family health history questionnaire and told a genetic test can determine if they have or are susceptible to a disease or if prescribed or over-the-counter medications will have a negative impact. If the individual agrees to be tested, the scammer asks for Medicare or Medicaid numbers and uses a cheek swab to take a sample.

If you or someone you know has been solicited for cheek swab for genetic testing or has already provided one, please report it to the Missouri Medicaid Audit & Compliance (MMAC) by email at MMAC.ReportFraud@dss.mo.gov or by phone at (573) 751-3285.

Follow these tips to stay safe:
• Refuse delivery or return a genetic testing kit mailed to you unless your physician ordered it. Record the sender’s name and the date returned.
• Be suspicious of free genetic testing offers and requests for your Medicare or Medicaid number. Your personal information could be used in other fraud schemes.
• Your physician should approve any requests for genetic testing.
• Always keep your Medicare and Medicaid card numbers safe and share only with your physician.
• If you believe that you’ve been a victim of a scam, please call the Missouri Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or submit a complaint online at http://ago.mo.gov. Additionally, claims of Medicaid fraud can be submitted to the Attorney General’s Office by calling (800) 286-3932.
• If you suspect Medicare fraud, contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General Hotline by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS or online.

Planned Parenthood, ACLU sue Missouri over ‘heartbeat’ bill

July 31, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, along with law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, are suing the state over a contentious eight-week abortion ban bill. In a complaint filed Tuesday evening, the organizations say Missouri’s heartbeat ban violates Supreme Court precedent that protects access to abortion.

Planned Parenthood, ACLU sue Missouri over ‘heartbeat’ bill

The policy would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, except in medical emergencies. Rape and incest cases are not exceptions.

Under HB 126, physicians who violate the law would face five to fifteen years in prison. It would also forbid doctors from doing abortions if the baby would have Down syndrome or for sex or race-selective abortions. Additionally, the legislation requires both parents to be notified if a minor child wants an abortion.

Some Republicans in the Missouri Legislature have called the legislation the boldest and most comprehensive pro-life bill in the country.

The legislation is set to take effect August 28.

Federal data says 1.6 billion pain pills pour into Missouri

July 31, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Federal Drug Enforcement Administration data says about 1.6 billion prescription pain pills were supplied to Missouri pharmacies from 2006 to 2012.

Federal data says 1.6 billion pain pills flow into Missouri from 2006-2012

The information provided to the Washington Post says St. Louis County leads the state with 218 million pain pills supplied during that time span. Western Missouri’s Jackson County follows with 166 million and Greene County in southwest Missouri with 102 million.

When figuring the per person annual average, the top four counties are in southeast Missouri – Butler, St. Francois, Pemiscot and Dunklin. In Butler County, the data says enough pills are supplied there to give each resident 99 pills per year.

Scott City Rep. Holly Rehder of Scott City, whose district includes southeast Missouri, has filed legislation for seven consecutive years that would require the state to build a prescription drug monitoring program. Missouri is the only state in the country without a statewide system looking for cases of prescription drug misuse.

To view the federal data, click here.

Haahr: Roeber “will forever be remembered for being a champion for Missouri’s students” (AUDIO)

July 30, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker describes State Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, as a dedicated public servant who will be greatly missed.

House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Chairwoman Rebecca Roeber speaks at the Missouri Capitol on February 19, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, announced Roeber’s death today. The Speaker notes Roeber suffered serious injuries in a March head-on collision on Highway 50 in west-central Missouri’s Syracuse.

“Had been released from the hospital somewhat recently and we thought she was on the mend,” Haahr says. “She was on a family vacation in Colorado and passed away in the night.”

Roeber, who was first elected in 2014, chaired the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. She supported legislation that would have allowed charter schools to expand to Missouri cities and charter counties with a population larger than 30,000.

Charter schools are publicly-funded schools which operate independently of traditional public schools. Under current Missouri law, charter schools are only allowed in St. Louis, Kansas City and in unaccredited school districts.

Speaker Haahr says Roeber “will forever be remembered for being a champion for Missouri’s students.” He says she had a passion to see children develop the tools to succeed in life.

“An incredibly kind person, incredibly talented and cared so much about education, about giving kids the best opportunity forward and it’s a tragedy for the House to lose her,” says Haahr.

Before being elected to the House in 2014, Roeber served as a teacher in the Raytown school district for 17 years. Raytown is a Kansas City suburb.

Haahr tells Missourinet that Roeber was respected by lawmakers in both parties.

“Even when she could be firm, she never seemed angry or upset with people that she worked with and she was just liked across the aisle, universally by everyone,” Haahr says.

After the crash, Roeber did not return to the Statehouse in Jefferson City for the rest of the 2019 session. Speaker Haahr told Missourinet in May that she would need to learn to walk again.

Funeral arrangements for Representative Roeber have not been announced yet.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full three-minute interview with House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, about State Rep. Rebecca Roeber’s death and her education legacy: