Health / Medicine Archives - Page 2 of 212

Missouri Democratic lawmakers heading to GM Fairfax picket line Friday morning

September 19, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

At least seven Missouri Democratic state lawmakers will be joining striking autoworkers on the General Motors (GM) picket line Friday morning in Kansas City, Kansas.

State Rep. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on February 11, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The massive 572-acre GM Fairfax Assembly and Stamping Plant is minutes away from downtown Kansas City, and makes the Cadillac XT4 and the Chevrolet Malibu.

Friday is day five of the nationwide United Auto Workers (UAW) strike, which impacts about 2,400 workers at the GM Fairfax plant.

Negotiations continue between the two sides, and GM released a video statement on Monday.

State Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, and at least six Missouri Democratic state representatives from the Kansas City region will join striking autoworkers on the picket line Friday morning at 11, as Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) did Thursday.

Senator Arthur’s office tells Missourinet she’ll be joined by State Reps. Jon Carpenter, D-Kansas City, Mark Ellebracht, D-Liberty, Wes Rogers, D-Kansas City, Matt Sain, D-Kansas City, Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, and Robert Sauls, D-Independence.

Arthur says UAW members helped GM achieve record-level profits this past year. She says the strike is for fair wages and for affordable health care.

Audit shows new western Missouri fire station is still a ghost town

September 18, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

State Auditor Nicole Galloway says a $1.8 million fire station in the Smithville area near Kansas City continues to sit virtually empty, even though construction was completed about two years ago. Her follow-up audit says the Fire Protection District’s previous board went ahead with the local taxpayer-funded building of the station without a plan to pay for staff, equipment and other operating costs.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway

In a press release, Galloway, a Democrat, says all fire-related emergencies in the area are still responded to from a different station.

The mismanagement of the station’s outcome was handled by a previous board and fire chief when Galloway says the district’s financial practices appear to have broken state law. A previous audit by Galloway uncovered more than $200,000 in bonuses paid out to full-time workers at the fire district between 2011 and 2015.

The latest fire chief indicates the board anticipates asking voters for increases in the property tax levy in November 2020 and the sales tax to help fund the site’s operations.

To view the audit, click here.

Missouri governor: meeting with Krewson and Page “was about boots on the ground”

September 15, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor is expected to announce details of his plan to battle violent crime within the next week or so. The plan will involve state, federal and local coordination.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters on September 13, 2019. He was joined by State Rep. Becky Ruth (left) and State Sen. Wayne Wallingford (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Governor Mike Parson (R) briefed Capitol reporters Friday afternoon in Jefferson City, saying his recent meeting with St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and the city and county police chiefs was not a summit.

“That meeting the other day (last week at City Hall) that we had in St. Louis was about boots on the ground, it was about people on the enforcement side of it,” Parson says. “That’s all it was about. We didn’t discuss prosecution, we didn’t discuss anything. We were trying to figure out how can we get more people on the ground.”

Parson plans to send state troopers to St. Louis within the next month.

The governor says he’ll be meeting soon with both St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, who are both Democrats.

13 children have been killed in shootings in St. Louis City in 2019, and the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reports six children in St. Louis County have died from gunshot wounds since January.

Governor Parson is expressing his condolences to the families of the children who’ve been killed by gun violence in the St. Louis region and across the state. Parson became emotional when speaking to Capitol reporters on Friday.

“My heart goes out to them (families). You know, I’ve lost an officer in the line of duty, I’ve lost a brother-in-law in the line of duty. I know what it’s like to lose somebody,” says Parson.

The governor says the issue won’t be fixed by one agency, adding that it will take a coordinated effort among federal, state and community officials.

Meantime, Governor Parson is criticizing comments made last week by House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, about the special session.

Quade told Capitol reporters on Wednesday that “it makes no sense to prioritize tax breaks for a few over the lives of Missourians who die nearly everyday due to gun violence.”

Parson tells Missourinet that Leader Quade’s comments are “political hype.”

“And I’ll be frank with the Minority Leader that made that statement,” Parson says. “I didn’t know she … what she should have done was have a press conference a month ago when children were dying in the street, but unfortunately she came here to Jefferson City when it was convenient for her to start talking about this issue.”

Quade and House Democrats asked the governor to add the gun violence issue to the special session. State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, notes Kansas City and St. Louis have ranked in the top ten deadliest cities for at least a decade.

As for Governor Parson, he emphasizes that he’s not comparing the car sales tax issue with gun violence.

No overrides at Missouri legislative veto session

September 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missourians who ride motorcycles will still be required to wear helmets for at least another year, after the Missouri Legislature sustained all six of Governor Mike Parson’s (R) vetoes on Wednesday at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, (left) and Majority Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, speak on the House floor on September 11, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Lawmakers gaveled-in at noon for the constitutionally-required veto session, which took less than 45 minutes in both chambers.

The motorcycle helmet bill is a perennial issue that’s been debated annually in Jefferson City for at least the past 20 years.

The organization “Freedom of the Road Riders” says it’s an issue of freedom, and that motorcyclists should have the option of riding without a helmet.

Governor Parson vetoed the bill, expressing safety concerns raised earlier by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) about crashes and injuries.

While there were no override attempts in the Senate, State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, unsuccessfully called on the House to override a veto on a health care bill, which was sponsored by State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport.

Lavender says Basye’s bill is needed, noting that eight rural Missouri hospitals have closed.

“I believe our number is up to eight rural hospitals that we’ve lost in our state,” Lavender tells House colleagues. “So yes, this would be one of the ways that we would be able to at least provide some type of health care.”

Representative Lavender predicts revenue will increase, if Medicaid expands.

As for Representative Basye, he tells the House he was focused on the autism/disability portion of the vetoed bill. That portion passed in a separate bipartisan bill, and has been signed into law by Parson. Basye and Lavender teamed up on that bill.

Basye opposed an override attempt, and Lavender’s motion was defeated 105-37, with the 37 votes to override. Under the Missouri Constitution, it takes a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to override a veto.

Another high-profile bill that was vetoed involves outdoor cremations, which are known as “Viking funerals.” Governor Parson vetoed legislation from State Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, that would have allowed outdoor “Viking funerals.”

Holsman’s bill would have allowed funeral directors to perform cremations at an outdoor human cremation facility. Under the bill, only a licensed funeral director could have performed a cremation at an outdoor facility.

In his veto message, Governor Parson expressed concerns about health and safety issues, and called on lawmakers to do more vetting on the issue.

The overall bill was briefly discussed on Wednesday by State Rep. Sarah Unsicker, D-Shrewsbury. She talked about the importance of reducing maternal and infant mortality in Missouri, an issue contained in a separate portion of the bill. Infant and maternal mortality have been priority issues for Unsicker.

There was no attempt to override that veto.

Federal data shows Missouri’s uninsured rate slightly increases

September 11, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Federal data shows Missouri’s uninsured rate slightly increases

New U.S. Census Bureau information says Missouri had an uninsured rate of 9.4% in 2018 – compared to 9.1% the previous year. That’s about 564,000 uninsured Missourians in 2018. The rate puts Missouri about 36th among other states.

Nationwide, the 2018 rate of 8.5% increased for the first time since 2009 with 27.5 million Americans without health insurance at any point during the year – up from 25.6 million the previous year.

The report shows the shift was mainly driven by a decline in Medicaid coverage.

The top seven states with the lowest uninsured rates have all expanded Medicaid, including neighboring Iowa.

To view the report, click here.

Viking funeral and motorcycle helmet bills headline Missouri veto session (AUDIO)

September 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri lawmakers are back in Jefferson City on Wednesday for the constitutionally-required veto session. No overrides are expected.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, speaks on the House floor on May 17, 2019 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The state Constitution requires lawmakers to convene Wednesday at noon for the annual veto session. The Senate and House will both gavel-in at the same time.

Governor Mike Parson (R) vetoed six bills this year. The two most high-profile bills involve outdoor cremations and allowing motorcyclists to ride without a helmet.

Parson vetoed both of those, expressing safety concerns.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, spoke to Missourinet Tuesday afternoon on the Capitol lawn, following a “Back the Blue” license plate ceremony. Speaker Haahr tells Missourinet he doesn’t expect any veto overrides.

“The House bills that were vetoed, we’ve talked to each one of the (bill) sponsors and each of them have indicated that they don’t plan to offer theirs for a vote,” Haahr says. “And so I don’t anticipate any overrides this session.”

On the other side of the Capitol building, State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, tells Missourinet he doesn’t expect any override attempts in either the House or Senate.

It takes a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to override a veto.

The governor vetoed legislation from State Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, that would have allowed outdoor “Viking funerals.” Senator Holsman told the “Kansas City Star” this summer that Viking funerals “have been around since the dawn of man.”

In his veto message, Governor Parson expressed concerns about health and safety issues, and called on lawmakers to do more vetting on the issue.

“The burial of our loved ones or the disposal of their remains is deeply personal and should be treated with the utmost care and respect. Without more thorough vetting to ensure that outdoor cremations can be conducted in a manner that fully disposes of the entire remains while also addressing the health and safety concerns of individuals who may be impacted nearby, I am not comfortable with allowing these types of ceremonies to be conducted in our state,” Parson’s July veto message reads, in part.

As for the motorcycle helmet bill, that’s a perennial issue that’s been debated annually in Jefferson City for at least the past 20 years.

The organization “Freedom of the Road Riders” and lawmakers like State Rep. Andrew McDaniel, R-Deering, support allowing motorcyclists the option of riding without a helmet, if they have health insurance. They say it’s an issue of freedom.

Governor Parson vetoed the bill, expressing safety concerns raised earlier by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) about crashes and injuries.

Governor Parson is the third governor to veto the bill in the past 20 years.

Then-Governor Mel Carnahan (D) vetoed a similar motorcycle helmet bill in 1999, and then-Governor Jay Nixon (D) vetoed a similar bill in 2009. Those two vetoes were not overridden.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full two-minute interview with House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, which was recorded on the Missouri Capitol lawn on September 10, 2019:

Nasheed: Missouri senators should hear testimony from parents of murdered St. Louis children (AUDIO)

September 5, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A key state senator from St. Louis is calling on Missouri’s GOP Senate leader to create an interim committee to study gun violence, saying it’s a public health crisis.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, briefs Capitol reporters in January 2018 (file photo courtesy of Missouri Senate photographer Harrison Sweazea)

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, notes 13 children have been killed in St. Louis city shootings in 2019. She tells Missourinet she wants the Senate committee to hold a hearing in St. Louis.

“And begin to hear all of the tragic incidents that have occurred due to gun violence from the surviving parents of those children that were killed,” Nasheed says.

Nasheed describes the gun violence in her hometown as an epidemic. She’s also calling for increased protection of crime witnesses, saying they are fearful for their safety.

Governor Mike Parson (R) signed legislation from Senator Nasheed into law this spring, which gives prosecutors discretion to redact personal identifying information about crime witnesses.

Senator Nasheed, who serves as the Democratic Minority Caucus Whip in the State Senate, says by forming a Senate committee now, policies can be ready for discussion when lawmakers return to Jefferson City in January.

She says lawmakers must also pass “concrete policy changes” to improve outcomes for police and prosecutors, when they return to the Capitol in January for the 2020 session.

“Outstate (rural Missouri), they hunt animals,” says Nasheed. “And in the city (of St. Louis), all we have been seeing throughout the summer is humans hunting humans, killing humans.”

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, says he’s open to having a conversation about an interim committee. He says he’ll discuss the issue with GOP state senators next week.

However, Pro Tem Schatz tells Missourinet that if it’s about restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners, then it’s a “non-starter” for him.

Lawmakers will return to the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on Monday for a special session on vehicle taxes. The annual veto session is next Wednesday.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, which was recorded on September 4, 2019:

Governor Parson and Missouri Legislative Black Caucus discuss gun violence; agree to future meetings

September 4, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor and leaders of the Legislative Black Caucus met behind closed doors Tuesday afternoon at the Statehouse in Jefferson City, discussing gun violence.

State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, speaks on the Missouri House floor on February 20, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, tells Capitol reporters while Governor Mike Parson (R) won’t be adding the gun violence issue to next week’s special session, he will have additional meetings with the Black Caucus.

“And unfortunately I think he’s feeling some of the pressure that we feel,” Manlove says. “The General Assembly is in a (GOP) supermajority and that is apparently even hard for him to navigate.”

Republicans have a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the Legislature.

The Black Caucus met with the governor for about 40 minutes inside his Capitol office, while reporters and photographers waited outside in a Capitol hallway. Representative Manlove, the Black Caucus’ vice chair, says the governor is focusing on ways that they can move forward together.

“Tying back into that workforce development (issue) and how if a person has a good-paying job, that might deter them from some of this crime,” says Manlove.

Representative Manlove says the governor is pushing for improved job opportunities in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Governor Parson opposes a September special session on gun violence, saying there are “many different opinions on how to find a solution.” He outlined a few possible solutions, during a news conference last week with Capitol reporters.

“I think you can partner up with the federal government, the city (St. Louis) and the county can do some things. I think on the state level, there’s things we can do, maybe put the (Missouri State) Highway Patrol, put them back in there on the ground. That’s things we can do right away,” Parson told reporters on August 28.

The governor also supports working with churches, to help prevent violence.

The Black Caucus supports legislation allowing cities with high gun violence to approve their own gun control legislation. Manlove tells Missourinet that children are still dying, noting there have been more than 100 Kansas City homicides in 2019.

She says gun violence is “ravaging our streets,” and notes Kansas City and St. Louis have consistently ranked in the top ten deadliest cities for at least a decade.

State Reps. Richard Brown, D-Kansas City, and LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis, joined Manlove at Tuesday’s press briefing. Brown serves as the Black Caucus’ treasurer, and Bosley serves as secretary.

CDC recommends Hepatitis A vaccine for Missourians 19 years and younger

August 30, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Nationwide, cases of hepatitis A are on the rise. Many states, including Missouri, are currently experiencing outbreaks. Missouri has had more than 400 cases in 35 counties over a nearly two-year period.

CDC recommends Hepatitis A vaccine for Missourians 19 years and younger

The viral infection of the liver can cause loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, fever, and stomach pain. The state says the hepatitis A vaccine is the best way to prevent hepatitis A infection.

The vaccine is a two-dose process. However, the first dose provides 95% protection for up to 11 years for healthy adults. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all Missourians 19 years old and younger who have not received the two-dose hepatitis A vaccine be vaccinated.

Funded by the CDC, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines at no cost for children 19 years of age or younger who meet the following criteria:
• Medicaid eligible
• Do not have health insurance
• Are American Indian or Alaskan Native; or
• Are underinsured

Butler County in southeast Missouri leads in the number of Hepatitis A cases with 108, followed by Franklin County in southeast Missouri with 69 and Howell County in southern Missouri with 45. View the rest of the counties on the list by clicking here.

Of the cases, 233 people have been treated at a hospital and two people have died from the disease.

The state says the disease appears to be spreading through direct person-to-person contact, mostly among people who use illicit injection or non-injection drugs and their close contacts. Local public health agencies are working to vaccinate at-risk populations, including those who use recreational drugs, are homeless, men having sex with men, are in treatment or counseling for mishandling substances, work in a jail or detention center or have been jailed and have close contact with these groups.

Missouri state troopers to be visible on road and water throughout Labor Day weekend (AUDIO)

August 30, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Every available Missouri state trooper is on the road and water on Friday and will be throughout the Labor Day holiday weekend.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper from the marine division patrols a waterway in 2019 (file photo courtesy of Highway Patrol)

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Scott White says 11 motorists were killed and another 470 were injured in Missouri traffic crashes during the 2018 Labor Day holiday.

“We worked almost 1,100 crashes last year during the Labor Day holiday and we arrested 113 people for driving while intoxicated,” White says.

Sergeant White tells Missourinet troopers are participating in Operation C.A.R.E. this Labor Day holiday weekend. That stands for crash awareness and reduction effort.

“And we know that the peak travel days are going to be Friday and Monday,” says White. “And what that means is we’re going to have as many troopers out there as possible enforcing the speed limit laws, seat belt, impaired driving laws.”

Troopers will also be assisting motorists throughout the holiday weekend.

Meantime, every available Missouri state trooper from the marine division will be on the water throughout the entire Labor Day holiday weekend. White says troopers worked seven boating crashes during the 2018 holiday. None of them involved fatalities.

“All of our marine enforcement troopers will be out there working the waterways,” White says. “And what that means is they’ll be working extended shifts, they’ll be working 10 to 12-hour shifts to make sure that they’re out there.”

White says people tend to be safer when they see state troopers in boats. He urges boaters to check their vessel’s navigation lights and to have spare bulbs on board.

He’s also urging boaters to wear a life jacket and to avoid alcohol. State troopers made 15 arrests for boating while intoxicated during the 2018 holiday.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Scott White, which was recorded on August 29, 2019:

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