By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Up to 10 free health screenings will be available at Health Fair 10’ at Kansas City Kansas Community College Thursday, April 15.

Open to the community, the Health Fair will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the upper level Jewell Building on the KCKCC campus at 7250 State Avenue.

In addition to the free screenings and health education, a cholesterol blood chemistry will be available for $28 and a 20 chemistry test with lipid profile and complete blood count for $35.  Both tests require a 12-hour fast from food and drink with the exception of water although persons with diabetes should not fast and prescription medicine should not be interrupted. 

A PSA blood test for men will be offered for $25 and a TSH test for thyroid will be available for $27.

The areas of free screenings include blood pressure, height and weight, HIV/STD testing, blood sugar level, vision, percent of body fat, hearing, grip strength, spinal flexibility, oral hygiene/cancer, and chiropractic analysis.

Physicians, registered nurses, and dietitians will be on hand to answer any health questions in such diverse areas as diabetes, smoking cessation, alcohol and drug abuse, heart disease, stress, sexually transmitted diseases, breast and testicular self exams, and fitness and wellness.

This event is sponsored by Student Health Services, Nursing and Allied Health programs, and the Wellness and Fitness Center at KCKCC.  There will be drawings for door prizes.
 

Michael A. Dorsey, president and CEO of Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., and Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, Kan., was elected to a one-year term as president of the Missouri Hospital Association’s Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council. His term began Jan. 1.

As KCMHC president, Dorsey’s responsibilities include presiding over council meetings and guiding discussions on association policies and activities.

One of six MHA district council presidents, he will direct input from council members on national, state and regional health care policies to the MHA Board of Trustees. District council presidents also select recipients of MHA’s Excellence in Governance awards.

“We are pleased to have someone with Mike’s experience assume this important leadership role,” said Herb B. Kuhn, MHA president and CEO.

Dorsey received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Wichita State University. He has directed the Kansas City area operations of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System since 2007. Previously, he served in executive leadership at St. Francis Health Center in Topeka, Kan., and Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City.

The Missouri Hospital Association is a not-for-profit association in Jefferson City that represents 153 Missouri hospitals.

In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public, as well as legislative representatives, about health care issues.

Eighty-five liver transplants were made at the University of Kansas hospital last year, an increase of 15 percent from 2008 and a new record.

Richard Gilroy, M.D. and the medical director of liver transplantation, said the overall volume of the liver program is up 350 percent over the past three years and transplant evaluations are five times as high from three years ago.

“The physicians and the hospital have worked together to grow the liver program," Gilroy said. "We have not only grown the capacity of the program to meet the demand, but have maintained the high quality of outcomes that patients expect of the premier academic medical center."

The University of Kansas Hospital is the only hospital in the area that performs adult liver transplants.

The Argentine community of Wyandotte County will be the beneficiary of a grant presented to KC Healthy Kids.

The $360,000 grant provided from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be used to improve and increase opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy food for children and families in the Argentine area in Kansas City, Kan., and Ivanhole neighborhood of Kansas City, Mo.

Locally, the Argentine Neighborhood Development Association will work with the grant to increase those opportunities. The grant is expected to provide funding for community gardens and other activities to advocate for a healthy lifestyle.

According to a study, 34 percent of kindergarten students in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., are overweight. The number jumps to over 40 percent once kids leave elementary school.

“This grant will help empower our community to prevent childhood obesity,” said Gretchen Kunkel, president of KC Healthy Kids. “Kansas City has the capacity to make changes today that will improve the lives of our children well into adulthood. All of us will benefit from a healthier, more active community.”

The Kansas City area is one of 40 cities and regions to be involved in a national program.

This week has been declared the National Influenza Vaccination Week by the Centers for Disease Control and  Prevention.

To mark the week, area health departments are encouraging residents in the Greater Kansas City metro area to get shots for the H1N1 flu virus.

"The CDC estimates that H1N1 has contributed to or caused more than 10,000 deaths in the United States so far, and nearly 300 pediatric flu deaths have been confirmed," said Lougene Marsh, director of the Johnson County Health Department. "Though we haven't been seeing the number of reported cases we were for a while, H1N1 is still in our community, and if you or your children haven't been vaccinated, you still may become infected."

According to Marsh, all health departments have does of the vaccine available.
The Wyandotte County Health Department is located at 619 Ann Avenue in Kansas City, Kan.

The University of Kansas Hospital has been honored as an Accredited Heart Failure Institute by the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium.

The accreditation is the first hospital in Kansas or Missouri to receive the honor. It's only the ninth in the nation and the first among academic schools to be accredited since the certification program began in April 2008.

“The Heart Failure Accreditation brings quality and process improvement to the care of our heart failure patients, and in turn has positive effects on patient outcomes,” said William Reed, M.D., chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at The University of Kansas Hospital. “By receiving accreditation, our hospital is unique and stands out in providing evidence-based care for heart failure patients with expert team members.”

Accreditation is earned through the analysis of current practices, interviews, a comprehensive report and an onsite review of the hospital.

The University of Kansas released its 2009 annual report today.

The report, which can be viewed online here, outlines the hospital's accomplishments during the year.

"Our commitment to teaching and learning is also evidenced by our partnership with the University of Kansas Medical Center in support of its educational and research missions," said Bob Page (President/CEO) and Robert Honse (Chairman of the Board) in a letter. "In particular, we have joined with the university in its quest for National Cancer Institute designation for The University of Kansas Cancer Center, to reduce the burden of cancer across Kansas and the region. Our hospital also is sharing resources and expertise with health care providers across the state to improve the health of all Kansans through efforts such as our Surviving Sepsis collaborative program."

Among the hospital's highlights this year: dedicated its Cancer Center, being ranked number two in the country in quality by the University HealthSystem Consortium and its technology improvement in areas of breast cancer and tumor care.

The Public Health Department of the Unified Government will provide vaccinations of the H1N1 to priority groups.

The address – 6th and Ann Avenue – will be opened from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays. On Thursdays, it's opened from 8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. and later on form 3–6:30 p.m.

"Over twenty-one thousand doses of H1N1 vaccine have been allocated and distributed throughout Wyandotte County to 34 different providers," said Joe Connor, Director of the Public Health Department.  "Residents who are not in the current priority groups to receive the vaccine are asked to please be patient until more vaccine is allocated and distributed to local providers later this month and next month, at which time the vaccine may then be available to the general public. In Wyandotte County we are currently partnering with thirty-four different providers to administer the H1N1 vaccine in the community."

Priority groups include pregnant women, healthcare and emergency personnel, children aged 6 months – 24 years old, those between 25-64 who have pre-exiting conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus and people who live or provide care for infants.

For more information. contact (913) 573-6712.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has confirmed three additional deaths in relation to the 2009 H1N1 flu virus outbreak.

The total deaths in Kansas related to the virus now stands at 12.

The three deaths occurred to a 52-year-old woman from Wichita, a 39-year-old man from the Kansas City metro area and a 51-year-old from the Topeka area.

None of the victims had any previous underlying health conditions that made them more vulnerable to complications of the H1N1 flu.

“These deaths underscore the importance of doing everything that we can to protect ourselves and each other from H1N1,”said Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, Kansas State Health Officer. “Besides vaccination and other preventive measures like frequent and thorough hand washing and properly covering coughs and sneezes, there are other steps that we can all take to significantly reduce our risk of catching and spreading flu viruses.”

U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University of Kansas as one of the "Best Hospitals" in the publication's latest ranking.

The ranking is based on patient satisifcation surveys for overall patient satisfaction, quality nursing care and pain management. The hospital appeared on all three lists.

The hospital was ranked third in "Best for Nursing Care," seventh for "Best Pain Management" and 13th for "Overall Patient Satisfaction."

“These lists show advanced medicine and compassionate care can both be part of the academic medical center experience.  It clearly shows our culture throughout the organization is focused on the patient,” said Tammy Peterman, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer for hospital.
 

A very limited number of available doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine have been distributed in Wyandotte County.

Joe Connor, director the Unified Government's Public Health Department, informed members of the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education about the vaccine last night.

He said about 7,500 doses have been distributed to over 20 organizations in Wyandotte County. However, that's not enough, Connor said.

"There's over 58,000 chidren six months to 24 years in Wyandotte County," he said. "It's a small drop in the bucket. We're putting it out in as many community settings as possible."

Younger residents and those who work in any health or medical environment have been targeted with the vaccine.

Connor said about "two to three times" more fevers and flu-like related symptoms have been reported in Wyandotte County from this time last year.

(Story courtesy of the University of Kansas Medical Center.)

The University of Kansas Cancer Center has recruited two researchers who bring with them a total of $3 million in National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding.

These research dollars will help achieve the critical requirement of $11 million in total NCI grant funding needed to apply for designation as a Cancer Center.   

Sharmila Shankar, PhD, and Rakesh Srivastava, PhD, have joined the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) and will play an important role in the Cancer Center’s quest for NCI designation. 

Dr. Shankar will serve as associate professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Dr. Srivastava will serve as professor of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics. 

“Our focus has been on recruiting new researchers who have NCI-funded research in order to help us meet the requirement of having a strong funding base before we apply for designation,” said Roy A. Jensen, MD, director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center.  “Drs. Shankar and Srivastava have an incredible track record of NCI funding with a strong background in cancer prevention and drug development. We are thrilled to have them on our team.”

Both come to KUMC from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler.  Dr. Srivastava served as a professor and Dr. Shankar served as assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Medicine. 

Their research focus is on the molecular mechanisms of cancer cell growth and death and on developing novel drugs that treat and prevent cancers. 

Dr. Srivastava did a postdoctoral fellowship at the NCI from 1994 to1996 when he was also awarded a Fogarty International Fellowship by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).    

In order to apply for designation in September 2011, the Cancer Center must have a strong base of funding from the NCI to demonstrate the amount of cancer-focused research being conducted at its Center.

“Our needs right now fall into a simple equation: we need to recruit world-class researchers who already have NCI funding, and we need state-of-the-art facilities in which to house them,” said Dr. Jensen. “Bringing these two recruits on board moves us closer to meeting these needs and fulfilling our goal of achieving NCI designation.”

Seasonal flu shots will be available for free this weekend at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

The parking lot just east of 36th and Rainbow will host the event. Residents can drive to the area and receive the shot without leaving their cars.

“Late October to early November is the best time of year for a flu vaccination,” said William Barkman, M.D., pulmonary and critical care specialist and chief of staff at KU Hospital. “Since the body’s immune system takes time to respond to vaccine, it should be given one to two weeks before the flu season begins in order to stimulate enough antibodies to prevent infection.”

The drive-thru will be held this Saturday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Those at the medical center encourage the donation of non-perishable food items for Harvesters.

More from a press release:

An annual flu shot is recommended for anyone deemed to be at high risk of contracting influenza. This includes people over 50, those with heart problems, lung or kidney disease, asthma, diabetes, cancer, HIV infection and any illness or treatment that weakens the immune system. It is also recommended for those who care for or live with someone with these high-risk medical conditions. 

People who should not receive the vaccine include those who have an allergy to eggs (used to make the vaccine) and anyone who has ever been paralyzed with Guillian Barre’ Syndrome. People who have a cold or fever should wait until they have recovered. Women who are pregnant or may be pregnant should check with their health care provider.