Month: December 2017

Restaurant donates 600 meals to KCKPS students

Lunches donated by Ted’s Cafe Escondido were distributed to students on Wednesday at the South Branch Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, 3104 Strong Ave. (Submitted photo)

Ted’s Café Escondido donated 600 meals to Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools students in need on Wednesday.

The meals were distributed at three locations of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Libraries, including the Main Library, South Library and West Wyandotte Library. There can be challenges when schools are closed for winter break, as more than 83.8 percent of the district’s students qualify for reduced and free lunches.

“We serve fresh, from-scratch meals day in and day out at Ted’s Café Escondido and we want to do our part to ensure local students have access to a meal on their first day of winter break,” said Danny Ragusa, Ted’s Café Escondido, district manager. “Giving back to the community is a core mission at Ted’s Café Escondido and we are happy to do our part to ensure students aren’t going hungry.”

Ted’s Café Escondido has three area locations in Kansas City, Mo., Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Overland Park, Kan.

“We are thankful that Ted’s Café Escondido will be donating meals to KCKPS students,” said Jessica Smith, McKinney-Vento homeless assistance program specialist. “KCKPS appreciates all of its community partners, who play a part in achieving the district goal of graduating students prepared for college and careers in a global society.”

This donation is a partnership with the KCKPS MckInney-Vento Homeless Program.

Those who would like to donate meals to KCKPS or learn how they can help students in need may contact Jessica Smith in the KCKPS Student Services Department at 913-279-2150.

Lunches were donated on Wednesday to public school students who picked them up at area libraries. (Submitted photo)
Ted’s Cafe Escondido donated 600 lunches on Wednesday for public school students in Kansas City, Kansas. (Submitted photo)

Fire calls

Dec. 20
4000 block of Booth Street, duplex fire reported.

Dec. 19
South 55th Street, kitchen fire reported.
1200 block of Lowell Avenue, house fire, fully involved.
4615 Mission Road, fire in apartment, fire crews entered, attacked and extinguished the fire.

Osawatomie State Hospital regains federal certification and funding

by Madeline Fox, Kansas News Service

Osawatomie State Hospital is again eligible for millions of dollars in federal Medicare payments after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recertified its acute care center.

The state psychiatric hospital lost its certification in December 2015 after the reported rape of an employee exposed security concerns and staffing shortages. A subsequent inspection in May 2017 revealed problems with sanitation, infection control and fire safety.

The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, which oversees the state’s psychiatric hospitals, has been working to decrease staff vacancy levels at Osawatomie and Larned state hospitals in recent years. Osawatomie now has a 16.7 percent staff vacancy rate, down from as high as 32 percent.

“This is a big leap for us from where we started, and it’s really good news for all the hard work folks at Osawatomie did,” KDADS secretary Tim Keck said Tuesday.

Recertification of the Adair Acute Care Center, a 60-bed section of the hospital that serves patients who need a more intensive level of care, allows Osawatomie to bill for care provided to patients covered by Medicare. Those federal payments had averaged about $1 million per month.

“I’m incredibly pleased that the work to restore Osawatomie Hospital’s participation in the Medicare program has paid off so clearly,” Gov. Sam Brownback said in a Tuesday news release about the hospital’s recertification. “The determination and effort the staff put toward successful recertification shows the commitment level the State of Kansas has to vulnerable people who need help.”

Keck said KDADS still has more work to do on Osawatomie, including a push during the upcoming legislative session to privatize operations and build new facilities.

Madeline Fox is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @maddycfox. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to kcur.org.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/osawatomie-state-hospital-regains-federal-certification-and-funding.