The heat index could rise to 98 today, while the temperature could reach a high of 89, according to the National Weather Service.
Rain and storms are in the forecast for Wednesday morning through Thursday night, the weather service said.
Severe potential is low for most of the week, except for Thursday morning, when strong storms are possible, according to the weather service.
Today, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 89, the weather service said. Heat index values will be as high as 98. There will be an east southeast wind of 7 mph.
Tonight, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 a.m., with a low of 73, according to the weather service. There will be an east southeast wind of 6 to 8 mph.
Wednesday, there will be a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 90, the weather service said.
Wednesday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 73 with a southeast wind of 5 to 7 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.
Thursday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 89 with a south southeast wind of 6 to 8 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.
Thursday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 72. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.
Friday, it will be sunny, with a high near 90, the weather service said.
Friday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 73, according to the weather service.
Saturday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 89, the weather service said.
Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 69.
Sunday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 86, the weather service said.
Sunday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 64, according to the weather service.
Monday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 80, the weather service said.
For more weather information, visit www.weather.gov.
Wyandotte County reported an additional 19 cases from Sunday to Monday afternoon, for a total cumulative 4,915 cases, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. The number of deaths was the same, at 99 total. (From UG COVID-19 website)
Tom Bell, president of the Kansas Hospital Association, said Kansas may not be able to attract as many talented doctors if it doesn’t pass Medicaid expansion.
Bell made his remarks at a virtual news conference Monday morning through the University of Kansas Health System.
He noted that Missouri recently passed Medicaid expansion, leaving Kansas as an island surrounded by states that have passed the expanded insurance program for lower-income residents.
That means health care facilities and doctors in the other states may have better incomes because more patients can now pay for their health care, resulting in some prospective doctors choosing to go to another state where pay is better.
Herb Kuhn, president of the Missouri Hospital Association, said there are now 230,000 Missourians who will have medical coverage because of Medicaid expansion.
Bell said that people will be better served with Medicaid expansion.
“All the data shows that if you have insurance, you are healthier,” Bell said. ”That’s the bottom line.”
What Missouri has done is helped the people in their states and helped the hospitals, as well, he said.
“I hope that Missouri being the final contiguous state to adopt expansion will spur us on in the future,” Bell said.
Hospitals have received a triple whammy during COVID-19, he said.
Bell said they prepared and cared for COVID-19 patients; they experienced a 40 to 50 percent hit in volumes and revenue; and they are seeing a toll on mental and physical health now.
About 50 percent of hospitals are expected to have negative margins of minus 1 to minus 11 percent, he said. The CARES Act funding was extremely important and allowed hospitals to move along during the second quarter, Bell added.
Two hospitals in Kansas have closed, he said. They include one in Wellington and also, St. Luke’s Cushing Hospital in Leavenworth. Both closures had at least some relation to the COVID-19 situation, he added.
“We have seen in our state a bit of leveling off. We’ve seen a reduction in the number of hospitalizations per infection,” he said.
Doctors have done a good job in taking care of people, and there has been a reduction in deaths, a testament to health care providers, he added.
Telehealth has been a good result from COVID-19, and it may have advanced by a decade, according to Bell. Another benefit has been the recognition of the importance of public health, and that public health departments have been underfunded in the past. Also, there is now a recognition of a need to produce supplies such as personal protective equipment and pharmaceuticals in our country to be better prepared in the future, Bell said.
Kuhn also mentioned addressing disparities in the health care system, and a renewed interest of people who want to pursue a career in health care now.
Doctors were concerned about an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Health System.
Monday was the 100th news conference program offered about COVID-19 by the KU Health System.
The KU Health System reported 31 COVID-19 patients being treated at the hospital on Monday morning, up from 23 on Sunday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection control and prevention at KU Health System. Ten of the patients were in the intensive care unit, and eight of those patients were on ventilators, according to Dr. Hawkinson. There was one fewer patient in the ICU than on Friday and the same number on ventilators as Friday.
Wyandotte County reported an additional 19 cases from Sunday to Monday afternoon, for a total cumulative 4,915 cases, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. The number of deaths was the same, at 99 total.
Free testing offered
Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, at All Saints parish, 811 Vermont Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up test is offered through Vibrant Health and the Health Equity Task Force.
Free testing also is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website athttps://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Informationor call 311 for more information.
Scavuzzo’s Foodie Park at 47th and State Avenue received approval from the Unified Government Economic Development and Finance Committee Monday night for an extension on its deadline to start construction.
The project would be a food service center, including an automated food warehouse, at the former Indian Springs shopping mall site. There also were plans for a few restaurants, stores, office buildings and a hotel on the property.
Richard Scavuzzo asked for the starting time of construction on the project to be moved from August of this year to April of 2021.
He said they have put together a team including a contractor, automation partner, finance team, owners’ representative and solar team for the various parts of the project.
“We’ve spent a lot of time putting together the right team to get this across the finish line,” Scavuzzo said. The project is a first for this type of automated project in the marketplace, he said.
Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, some of the plans that were already lined up ran into problems. The original finance partner was based in the entertainment industry and pulled out of the project after reductions in revenue from COVID-19, he said. The project now has new finance sources, he added, and they are currently completing plans.
The restaurant plans on State Avenue are being changed a little, according to Scavuzzo. They now are looking at a shared courtyard approach for them, with curbside and delivery options.
The hotel idea has fallen through, with hotels not being built throughout the country right now, he said, and the office building project is undergoing changes.
Scavuzzo said the team has put together some really good plans to deal with the changing environment. He said they are really excited about the new plans.
The extension to April 30, instead of the end of this year, has to do with a finance partner’s recommendation, as there is a $30 million down payment required on the automated machinery going into the facility, he said. The partner wants to wait until the development agreement is solidified, he said.
The committee unanimously approved the extension to April, and the item will go to the full Commission later.
