Month: August 2022

Saturday events

Wyandotte County Back-to-School Fair to be today

The Back-to-School Fair Committee and Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools have partnered for the 23rd annual Wyandotte County Back-to-School Fair, Saturday, Aug. 6, at Schlagle High School and North Central Office Campus. The fair will be from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday at the location just north of Parallel Parkway at 59th.


This event is an opportunity for all students across Wyandotte County to receive much needed school supplies, backpacks, hygiene kits, books and more, according to a KCKPS spokesman. Organizers plan to hand out at least 3,000 backpacks at the event, while supplies last.


Sports physicals will also be offered to students as well as recommended school immunizations, COVID test kits and vaccines, as well as health screenings, such as dental and vision, at no cost.


Students will be required to register upon arrival. Parents must also provide proof of residence in Wyandotte County. Parents will also need vaccination card (if applicable) and insurance card for COVID 19 vaccination. Families will have the opportunity to register and pre-enroll their child for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year, which begins Aug. 15 and 16. Last year’s Wyandotte County Back to School Fair was drive-through only due to Covid-19 concerns. But this year, the fair will be in-person at Schlagle High School, 2214 N. 59th St. in Kansas City, Kansas.

Alcott sponsors Maker Faire

The Alcott Arts Center, 180 S. 18th, Kansas City, Kansas, is sponsoring a Maker Faire from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6. The Alcott Center is not ADA accessible. It is an outdoor event featuring crafters. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2770334836596435/2838876049742313.

Sheriff’s Office sponsoring fun day at Parkwood Pool today

The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office is holding a fun day at Parkwood Pool, 950 Quindaro Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6. Hot dogs, snacks and bottled water will be provided. There will be free entry to the swimming pool. Autism Awareness and Military Appreciation vehicles will be on display, along with a community relations and recruiting booth. Other participants will include the Wyandotte County Parks and Recreation and the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.

Free movie shown tonight at Legends Outlets

Movie night is scheduled at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at the Legends Lawn, on the west side of the shopping center at I-435 and I-70 in Kansas City, Kansas. The free movie will be “Hook.” Outdoor movie showings are weather permitting. The Legends Lawn is located near the smokestack at Legends Outlets.

LA Galaxy visits Sporting KC tonight

The LA Galaxy will visit Sporting KC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive Sporting Salutes lapel pins as the club recognizes local Purple Heart recipients in conjunction with Purple Heart Day on Sunday. Because of possible high temperatures, all ticket holders will be allowed to bring one bottle of water, sealed and no larger than 20 ounces, into the stadium on Saturday.

Send events that are happening in Wyandotte County to [email protected].

Kansas doctors stress need to stay vigilant as monkeypox becomes a public health emergency

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — Kansas doctors are hoping to combat misinformation and general fatigue toward infection control protocols as a new public health emergency emerges, this time for monkeypox.

COVID-19 cases have leveled out the past few weeks in Kansas, and heat maps nationwide show similar trends, but the public health emergency remains with warnings about new variants. Federal officials declared monkeypox a public health emergency on Thursday.

While most patients who have monkeypox are men who have sex with men, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System, is encouraging everyone to stay vigilant.

“We have seen this throughout history and throughout other diseases as well — it doesn’t stick to demographics. The viruses, the infections, don’t care who you are,” Dr. Hawkinson said during a media briefing Wednesday.

Dr. Hawkinson added that efforts to inform people of preventive measures and vaccines available to treat monkeypox should be ongoing.

“Hopefully, we are working on that as a nation and really trying to roll out the supply of vaccines as we get them, but also create that access so that everybody has access to those vaccines,” he said.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday the administration had delivered more than 600,000 vaccines in partnership with local, state and tribal governments.

More than 7,100 monkeypox cases have been reported in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The hardest-hit states are New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Georgia and Texas. One case has been reported in Kansas.

Dr. Steven Stites, chief medical officer with KU Health, is concerned another health emergency will contribute to growing COVID-19 weariness. While reported case numbers have plateaued, he warned the actual numbers could be a lot higher.

“I think there’s a lot of people out there with COVID right now, and the lack of any real public health information probably misleads us a little bit,” Dr. Stites said. “I think a ton of people have COVID. I think this may be our highest surge we’ve actually had.”

Dr. Hawkinson urged Kansans that use at-home tests and return a negative result to retest one or two days later if they have symptoms, unless they have a PCR test. With a return to school right around the corner and most districts opting for optional masking, Dr. Hawkinson also urged parents to vaccinate kids to protect themselves and staff.

“We have seen a large decrease in the amount of teachers, but also substitute teachers, and we need to keep schools going,” Dr. Hawkinson said. “We need to keep kids in school. It helps for their emotional, physical and mental health, but also things such as school lunches and just safe places.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/05/kansas-doctors-stress-need-to-stay-vigilant-as-monkeypox-becomes-a-public-health-emergency/