Health Care

By Eyewitness News (WICHITA, Kan.) The Tea Party Express' national bus tour stopped at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium Wednesday afternoon. Organizers put the size of the crowd at between 1,500 and 2,000 people. Those attending the event said they're against more government spending, higher taxes and what they view as government takeover of health care. Visit the Tea Party Express Website The protest drew a small number of counter-protesters. They support President Obama's efforts to pass health care reform.

Eyewitness News has put together a list of what how several Kansas counties are distributing the H1N1 vaccine. First, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has updated the list of priority groups: The groups include: Pregnant women People living with or caring for infants younger than six months old Health care and emergency workers Children aged 5-18 years old who have chronic health conditions ...

Press Release from Sedgwick County Health Department: With the current H1N1 pandemic, many are unsure when they should seek medical attention for flu-like symptoms. The Sedgwick County Health Department reminds individuals that most children and adults with the flu will recover without visiting a health care provider. Ill people may want to call his/her health care provider for advice on how to care for themselves at home. Seeking care in a hospital emergency department for routine flu symptoms can mean additional expense and stress to the individual with flu-like symptoms and contribute to further spread of the virus in the community.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas health officials say a 48-year-old woman is the eighth person in the state to die after contracting swine flu. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported Friday that the victim was from southwest Kansas. KDHE gave no other details, except that she suffered from an underlying health condition that made her more likely to see serious complications from the H1N1 virus. The department said her death was reported to it Friday, a day after lab tests confirmed that she had swine flu. Swine flu cases have been confirmed in 71 of the state's 105 counties since late April.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says her agency is teaming up with Cerner Corp. to use computerized medical records to get better data on the spread of swine flu. Sebelius said Tuesday that North Kansas City-based Cerner has already begun providing patient information covering 30 percent of the U.S. health care system. She said the added information is more current than the data federal officials has and will allow authorities to better target efforts to respond to the H1N1 virus.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, President Barack Obama's nominee for health and human services secretary, believes keeping the status quo on health care is "unacceptable and unsustainable. " This is the message Sebelius prepared for her appearance Tuesday before a Senate committee. In her remarks, Sebelius will pledge to carry out Obama's goal of overhauling the health care system to cover 48-million uninsured Americans. She says inaction on health care "is not an option.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Gov. Kathleen Sebelius says she'll resign quickly if she's confirmed as federal Secretary of Health and Human Services. But the governor also said Friday that she hasn't worked out a timetable for exactly when she'd leave for Washington and when Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson becomes governor. Sebelius goes before the Senate Finance Committee for a confirmation hearing Thursday. The committee will then decide whether to forward the nomination to the full Senate.

(WICHITA, Kan.) Medical care is one of the biggest expenses people face, and sometimes sacrifice, to save money. The average american family spends about $3,300 a year on insurance premiums alone - if they have health insurance. If someone doesn't have it, one illness could take months to pay off. But you can stay in your budget, and stay healthy. You just need to know a few key things. When you think of health care, the campus of Wichita State University probably doesn't jump to the front of your mind.

by Denise Hnytka (WASHINGTON, D.C.) She calls it a responsibility she couldn't refuse. Governor Sebelius says she's honored to be nominated for Health and Human Services Secretary. President Obama made it official during an afternoon news conference. During much of the presidential campaign, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was on the road. "Obama will go to Washington with a mandate for change," she said during a campaign stop in Ohio in March 2008. Sebelius' strong, early support fueled talk that she could be his pick for Vice President.