Elana Gordon

Got A Health Care Puzzle? There Should Be An App

Elana Gordon — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:15:00 +0000

Kansas City, Mo., is looking to boost its health-tech cred.

So the city that's home to Cerner Corp. and other health information firms seemed a natural to host something called the Hackovate Health Innovation Competition.

A mashup of innovation and old-school hacking (though none of the participants was bent on doing harm, we're assured), the goal of the competition was to improve the nation's health system and help people navigate the complexities of the Affordable Care Act.

Oh, there was a catch.

Hospital Bids Bye-Bye To Big Macs, Others May Follow Suit

Elana Gordon — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:51:00 +0000

The McDonald's at the Truman Medical Centers' main campus in Kansas City, Mo., has closed, ending an epic, two-decade stint inside the hospital and making it the fifth health facility in the past few years to give the Big Mac the boot.

Earlier this year, hospital CEO John Bluford told The Salt that the presence of the McDonald's — located just feet from a revamped cafeteria to

Missouri, Kansas Reject Health Exchanges

Elana Gordon — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:47:00 +0000

Immediately after last week's election, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced the state would not be setting up its own health insurance exchange. Next door in Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback announced that Kansas will have no involvement in running a state exchange either. The moves open the door for increased federal involvement in health care in staunchly Republican territory.

Kansas City Hospital Offers Healthy Food Choices

Elana Gordon — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:55:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

One of the places you'd expect to find healthy food is in hospitals - boring, but healthy. But in recent decades, fast food restaurants have worked their way into hospitals around the country. That's despite growing evidence linking fast food menus to high rates of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Elana Gordon from member station KCUR in Kansas City takes us to one place that has been wrestling with that situation.

ELANA GORDON, BYLINE: It's lunchtime at Truman Medical Center, Kansas City's main hospital for low-income people.