Healthcare in Kansas

In the summer of 2011, the State of Kansas facilitated a series of Medicaid Public Forums where more than 1,000 participants engaged in discussions on how to reform Kansas’ Medicaid system. Forum participants from Topeka, Wichita and Dodge City produced over 1,500 comments and recommendations for reform. Recommendations were focused on the three segments of the Medicaid population:
• Children, Families and Pregnant Women,
• The Aged
• The Disabled

Learn more about Medicaid and the resources used by Kansas government officials in policy decision making.

U.S. Census charts the insured and noninsured:
http://blogs.census.gov/censusblog/2011/09/my-entry.html

Kansas Medical Assistance Program (KMAP) including Healthwave and Health Connect:
https://www.kmap-state-ks.us/

Kansas Medicaid Statistics:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/medicaid_reform_forum/download/Kansas_Medicaid_Population_Demographics_Wichita_Dodge_City.pdf
Federal regulations regarding Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP):
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-02-02/pdf/2011-1686.pdf

Medicaid and Healthwave fact sheets:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/healthwave/fact_sheet.html

Medicaid transformation:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/medicaid_transformation/default.htm

Medicaid roundtable summaries:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/medicaid_reform_forum/

Kansas Healthcare Market reports:
http://www.kdheks.gov/hcf/medicaid_reports/Health_Care_Market_Reports.html

Article contact: Kim Harp

Monarch Butterfly

It is an annual event of colorful, fleeting proportions when royalty travel through the Sunflower State every September. The monarch butterflies waft through wood, prairie and town gracing us with their presence on their way south to winter in Mexico.

Below are links with information on the butterflies, their lives, the annual migration and the dangers these beautiful creatures face in the 21st century. The resources below include some Kansas links as well.

GENERAL INFORMATION

"Monarch Butterflies Caught, Tagged to Track Migration"
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/sep/19/monarch-butterflies-caught-tagged-track-migration/
(Lawrence Journal World, September 19, 2011)

Migration of the Monarch Butterfly
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRefGuides/butterfly.html
(Library of Congress Science Reference GUides)

The Monarch Butterfly and Milkweed
http://ed.fnal.gov/entry_exhibits/insect/monarch.html

Monarch Butterfly
http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/migratoryspecies/monarchbutterfly.cfm
(US National Park Service)

Earthshots" Satellite Images of Environmental Change
Angangueo, Mexico
http://earthshots.usgs.gov/Angangueo/Angangueo
(The southern home of the monarch butterfly in Mexico is threatened by thinning and clearing of trees the insects depend on for habitation)

Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
http://www.mlmp.org/
(The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) is a citizen science project involving volunteers from across the United States and Canada in monarch research)

Monarch Butterfly Lifecycle
http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/monarch.html
(The Wild Ones Animal Index)

Monarch Butterfly Program
http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/regionalprograms/mexico/monarch.html
(Since 1995, the Wildlife Without Borders-Mexico Program has made a continuing commitment to support the conservation of monarch butterflies. By working with various partners to protect the monarch overwintering habitat, the Service helps ensure that highly valued butterflies in the United States are protected on their multi-generational migration through Mexico)

KANSAS CONNECTION

Monarch Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/
(Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas)

Monarch Butterfly
http://www.gpnc.org/monarch.htm
(Great Plains Nature Center)

Butterfly on the Brink
Text: http://www.features.ku.edu/monarchs/
YouTube: http://youtu.be/MdtDcKg-x8w
(University of Kansas article. "Intense deforestation in Mexico could ruin one of North America's most celebrated natural wonders -- the mysterious 3,000-mile migration of the monarch butterfly")

Monarch Butterflies in Space
http://youtu.be/u3lcgYNyCvU
(Monarch Watch — a KU-based network of students, teachers, volunteers and researchers dedicated to study of the monarch butterfly — is providing caterpillars to NASA, along with a special artificial diet. If all goes according to plan, the insects will eat, grow and go through metamorphosis to emerge as adult butterflies in 17 days while in low Earth orbit)

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Jobs in the U.S.

Over this past year, Governor Brownback has hosted seven summits focused on job creation in Kansas. “These summits will bring together stakeholders involved in the various engines of the Kansas economy to openly exchange ideas on what the state can do to help their industries grow and create jobs,” Governor Brownback said. Tonight, President Obama will address the nation regarding his plan to increase jobs. Many agencies study the economy and the employment situation. The President, Congress, state governors and state legislatures use the variety of tools these agencies create to develop policy, laws and regulations. Read on to see some of the tools used by Federal, state and local governments to track employment.

NATIONWIDE

News release from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics on August’s employment:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jec.htm

Overview of the 2007-2009 Recession:
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2011/04/art1full.pdf

Current Monthly Employment Statistics (since 1981):
http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesregrec.htm

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Personal Income National data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis:
http://www.bea.gov/iTable/index_nipa.cfm

Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLTS) from the Department of Federal Reserve:
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/categories/32241

Update: President Obama's 9/8/2011 jobs speech to the joint Congressional session:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/08/american-jobs-act

STATE LEVEL

Indicators of the Kansas Economy by Kansas, Inc.:
http://www.kansasinc.org/pubs/working/IKE%20-%20March%202011.pdf

Kansas Wage Survey:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/lmis/wagesurvey/ws2010/wagesurvey_2010.html

Monthly Labor Report:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/HOME/NewsReleases/mlr.html

Annual State of Labor from the Secretary of Labor:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/home/NewsReleases/state.html

2010 Job Vacancies in Kansas Survey:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/LMIS/jobvacancy/jvs2010/jvs2010.html

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Review:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/LMIS/uinewslet/lmr.html#unemploy_insurance_newsletters or
http://www.kspace.org/handle/1984/11882

Kansas Occupational Outlook:
http://www.dol.ks.gov/lmis/projections/projections.html

Kansas County Profile Reports (including 2010 employment statistics) from the University of Kansas’ Institute for Policy and Social Research:
http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/kcced/profiles/

County Wage Comparison tools from Wichita State’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research:
http://www.cedbr.org/content/2011/2010_County_Look-up.xlsx

U.S. State and County Unemployment Rate Comparisons (graph) from the U.S. Department of Labor:
http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=usunemployment&ctype=l&strail=false&nselm=h&met_y=unemployment_rate&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=state&tdim=true&tstart=631152000000&tunit=M&tlen=243&hl=en&dl=en

Article contact: Kim Harp

Animal Agriculture Summit

Governor Brownback recently announced that he's scheduled a summit meeting on the economy and animal agriculture, September 28th in Garden City. Part of a series of summits held around the state on improving the Kansas economy this meeting will focus on the retention and expansion of farms, ranches and agribusiness in the state as well as ways to encourage new agricultural entities to enter the state. Featured speaker at the summit will be Dr. Giovanni Gasperoni of Novus International.

Specific topics to be covered in the gathering will include growing animal agriculture including workforce, Kansas’ advantages and disadvantages for business, food safety, animal health and animal welfare.

Provided below are some links to resources on animal agriculture, animal health, food safety and the Summit:

Governor's Economic Summit on Animal Agriculture
http://ksagriculture.kda.ks.gov/Pages/Default.aspx
(September 28, 2011, St. Dominic Catholic School, Garden City)
-- Agenda
-- Registration Form
-- Location and Lodging
-- Background Information
-- Contact
-- Dr. Giovanni Gasperoni biography

"Brownback To Host Animal Ag Summit"
http://www.hutchnews.com/Latestlocalnews/Brownback-to-host-animal-ag-summit
(Hutchinson News, August 30, 2011)

ANIMAL AGRICULTURE
Kansas Department of Agriculture
--Meat and Poultry
--Dairy
--Statistics

National Institute for Animal Agriculture
http://www.animalagriculture.org/

Animal Production (US Department of Agriculture)
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=ANIMAL_PRODUCTION&navtype=RT&parentnav=PRODUCERS

AGRIBUSINESS
Kansas Department of Agriculture
--Marketing
--Statistics

Kansas Agri Business Expo
http://www.ksabe.org/mx/hm.asp?id=Home

Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture
http://www.kansassustainableag.org/valueadded.htm

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/

FOOD SAFETY
Kansas Department of Agriculture
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/

Food Safety (US Government)
http://www.foodsafety.gov/

ANIMAL HEALTH
Kansas Animal Health Department
http://www.kansas.gov/kahd/index.shtml

Kansas Department of Agriculture Animal Health
http://www.ksda.gov/animal/

Kansas City Animal Health Corridor
http://www.kcanimalhealth.com/
("KC area companies account for nearly 32% of total sales in the $19 billion global animal health market")

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/

ANIMAL WELFARE

Farm Animals: Animal Welfare Information Center
http://awic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?tax_level=1&info_center=3&tax_subject=170

ASSOCIATIONS, COUNCILS
(An incomplete list of organizations involved with different aspects of animal agriculture in Kansas)
Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association
Kansas Ag.org
Kansas Beef Council
Kansas Livestock Association
Kansas Cattlemen's Association
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Kansas Dairy Association
Kansas Sheep Association
Kansas Pork Association
Kansas Meat Goat Association
Kansas Honey Producers Association
Northeastern Kansas Beekeepers' Association
Kansas Emu Association
Midwest Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association
Kansas Agricultural Aviation Association
Kansas Graziers Association
Kansas Poultry Association
Dr. R. Scott Beyer
Department of AS&I, 130 City Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-1600

RESEARCH, GENERAL INFORMATION
Kansas State University Animal Science and Industry
http://www.asi.ksu.edu/p.aspx

Kansas Bioscience Authority
http://www.kansasbioauthority.org/
("Created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 with the sole purpose of advancing Kansas’ leadership in bioscience")

Kansas Farm Bureau
http://www.kfb.org/

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)