Story by Ann E. Butenas Kansas City’s newest vascular practice brings nationally recognized expertise and minimally invasive alternatives to patients seeking specialized care. When most people think about vascular issues, varicose veins might come to mind. But the specialists at Vascular & Interventional Specialists treat conditions far beyond cosmetic concerns; they perform procedures that can mean the difference between knee ...

Story by Anne E. Butenas Veteran ICU nurse brings skilled medical expertise and compassionate home care directly to Kansas City families After years as an ICU nurse and over a decade in healthcare administration, Deborah Wooten, DNP, MBA-HA, RN, saw an opportunity to return to patient care on her own terms. Her last role as a nursing and patient logistics ...

Story by Jeanie Edgmon How Dr. Cynthia Heck and Richard Goddard are reimagining psychiatric care as a catalyst for beautiful, whole lives. Dr. Cynthia Heck has a metaphor she returns to often when describing her vision for psychiatric care: the caterpillar and the butterfly. “We don’t tape wings over the caterpillar,” she explains, her voice warm with conviction. “Transformation means ...

Story by Ann E. Butenas One man’s journey from a devastating accident to renewed hope demonstrates the power of community and unwavering determination. A Life-Changing Moment January 22, 2024, started as an ordinary morning for Joe Knight, a shipping lead and equipment operator in Paola, Kansas. He was driving to work when a seizure struck without warning, his first in ...

Article by Parkinson’s Foundation Noticing changes in your body can be alarming. While movement symptoms like tremors, stiffness and trouble with balance are the most noticeable when it comes to Parkinson’s disease (PD), early signs can be subtle. Recognizing the signs of Parkinson’s can lead to earlier detection and treatment, helping people access expert care sooner and live longer, more ...

Article by Corinn Ayers Reclaiming Death: The Art and Science On Thursday, April 30, healthcare professionals and caregivers will gather in Overland Park for the annual Ascend Hospice and Palliative Care Symposium. The event is designed to provide education, practical tools, and insight into hospice and palliative care, with a focus on holistic approaches that go beyond medications and clinical ...

The most abused substance in the United States, alcohol is the third-leading cause of death. However, it is preventable. The statistics are frightening, yet eye-opening: an estimated 178,000 people die each year from alcohol-related causes. To take it a step further, one in five deaths in the United States in adults ages 20 to 49 is from excessive drinking. Widespread ...

Article by Dave Eckert The numbers are shocking, to say the least. One in ten children are victims of sexual abuse by the age of 18.  It is a monumental problem in America, one that puts millions of children’s physical and mental health in peril. While this never happened to me, I know people to whom sexual abuse has happened. ...

Article by Pancreatic Action Cancer Network Pancreatic cancer is a complex disease, and progress has taken time. While advances for many other cancers have progressed more quickly, improvement in pancreatic cancer survival has been more gradual. It remains the deadliest major cancer and the only one with a five-year survival rate still below 20%. These realities underscore why progress in ...

Healthy eating is not only good for the body, but also for the mind. It can be a challenge to eat a balanced diet, manage your weight successfully and reduce your risk of chronic disease. That is a hefty amount to put on your plate. With March as National Nutrition Month, however, you are invited to become more aware of ...