Lawrence Journal-World 05-09-11

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L A W R E N C E

JOURNAL-WORLD

®

75 CENTS

MONDAY • MAY 9 • 2011

Near record heat

High: 89

SE Kansas clinic a model of good health

Low: 66

Today’s forecast, page 10A

INSIDE NFL lockout leaves Jayhawks in limbo Several former Kansas University football players hoping to begin or advance their pro careers are sidelined by the prolonged labor dispute and lockout of NFL players. Page 1B

Time running out on state budget ——

House, Senate at odds on myriad issues

ENVIRONMENT

KU students seek input on LED lights A group of Kansas University students is asking the public to evaluate two varieties of LED streetlights to see how they compare with the traditional metal halide lights. Page 3A

By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com

Kevin Anderson/Journal-World Photos

PHARMACISTS ALICIA NORTON, left, and Ken Wood fill prescriptions for patients at the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Pittsburg. The on-site pharmacy helps create a one-stop shop for patients. Dental, mental health and legal services are also offered through the clinic, which serves many low-income and uninsured patients.

HOW TO HELP

School carnival looks past parents for help Kennedy School is in need of volunteers for this Saturday’s annual carnival. Community members traditionally volunteer for this event so that Kennedy parents and faculty can enjoy the event with their children or students. Page 4A

QUOTABLE

People call me the Johnny Appleseed of boat ramps. I go out and plant the seed and start another one and then start another one.” — Mike Calwell, who has been working for nearly a decade to establish more access points for canoeists and boaters on the Kansas River. Page 3A

COMING TUESDAY Find out who will win the city showdowns in baseball and softball as Lawrence and Free State high schools meet.

PITTSBURG

Comprehensive care offered in convenient, affordable setting By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com

ONLINE: See the video at WellCommons.com

PITTSBURG — A community health center in this small southeastern Kansas town of 20,000 is garnering national attention. That’s because it provides care for anyone regardless of their income or insurance, and it is doing it successfully. Its growth is off the charts, and it has come during the worst economy in decades. When it was founded in 2003, the center had 3,300 patients, 6,600 patient visits and a $1.3 million budget. Last year, it had 21 , 300

patients, 70,300 patient visits and a $9.3 million budget. It went from 15 full-time employees to 135, the majority of whom hold good-paying jobs like doctors, psychiatrists, dentists and nurse practitioners. Mark Turnbull, director of economic development in Pittsburg, said the center has helped the economy. More importantly, it has provided critical medical services for SHAWN BRUCE, 21, and Kasey Fowler, 23, of Girard, brought their a very low-income popula- 11-month-old daughter, Anabell Bruce-Fowler, to the clinic tion, especially at a time because she was not feeling good. The clinic offers patients affordable care that encourages prompt treatment rather than waiting Please see CLINIC, page 2A until a condition becomes an emergency.

Electronic recycling options double By Christine Metz

FOLLOW US Facebook.com/LJWorld Twitter.com/LJWorld

INDEX Classified Comics Deaths Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion Puzzles Sports Television Vol.153/No.129

LJWorld.com

4B-8B 9A 2A 10A, 2B 9B 5A 8A 9B 1B-3B, 10B 5A, 2B, 9B 36 pages

Energy smart: The Journal-World makes the most of renewable resources. www.b-e-f.org

cmetz@ljworld.com

Call it Electronic Recycling Wars. On Saturday, Lawrence residents will have two places to choose from to drop off unused or obsolete electronic items. Between 500 to 700 vehicles usually arrive at the city’s semi-annual electronic recycling event as resi-

dents unload 25 to 35 tons of computer equipment, televisions and small appliances. For the past several years, the city had used the Topeka-based processing center Extreme Recycling. Earlier

this year, the city switched to the Kansas City, Mo., nonprofit Surplus Exchange after evaluating proposals from several electronic recycling and refurbishing companies. But the change won’t keep Extreme Recycling away from Lawrence that day. While the city will be gathering electronics at Free State High School, Extreme Recycling will be partnering

with Douglas County Bank to provide residents the chance to recycle electronics and shred documents in downtown Lawrence. Planning a recycling event on the same day as the city’s collection was intentional, said Greg McGrew, the human resources manager for Extreme Recycling. “For those who have used

TOPEKA — On the surface, it appears the House and Senate have hit a roadblock on coming to an agreement on the budget because of differences of opinion on how much the state should be spending, and where. While those differences exist, there also are numerous other issues swirling beneath the budget talks that must be dealt with before majorities in the House and Senate will agree on a state spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1. “The final solution has got to be something not only 21 senators will support but 63 Republicans (in the House) can support and get to the governor,” House Speaker Mike O’Neal, RHutchinson, said. And many of those policy issues are ones pushed by a group of Republicans in the House. In a news conference in his office, O’Neal outlined what measures he wants the Senate to consider. They include: ● A bill that would make it more difficult for union and labor group political action committees to raise funds from their members. ● Removing the exemption that casinos have to the state law that bans public indoor smoking. ● School bills that would allow districts to use money from special funds, such as at-risk programs and building construction, to pay for operating expenses, and require districts to report their budgets in a uniform manner. “If we get stonewalled on some of these issues this year, they’re certainly coming back next year,” O’Neal said. And, he said, next year those issues may not be “as tasty,” comparing the situation to a parent making a child eat for breakfast what the child refused to finish for dinner the night before. But the Senate has approved a major piece of legislation that has so far sat in committee in the House. That is the one that would use bonds and state gambling revenues to beef up engineering programs at Kansas University,

Please see ELECTRONIC, page 4A

Please see BUDGET, page 4A

KU researchers unlock pieces of autism puzzle By Andy Hyland ahyland@ljworld.com

Kansas University researchers are continuing to break new ground in the fight against autism and related disorders. Much of that research is done on the Lawrence campus and at KU Medical Center under the auspices of KU’s Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training. All kinds of projects are ongoing, from research into behavioral interventions, to new kinds of medical treatments, to using eye movements as a way to provide an earlier diagnosis. “With the rising numbers of kids with autism, I think it’s becoming a real red flag to

society,” said Matt Reese, a KUMC researcher and codirector of the K-CART research center. K-CART, founded in 2008, has provided so-called “discovery grants” to help spark new research. “The discovery grants are like pilot studies,” said Debra Kamps, director of K-CART. “They direct us to additional research and provide data to support research grant proposals.” The grants are provided by a combined $1 million contribution from KU and KUMC over five years. Faculty compete for the rela-

tively small grants, typically ranging from $25,000 to $40,000. They are bringing forth new techniques, like the use of brain-imaging technology to study brain patterns in developing children, Kamps said. Still, she said, some of the greatest successes have come in intervention work. “We’re working on enabling children to interact with their parents,” she said. Those successes were echoed in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, which reported that studies have shown secretin, a hormone thought to be a potential treatment for autism spectrum disorders, has shown no benefit for children with the

disorders. The article said intensive behavioral treatments involving hours practicing skills with a therapist weekly for years have been effective, along with some medical treatments. Many of those treatments, however, still lack high-quality research to back their effectiveness and can involve unwanted side effects. Doctors at KUMC are using telemedicine and videoconferencing technology to reach patients in the far corners of the state, in addition to traveling to help people in person, too. “We’re finding we can just as accurately diagnose over telemedicine,” Reese said. “And people seem to be just

as satisfied.” Kathryn Ellerbeck, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at KUMC, works on autism research and has examined secretin, but is in the very preliminary stages of the research and is now looking to see whether the hormone levels are different in children with the disorders. “There are not as many specific medical things we can do,” Ellerbeck said. “I wish we had great things that could take care of making these social things better, but we just don’t. Not yet, anyway.” — Higher education reporter Andy Hyland can be reached at 832-6388. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/LJW_KU.


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