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FOR PROFIT HOSPITAL CHAIN HCA EXPANDS ITS FOOTPRINT IN KANSAS CITY BY BUYING TWO LONG-TIME
CATHOLIC HOSPITALS IN THE METRO THIS WEEK. IT JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER JUST
OFF OF I-435 IN AND STATE LINE AND ST. MARY HOSPITAL IN BLUE SPRINGS WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN
COMMUNITY WORRIES THAT HCA MIGHT BE PURCHASING THE MEDICAL FACILITY JUST TO CLOSE IT TO
FORCE PATIENTS TO SEEK SERVICE AT HCA'S CENTER POINT HOSPITAL IN INDEPENDENCE.
KCPT HEALTH AND EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT SAM ZEFF IS WITH US.
THANKS FOR JOINING US. ARE THEY STILL WORRIED ABOUT THAT IN BLUE SPRINGS?
I THINK THEY'RE SCARED TO DEATH OF IT. WILL THEY CLOSE IT?
I THINK THAT'S A BIG QUESTION. THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL HAVE BEEN VERY WORRIED ABOUT IT.
IF THEY DON'T CLOSE IT, THEY MAY SCALE IT BACK. IT'S SORT OF A FULL SCALE
HOSPITAL NOW. BUT WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL A FEW YEARS DOWN THE ROAD EXACTLY,
BECAUSE USUALLY WHEN HCA COMES IN, THEY'LL PROMISE TO HOLD ONTO THE PROPERTIES FOR SOME TIME IN
THE WAY THAT THEY ARE OPERATING NOW, AND THEN THEY'LL HAVE SOME STRATEGY DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT
WHAT TO DO WITH THIS. NOW, BOTH OF THESE ARE CATHOLIC HOSPITALS.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY MAINTAIN THEIR CATHOLIC MISSIONS.
WILL THEY BE ABLE TO DO THAT UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WITH HCA? HCA HAS SAID YES, IT WILL,
BUT AGAIN, WE DON'T KNOW FIVE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, TEN YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, WHETHER THAT'S
GOING TO BE THE CASE. BUT IMMEDIATELY THEY WILL. WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT SOME
PEOPLE SAY, WHY ARE THEY SELLING TO BEGIN WITH? PRESUMABLY ST. JOSEPH AND
ST. MARY'S ARE SELLING BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T STAY WHERE THEY WERE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T STAND
ALONE AS HOSPITALS IN THIS CURRENT BUDGET SITUATION. YEAH.
IT'S GETTING MORE AND MORE COMPLICATED FOR INDEPENDENT OPERATORS TO -- INDEPENDENT
HOSPITAL OPERATORS TO WORK ON THEIR OWN, AND I THINK THAT IT HAS BECOME VERY DIFFICULT, AS
THEY LOOK DOWN THE ROAD, TO SEE HOW THEY CAN MAINTAIN A VIABLE OPERATION, SO THEY'VE JOINED THE
BIGGEST HOSPITAL CORPORATION IN AMERICA, HCA. AND REMEMBERING THAT HCA OWNS
MENORAH MEDICAL CENTER, OVERLAND PARK MEDICAL CENTER, RESEARCH MEDICAL CENTER, AMONG OTHERS.
ANOTHER BIG HEADLINE THIS WEEK INVOLVES ANOTHER AREA HOSPITAL, NORTH KANSAS CITY HOSPITAL,
WHICH YOU'VE BEEN REPORTING A LOT ON, SAM. A BILL TO PREVENT THE HOSPITAL
FROM BEING SOLD WITHOUT A PUBLIC VOTE LANDS ON MISSOURI GOVERNOR JAY NIXON'S DESK THIS WEEK.
THE CITY'S NEW MAYOR ALSO THIS WEEK AND A MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL IN NORTH KANSAS CITY SAY
THEY'RE OPPOSED TO THE SALE OF THE HOSPITAL AFTER A LENGTHY ONGOING DISPUTE.
SO, SAM, IS THIS THE END OF THE ISSUE, THE LAST TIME WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS ON OUR
KANSAS CITY WEEK IN REVIEW PROGRAM? WELL, I THINK WE MAY HAVE ONE
MORE EPISODE TO TALK ABOUT IT WHEN, IN FACT, THE DEAL IS DONE, BUT IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE
GOING TO PUT THIS THING BEHIND THEM. RIGHT AFTER WE AIRED OUR STORY,
THERE WERE A LOT OF MOVING PARTS. THERE WAS A NEW MAYOR, NEW CITY
COUNCIL PEOPLE. THERE WERE NEW MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, LEGISLATION
BEING NEGOTIATED. A LOT OF THAT IS CONSOLIDATED. IT'S BEEN CONDENSED.
THE BILL IS NOW ON GOVERNOR NIXON'S DESK. HE HADN'T SAID WHAT HE'S GOING
TO DO, BUT I SUSPECT HE'LL SIGN IT. AND I THINK EVERYBODY JUST WANTS
TO PUT THIS UGLY EPISODE THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER A YEAR NOW BEHIND THEM.
ON KCPT'S LOCAL SHOW, YOU EXAMINED THIS WEEK ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENTS OF
AMERICAN EDUCATION, HOME SCHOOLING, WHICH IS ATTRACTING LOTS OF NEW CONVERTS.
BUT AS YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE, REMARKABLY, THERE IS VERY LITTLE REGULATION.
I'M NOT A RADICAL EXTREMIST HOME SCHOOLER. I COULD INTRODUCE YOU TO LOTS OF
THEM, LOTS OF MY FRIENDS, BUT I'M NOT. FOR AMY BURTON, HOME
SCHOOLING, SHE SAYS, IS MOSTLY ABOUT PROVIDING A ONE ON ONE EDUCATION FOR HER KIDS.
SO IF ANDREW IS STRUGGLING WITH MULTIPLICATION FACTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO SIT
AND DRILL MULTIPLICATION WORK AND GET THROUGH IT ONE-ON-ONE. THE PRIMARY FOCUS WAS JUST TO
INSTILL LOVE IN OUR KIDS AND TO PROVIDE A SUPERIOR EDUCATION THAN WHAT WE BELIEVED THEY COULD
GET ELSEWHERE. INCLUDING HERE IN THE RAYMORE PE -- PECULIAR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
I ALSO TEACH A SURVEY COURSE IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. WHERE AMY'S HUSBAND JOB
TEACHES, AND WHILE BURTON SAYS HEEN JOYCE TEACHING IN IN -- ENJOYS TEACHING IN A PUBLIC
SCHOOL AND PRAISES THE RAY-PEC DISTRICT, IT'S BEING IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL EVERY DAY THAT MADE HIM
TURN TO HOME EDUCATION. I'LL WALK THE HALLS HERE, AND YOU KNOW, YOU LISTEN TO SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS AMONG STUDENTS AND WHAT THE STUDENTS
TALK ABOUT, AND YOU REALIZE, YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T WANT MY CHILDREN EXPOSED
TO THAT. THAT'S NOT UPLIFTING. AND THIS IS THE MAJORITY OF THE
CONVERSATIONS THAT GO ON, AND SO IT JUST ACTUALLY AFFIRMS WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR OUR KIDS IS THE
RIGHT THING. NOBODY IN TRADITIONAL EDUCATION DISPUTES HOME SCHOOL
PARENTS CARE A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN, BUT THERE'S NO WAY TO TRACK THAT IN REAL TIME
WITH REAL DATA. IN MISSOURI, HOME SCHOOL PARENTS MUST PROVIDE A THOUSAND HOURS OF
INSTRUCTION DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, KEEP A LOG TO SHOW SUCH INSTRUCTION HAPPENED, AND HOLD
ON TO A SAMPLE OF THE STUDENTS' WORK. IN KANSAS, THERE ARE EVEN FEWER
REGULATIONS. THE PARENT MUST REGISTER AS A PRIVATE SCHOOL, AND THE STUDENT
MUST HAVE 186 DAYS OF INSTRUCTION. RARELY, IF EVER, DOES EITHER
STATE CHECK ANY OF THIS. AND YOU CAN SEE SAM'S FULL REPORT ON HOME SCHOOLING DURING
THE REBROADCAST OF THE LOCAL SHOW THIS SUNDAY AT 5:30. BUT IT IS KIND OF REMARKABLE
THAT NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT HOME SCHOOLERS ARE DOING.
WELL, NOT IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI. THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF STATES,
PENNSYLVANIA AMONG THEM, THAT REQUIRE PARENTS TO SUBMIT THEIR LESSON PLANS AND BE APPROVED BY
THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT. IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI, IT IS A VERY HANDS-OFF APPROACH, AND
THAT'S THE WAY HOME SCHOOLERS LIKE IT. BUT REMEMBER, THOUGH, IN
FEBRUARY THIS YEAR, MANY OF OUR VIEWERS WILL REMEMBER THE TEENAGER THAT WAS FOUND IN A
NORTH KANSAS CITY BASEMENT HANDCUFFED TO A STEEL POLE, AND HE WAS TAKEN OUT OF SCHOOL IN
SEPTEMBER IN THE NORTH KANSAS CITY DISTRICT AS HIS PARENTS ALLEGEDLY SAID, I WANT TO HOME
SCHOOL THE CHILD, AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SAID, WE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.
IF A PARENT WANTS TO REMOVE A CHILD JUST BECAUSE THEY WANT TO HOME SCHOOL THEM, THERE'S
NOTHING -- NO FORMS HAVE TO BE SIGNED? NO.
YOU DO HAVE TO ALERT THE DISTRICT OF THAT. BUT ONCE THE CHILD IS TAKEN OUT
IN MISSOURI, THERE IS REALLY NO OTHER CONTACT THAT THE PARENTS HAVE.
SOME EDUCATORS LAMENT THAT. ARE THERE NO EFFORTS TO TRY AND INCREASE REGULATION?
NO, ZERO. IN FACT, HOME SCHOOLERS, AND ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE MAKEUP OF
THE LEGISLATURE IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI, THEY WOULD BE MORE INCLINED TO BACK AWAY FROM THE
REGULATIONS THAT THEY NOW HAVE, BUT THERE IS CERTAINLY NO MOVEMENT TO TRY TO IMPOSE MORE
REGULATION IN EITHER STATE. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHILD GOES TO COLLEGE?
WHAT IS THE VERIFICATION THEN OF HOW WELL THAT CHILD HAS BEEN LEARNING IF IT'S ALL LEFT TO THE
SELF-MONITORING OF THE PARENTS? ONE OF THE THINGS THEY FOUND OUT IS THAT PARENTS -- HOME
SCHOOL PARENTS WHO SEND THEIR KIDS TO COLLEGE ARE REALLY QUITE HONEST ON THE TRANSCRIPT.
AND SO COLLEGES MORE AND MORE, AND IN MISSOURI, THERE IS A LAW THAT SAYS THEY HAVE TO ACCEPT
THE HOME SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT. BUT MORE AND MORE COLLEGES ARE LOOKING AT IT AND SAYING -- AND
KIDS ARE COMING IN, AS WE SAID IN THE REPORT, AND DOING QUITE WELL.
YOU FIND OUT IN THE REPORT THAT WHILE RELIGION IS THE MAIN REASON WHY STILL PARENTS ARE
HOME SCHOOLING, THE PROFILE IS CHANGING. IT IS.
A LOT OF PARENTS ARE DOING IT SIMPLY FOR EDUCATIONAL REASONS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE PARENTS OUT
THERE, EDUCATORS AND HOME SCHOOL PARENTS WHO ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT, SANDY HOOK, OTHER SAFETY
ISSUES MAY LEAD PARENTS TO TAKE THEIR KIDS OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND HOME SCHOOL THEM SIMPLY FOR
SECURITY AND SAFETY REASONS. SO WE MAY SEE AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE
BECAUSE OF THAT? ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU, SAM.
YOU CAN SEE THE FULL REPORT ON THE LOCAL SHOW, THE REBROADCAST SUNDAY AT 5:30 RIGHT HERE ON
KCPT. SAM, THANK YOU. NEXT, A TONY NOMINATION FOR
THE KANSAS CITY REP. THE FIRST TIME IN THE THEATER'S 49-YEAR HISTORY.
YOU'RE WATCHING KANSAS CITY WEEK IN REVIEW.
CHRISTMAS ARRIVED EARLY THIS YEAR FOR KANSAS CITY'S REPERTORY THEATER.
A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL, WHICH HAD ITS WORLD PREMIER AT THE REP IN 2009 THIS WEEK WAS
NOMINATED FOR THREE TONY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL. IT'S THE FIRST TIME THE REP HAS
EVER BEEN NOMINATED FOR A TONY IN THE THEATER'S 49 YEARS OF EXISTENCE.
WITH US IS THE REP'S PRODUCING DIRECTOR JERRY GENOCHIO. WHAT WAS THE SCENE AT THE REP
WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE, JERRY? JUST SHORT OF PANDEMONIUM.
IT WAS VERY EXCITING. WE KNEW THAT THERE WERE RUMBLINGS THAT THERE MIGHT BE A
NOD TO THE SHOW, BUT NO ONE WAS EXPECTING IT. YOU JUST DON'T EXPECT THAT.
AND WHEN IT CAME OUT WITH THREE AWARDS, JUST SHEER JOY THROUGHOUT THE COMPANY.
NOW, WHAT I'M AMAZED OF, BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS OUTRAGED IN 2009
WHEN YOU REMOVED THE CHRISTMAS CAROL FROM THE OFFERINGS AT THE REP TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS SHOW
WORK. THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT. SO THAT HAD TO HAPPEN AS A
COMPROMISE TO ALLOW A CHRISTMAS STORY, AND YET IT WAS THE HIGHEST GROSSING SHOW IN THE
THEATER'S HISTORY, REALLY? THAT'S RIGHT. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
31,000 TICKETS, AND JUST SHORT OF $900,000 IN GROSS REVENUE, WHICH PUTS IT FIRMLY IN FIRST
PLACE, HAD 36 OF THE 48 PERFORMANCES SOLD OUT. 3,000 STUDENTS CAME TO THE
STUDENT MAT -- MATINEES. IT WAS JUST AN UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE THE WAY THAT IT WAS
RECEIVED. EVERYBODY LOVED THE MUSIC -- THE MOVIE AND HAD SUCH FOND MEMORIES
OF THE MOVIE, AND IT WAS A VERY TRUE TRANSLATION TO THE MOVIE, AND PEOPLE JUST REALLY EMBRACED
IT, AND IT WAS A HUGE HIT. HOW WAS THE SHOW DIFFERENT FROM THE SHOW THE PEOPLE SAW IN
KANSAS CITY TO THE SHOW THAT PEOPLE WENT TO SEE THEN IN NEW YORK ON BROADWAY?
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IMPRESSED ME THE MOST, SEEING IT OPENING NIGHT IN
NEW YORK WAS THERE WAS 70% OF THAT SHOW THAT DIRECTLY TRANSLATED FROM OUR ORIGINAL
PRODUCTION, OF THE PHYSICAL PRODUCTION. OUR COSTUME SHOP BUILD COSTUMES
FOR THE SHOW. OUR WORK WAS ON THAT STAGE. AFTER IT LEFT HERE, THEY DID
CHANGE COMPOSERS, SO THE MUSIC WAS REWRITTEN, BUT ALL THE BOOK SCENES WERE EXACTLY THE SAME.
OF COURSE, IT WAS NOMINATED FOR ITS BOOK AND ORIGINAL SCORE, AS WELL.
ONE BIG DIFFERENCE, I'M ASSUMING, THOUGH, WAS THE PRICE. IT PROBABLY COST THREE TIMES AS
MUCH IN NEW YORK. THAT'S RIGHT. THEY ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT US
ABOUT BUILDING THE SET, AND WE LOOKED AT BIDS, AND THEIR BIDS WERE -- IT WAS AT LEAST 10 TIMES
MORE THAN WHAT WE SPENT ON THE PRODUCTION HERE FOR ALMOST THE SAME THING, BUT THAT'S SHOW
BUSINESS. NOW, 49 YEARS, WHAT TOOK SO LONG?
I THINK IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIMING. IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME AND THE
RIGHT PROJECT. THERE WAS A PRODUCER THAT CAME TO US WITH A DREAM.
HE GOT THE RIGHTS TO DO THIS AS A MUSICAL AND KNEW THAT IT WOULD BE ATTRACTIVE AND LOOKING FOR A
THEATER TO TAKE THIS RISK WITH HIM, AND HE APPRECIATE ERIC ROSEN, AND ERIC AND I TALKED AND
THE COMPANY TALKED, AND WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A FANTASTIC IDEA, AND IT HAD THE SUPPORT.
THE THEATER WAS READY TO CREATE A MAJOR PROJECT LIKE THAT THAT HAD OUTSIDE INTERESTS AND
OUTSIDE PRODUCERS WHO COULD DRAW ATTENTION TO KANSAS CITY AND TO THE REP AND TO THIS PRODUCTION,
AND IT DID, AND IT WORKED MARVELOUSLY. NOW, A THEATER IS BUILT ON
MORE THAN ONE SHOW. HOW IS THE REP DOING? YOU'VE GOT TWO THEATERS NOW
BASICALLY GOING, TWO STAGES. SIX YEARS AGO, YOU OPENED A DOWNTOWN STAGE.
SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT, WOW, THAT'S RISKY. HOW ARE YOU DOING IN TERMS OF
ATTENDANCE? WE'RE DOING REALLY WELL IN TERMS OF ATTENDANCE.
EVERYBODY WAS HIT A LITTLE HARD IN THE FINANCIAL MELTDOWN OF 2008.
BUT THE ATTENDANCE IS PICKING UP. WE HAD A LITTLE SLUMP AND THE
ATTENDANCE IS PICKING UP, WHICH IS VERY POSITIVE, BUT ARTISTICALLY, WE'RE GETTING
FANTASTIC RESPONSES TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING FROM OUR REGULAR SUBSCRIBERS AND NEW
PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TICKET BUYERS COMING TO SEE OUR PLAYS, SO WE'RE DOING PRETTY WELL.
NOW, YOU WON'T KNOW UNTIL JUNE 9th WHETHER YOU'VE ACTUALLY WON THE TONY.
THAT'S RIGHT. HOWEVER, A TONY NOMINATION IS A HUGE DEAL.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY MEAN NOW TO THE KANSAS CITY REP? CERTAINLY A HUGE PAY RAISE FOR
YOU, JERRY? THAT'S HOW I CAN AFFORD THESE LUXURY SUITS NOW, THE PAY RAISE.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE REP IS EVERYONE WATCHES THE THEATER COMMUNITY NOW UNTIL JUNE 9th.
, AND EVERY TIME THE CHRISTMAS STORY IS MENTIONED, KANSAS CITY REPERTORY THEATER IS RIGHT THERE
WITH IT. SO IT'S DRAWING A LOT OF OUTSIDE ATTENTION TO KANSAS CITY FOR ALL
THE RIGHT REASONS. WHEN THE HIGHEST QUALITY BEST WORK IS DONE, THAT ATTENTION IS
NOW BEING PAID TO KANSAS CITY FOR THE THEATER COMMUNITY, WHICH, AS YOU KNOW, IS
INCREDIBLY VIBRANT AND GROWING STRONGER EVER DAY HERE. CURRENTLY AT THE REP IS DAVID
MAMET'S TALE OF THREE SMALL TIME CROOKS, AMERICAN BUFFALO, DIRECTED BY AN EXTRAORDINARILY
TALENTED MAN. OH, IT'S YOU JERRY. IT'S ME.
THAT RUNS THROUGH MAY 19th. THAT'S CORRECT. JERRY GENOCHIO, PRODUCING
DIRECTOR AT THE REP, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US ON KANSAS CITY WEEK IN REVIEW.
NICK, THANK YOU. I'M NICK HAINES. THAT IS IT FOR THIS WEEK'S
PROGRAM. FROM ALL OF US HERE AT KCPT, THANKS FOR SPENDING PART OF YOUR
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