TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Several doctors at Larned and Osawatomie state hospitals and Kansas state prisons are working with special “institutional licenses” despite not having a full medical license, in part because the state has a severe shortage of psychiatrists, state officials said.

Nine of the 13 physicians at Larned and 10 of the 22 physicians at Osawatomie are currently on “institutional licenses,” according to Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. And at the state’s prisons, one of nine medical doctors and four of nine doctors who specialize in psychiatric medicine have the limited licenses, according to Corizon Health, the state’s corrections health care contractor, The Kansas City Star reported .

The practice is not new and it is necessary because the state doesn’t have enough psychiatrists, said Tim Keck, secretary of the aging and disability services.

“The agency appreciates our institutionally licensed doctors,” Keck said in an emailed statement. “They are dedicated and they work hard every day to provide good care to our patients.”

But Rick Cagan, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Kansas branch, said allowing institutional licenses at state facilities means Kansans who need the most help often are cared for by doctors who, at least on paper, are less qualified.

“I am concerned that the most acutely ill individuals are receiving treatment from physicians who do not meet the highest standards for practice,” Cagan said. “It’s counter-intuitive that those most seriously ill have access to physicians who are denied the ability to establish a community-based practice.”

Although the practice has occurred in Kansas and elsewhere for decades, Republican state Sen. Barbara Bollier, a retired physician from Mission Hills, said it might be time to discuss whether the practice should change.

“Why are we still doing this?” Bollier said. “That’s the biggest question. I don’t have an answer. … If that is good enough for (state hospitals), why aren’t these same things in place for the entire population of the state? Why do we have different standards?”

None of the doctors practicing on institutional licenses has been sanctioned for violating standards of care, according to Kathleen Lippert, the executive director of the Kansas Board of Healing Arts.

Kansas and about 20 other states offer limited licenses to allow doctors who aren’t able to start a private practice to work in state mental institutions. After three years with institutional licenses, doctors also can practice at other public facilities like community mental health centers.

Kansas established the institutional medical license in 1969, when the nation began shifting away from long-term institutionalization for the mentally ill to community-based care. Larned and Osawatomie are the last state hospitals in Kansas and have about 300 beds between them.

Missouri, which employed a national-high 47 limited license physicians in its mental health program in 1990, has phased out the program.

Debra Walker, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Mental Health, said its seven state mental institutions recruit psychiatrists by working closely with medical school residency and fellowship programs. The department also allows flexible work schedules so its psychiatrists can work outside the state system for additional income.

Walker said the department currently employs 34 psychiatrists and has 6.5 openings, a vacancy rate of about 16 percent.

BARRY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating after human skeletal remains were found in a rural area of southwest Missouri and they’re asking for the public’s help, according to the Barry County Sheriff’s Department.

The remains were found March 26 by a landowner near Jenkins, about 45 miles southwest of Springfield.

The Barry County Sheriff’s Office has posted photos on social media of jewelry found with the body in hopes that someone might recognize it.

The items include a bracelet, two rings and a rubber NEFF-brand watchband.

A forensic dentist says it appears the person was an adult, but investigators have not yet determined if the remains are that of a man or woman.

Detective Doug Henry says the circumstances of the person’s death are considered suspicious.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report.

By ANDREA TUDHOPE

As Johnson County District Court Judge Charles Droege told 52-year-old Adam Purinton on Friday that he likely “won’t leave prison alive,” the convicted murderer briefly lowered his head.

Purinton was sentenced to life in prison for the February 2017 murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla at an Olathe, Kansas, bar. He received an additional 28-year sentence for the attempted murders of Alok Madasani and Ian Grillot.

He still faces federal hate crime charges that could mean the death penalty. A hearing in that case is set for later this month.

In court Friday, Purinton’s lawyer, Michael McCulloch, said his client had shown from the beginning that he is “remorseful and sorry for the actions he took.”

Purinton has 14 days to appeal the sentencing.

In March, Purinton, 52, pleaded guilty, agreeing to maximum sentencing on all counts.

The murder of Kuchibhotla, and attempted murder of Madasani — two Indian immigrants in the United States on work visas — earned Purinton federal hate crime charges. Before the shooting, Purinton approached the men on the patio of Austin’s Barn and Grill and asked, “Where are you from? How did you get into this country?”

Before Friday’s sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Aubrey Sample read a written statement addressed to Purinton, from Sunayana Dumala, Kuchibhotla’s wife. Dumala said she hoped Purinton would one day realize the “magnitude of your mistake.”

“I learned from the cops that the murder of of my husband was premeditative and racially motivated,” she wrote. “In the few minutes that you have seen Srinu you built so much hatred for him that you decided he did not deserve to live . . . I wish you had the ability to see beyond my husband’s skin color and the beautiful and kind-hearted person underneath it.”

Federal authorities allege that Purinton targeted the two men because of their race, ethnicity or national origin. The U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas, will take up the case in a hearing on May 21.

With no possibility of parole for 50 years in the life sentence, Purinton will spend the rest of his life behind bars, unless the U.S. Attorney’s office decides to seek the death penalty against him.

Andrea Tudhope is a reporter for KCUR, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @_tudhope.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – The Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield is showing off its newest resident – a male giraffe.

The giraffe, which doesn’t have a name yet, was born Thursday and went on public display Friday.

Zoo spokeswoman Joey Powell says the giraffe was 4.5 to 5-feet all – which is small for a newborn giraffe. A giraffe born at the zoo last summer was almost a foot taller. Powell said the average height for newborn giraffes is 5- to 6-feet tall.

It’s the first baby for 5-year-old Mili, and second for the father, Grady.

Both the mother and newborn are now on exhibit for the public but they are being kept separately from the rest of the herd.

The Kansas City Zoo welcomed Dixie, a 6-foot-tall giraffe, on Feb. 2.

FULTON, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri man who is already in prison is now indicted in a 1981 shooting death.

A Callaway County grand jury indicted Conrad Schmitt on Thursday on a capital murder charge in the death of 27-year-old Ricky Ridings, of St. Peters.

Ridings was found shot to death inside a car outside Portland, Missouri, on July 8, 1981.

KRCG-TV reports the investigation was reopened in June 2017 when the Callaway County Sheriff’s office received new details in Ridings’ death.

Schmitt is charged with killing Ridings between June 30, 1981 and July 9, 1981.

He is currently a state prison inmate. He is scheduled for a video arraignment May 18.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana in Missouri have turned in signatures for two ballot initiatives that would let voters decide the issue.

Two organizations, New Approach Missouri and Find the Cure, submitted signatures Friday that support allowing some patients access to medical marijuana. A third group, Missourians for Patient Care, has until Sunday to submit its signatures.

If enough signatures are verified by the secretary of state’s office and local election authorities, the question will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Each initiative would allow patients with cancer, HIV, epilepsy and a variety of other conditions access to medical marijuana. The differences among the proposals largely stem from how marijuana would be regulated and taxed, and where those new tax dollars would go.

 

TOPEKA – Currently, there are more than 7,500 Kansas children in foster care. Sadly, these children have been placed outside of their home by the court for safety reasons.

As the number of children in foster care continues to rise, following the national trend, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is actively recruiting foster families in all parts of the state, to ensure children can remain in their home communities while the agency and its contractors work with birth families to address safety issues and promote reunification.

“It has become abundantly clear that we need more foster families, especially those who are willing to accept older youth, sibling groups and children with special needs,” said DCF Secretary Meier-Hummel. “We are actively working to strengthen the continuum of care.”

At this time, there are more than 2,600 foster homes in Kansas. Ensuring appropriate accommodations for children in care has been and remains a top priority for Secretary Meier-Hummel. However, some solutions to address the shortage of homes and facilities require additional funding. Governor Jeff Colyer, in January, proposed a DCF budget enhancement of $16.5 million to address this and other urgent issues to help Kansas families in crisis.

“I remain hopeful that the Kansas Legislature will respond to these needs by fully funding this request,” said Governor Colyer. “As a State, we have a duty to care for children deemed unsafe in their own homes. Without adequate resources, we jeopardize our ability to address the problems facing the child welfare system.”

With the current resources, Secretary Meier-Hummel continues to seek solutions to the placement-option shortage. In recent months, she has worked diligently with DCF staff and others to address the immediate issue of placing youth, to prevent overnight stays in contractor offices. She is also directing staff to quickly eliminate identified barriers in the placement process. Kinship care approvals are being expedited. Reviews and investigations of foster homes are being moved through. And provider agreements are being fast tracked to increase bed availability. These steps are being taken, all while ensuring child safety is not compromised.

While it’s important to focus on the immediate need for placement options, it’s also important to relay our appreciation for the foster and kinship families who are taking on the tremendous responsibility of caring for youth removed from their homes. Governor Colyer has signed a proclamation designating May as Foster Care Month.

For more information about foster care in Kansas, visit www.FosterKSKids.org or call 1-844-380-2009.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Firefighters have rescued a dog that was stuck in an underground pipe for up to eight days in southwestern Missouri.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that the Central Taney County Fire Rescue crew worked Wednesday to remove Jack the black Labrador retriever from the culvert.

Volunteer firefighter Jeff Romines says Jack’s owners said their dog had been missing for more than a week. The owner found Jack after hearing his whimpering when checking the mailbox.

Romines says Jack is “a little chubby” and got stuck trying to turn around in the culvert. He says the dog’s hind legs had fallen asleep.

Firefighters had to dig out part of the homeowner’s driveway and use a special saw to cut through the metal pipe.

Jack has been returned home to rest and recover.

VERGENNES, Vt. (AP) — Police in Vermont are searching for a Texas man who they say committed robberies in several states.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office tells WCAX-TV 46-year-old Mark Triolo, of Lewisville, Texas, robbed Small City Market in Vergennes, Vermont, on Tuesday after robbing a gas station near Lake George, New York, the previous day.

Police say Triolo is also suspect in bank robberies in Kansas and Tennessee.

Authorities say Triolo is armed and dangerous. Investigators believe he is driving a stolen Kia Sorento with the Texas license plate DH5-L669. Police say anyone who sees Triolo should call 911.