by MIKE SHERRY

The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City invited Kathleen Sebelius to help it celebrate its first decade of grant making, but the woman who has served as both U.S. health secretary and Kansas governor came armed with a big idea for the next decade.

“I think the challenge over the next 10 years is: How do you make Kansas City the healthiest region in the country?” Sebelius said at the foundation’s Tuesday luncheon in Kansas City.

“I think that is a very reasonable goal. I don’t think that is at all out of reach.” That mantle “does not mean you have the fewest people in the hospital,” she added, “but that you have the most people who are really living and working to their full potential.”

The foundation was established in 2003 with part of the proceeds from the $1.1 billion sale of Health Midwest, a nonprofit hospital system, to Nashville-based HCA, a for-profit company. The sale also established the REACH Healthcare Foundation, which is based in Merriam, Kan.

The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City began making grants two years after its formation, and since then, it has awarded more than $200 million to more than 400 organizations, according to its 10th anniversary website.

Sebelius lauded the foundation for the spirit of cooperation it has fostered in a decade’s worth of work, especially in the area of nutrition. “You have a lot to teach the rest of the country,” she said. She also applauded the foundation for its early recognition of the importance of the so-called social determinants of health.

Those are the factors in one’s community — such as a lack of good sidewalks or places to exercise — that can contribute to physical problems. That concept now is becoming more common in health conversations in the United States and around the world, Sebelius said.

By some estimates, she said, the U.S. economy loses about $300 billion a year in productivity from populations that are in poor health, often people in poor and minority communities.

“The leadership of this foundation over the past 10 years cannot be underestimated,” Sebelius said. “I know lots of communities would love to have that opportunity. There is no question that health is good for individuals, it’s good for families and it’s good for communities.”

Mike Sherry is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

DETROIT (AP) — Recaro Child Safety is recalling more than 173,000 car seats in the U.S. because the top tether can detach from the seat in a crash.

The recall affects ProRide and Performance Ride seats made before June 9, 2015.

Recaro says the seat shells can crack or come loose from the main shell during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. The problem was discovered in testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The company says no injuries have been reported.

Recaro will send owners new webbing with instructions on how to secure the seats. The recall was expected to begin this month.

Last week the government urged parents to register car seats with the manufacturer so they can get quick notification of recalls.

CLEVELAND -An unintentional fireworks display greeted Alex Rios after his home run Tuesday night in Cleveland. TV cameras showed a distraught fireworks tech hiding his face after he accidentally triggered the display. That sort of thing is normally saved for home runs by the home team!

TV cameras caught the distraught fireworks technician with his hands clutching his head after his quick-trigger mistake, which prompted a chorus of boos from the small crowd.

“It was nice,” Rios joked about the unexpected explosion. “It’s the first time that’s happened to me in a road game. When I heard all the screams, it crossed my mind that they somehow called it foul. It shook me a little bit. It caught me off-guard. When I was rounding second, I heard people screaming and that’s when I thought something happened, but it’s all good.”

The Royals won 2-0.

by MARGARET STAFFORD

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A woman whose two young sons were found inside an underground cave in Kansas City has been released from jail.

Brittany Mugrauer left the Jackson County jail Tuesday, hours after a judge agreed to her release. The judge said she cannot see her 4- and 6-year-old sons without permission from a Family Court judge.

Mugrauer is charged with two counts of felony child endangerment. Her sons were found Friday in the cave that housed a diesel repair shop. Investigators said the children were dirty, unsupervised and living in a wooden shipping crate inside the cave.

However, the owner of the repair shop disputes those claims. Sean Dale says the children played at the shop while their mother worked there and the crate was a “man cave” for them.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Court documents are offering a glimpse at the early impact of the gay marriage ruling in Kansas.

The latest filing Tuesday from state officials comes in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Kansas ban on same-sex marriages. A federal judge has ruled the state’s ban is unconstitutional in the wake of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized such unions nationwide.

But he gave the parties extra time to make written filings on whether Kansas has made good on its assurances that it will comply.

One affidavit shows that the Kansas State Employee Health Benefits Plan has granted health insurance coverage to 48 same-sex spouses.

Another document shows Sedgwick County has issued at least 160 marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while Douglas County issued about 60 such licenses.