Call Center Company in Topeka, KS

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) -Just weeks after being cut off from Medicaid funding, a Topeka nursing home is now closed.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services put out a notice in February 2025 that it was terminating its partnership with Brookfield Post Acute Care Center effective March 7.

Brookfield stated it was not closing at that time.

This week, the Brookfield campus is empty and calls to its phone line connect to a message stating it is no longer operating as of April 7, 2025.

13 NEWS has also reached out to Brookfield’s legal representation for further statement.

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The opening of a new state government building at the capitol complex is expected to be a boon for downtown Topeka businesses.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment had a ribbon cutting Wednesday on its new laboratory building at the corner of S.W. 12th Street and S.W. Topeka Boulevard. The estimated project cost was about $73 million, with funds coming from state taxpayers and federal COVID relief funds.

"It is an honor to be here today to celebrate the official opening of the KDHE laboratories in downtown Topeka," Gov. Laura Kelly said. "This is a significant step forward for public health in Kansas, and a testament to the power of scientific advancement and innovation."

The building will house about 85 employees who will provide roughly 1 million clinical and environmental tests in collaboration, The Capital-Journal previously reported. The site will test public water supply, newborn screenings and respond to emergency disease outbreaks.

"What a boon this will be to downtown Topeka," said Janet Stanek, the KDHE secretary. She added that "this is of great importance, this facility, to Kansas for both public and environmental health."

The new KDHE lab opening comes a few months before the rebuilt Docking State Office Building is expected to open.

Adam Proffitt, Kansas Department of Administration secretary, said those buildings "are going to have an enormous impact on the community for Topeka. It's going to impact downtown businesses, and certainly the citizens of Kansas who are going to be better served by this state-of-the-art facility and biomedical laboratory."

What work will happen in the new KDHE lab?

The three-floor building houses multiple labs and administrative offices, while the lobby has a museum of the history of public health in Kansas.

The health and environment laboratories include the following:

Kelly told reporters afterward that most Kansans may not notice the work done at the health and environment laboratories.

"It's really hard to describe what this would mean to Kansans, because they'll hardly be aware because it would be getting the work done," she said. "As opposed to in our previous lab, we were having to send a lot of work to Iowa, for instance, because we didn't have either the staffing or the equipment to run certain tests.

"And so we had to source those out, and it took a lot longer then to get the results back, which creates a lot of problems, both in our medical community and for people themselves. Here, they're going to get much quicker, much more efficient, much more effective public health services, which includes analysis of test results and stuff so that they can get to whatever it is they might need quicker."

Old, deteriorating KDHE lab was at Forbes Field

The old KDHE lab was in an aging building near Topeka Regional Airport.

"The previous lab was housed in a former hospital built in the mid-1950s on Forbes Field south of Topeka. I had in my notes, my editing notes, I had said the lab was 'a pit.' My staff has edited that to say our lab was 'antiquated,'" Kelly said, eliciting laughter.

"Staff had to work out of makeshift offices — or no office at all. The deteriorating infrastructure cost a fortune to maintain, even at minimal operating standards, and the building was a poster child for energy inefficiency. No wonder it was challenging to find lab techs, public health officers and physicians willing to work in the outdated space. This limitation affected our ability to manage both the routine tasks of public health and the demands of crisis situations."

Stanek said the old lab was tight, cramped and did not have a good flow to the facility. She praised the new facility, which has more than 130 pieces of major equipment, plus hundreds of pieces of support equipment like refrigerators, freezers and incubators.

"This puts KDHE in the perfect position to attract and retain those staff that we were talking about, the very best scientists, experts, staff from across the country, not just for the lab, but other places that interface with KDHE," Stanek said. "We're already seeing some of those benefits."

Former lawmaker reveals attempt to move lab away from Topeka

Kelly praised former Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, for her role in helping fund the new lab facility.

McGinn said there had been an effort by someone whom she didn't name to try to put the lab in a different community.

"I wanted this location because I thought it was important for (KDHE) to be able to communicate with legislators and the governor and other people on the capitol campus," McGinn said. "I thought it was going to be good, and it will be good, for the economy for downtown Topeka. Now we have people that can go, have places to go eat lunch and things like that, and help our business district."

She said the state risked losing staff if the facility was moved to a different city.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

Topeka, KS (April 26, 2025) – Emergency crews responded Friday morning to a two-vehicle crash that resulted in injuries just north of Topeka at the intersection of 35th St and N Kansas Ave.

The collision was reported around 7:36 a.m., leading to a multi-agency response including Soldier Township Fire Department, American Medical Response ambulance teams, and Shawnee County sheriff’s deputies. First responders, including paramedics, assessed and treated individuals hurt in the crash. Early reports indicated that at least one vehicle ended up in a ditch, and at least one person sustained injuries requiring medical attention.

The scene caused traffic delays in the area as emergency personnel worked to assist those involved and investigate the circumstances of the crash. No further details regarding the severity of injuries or the identities of those involved have been released at this time. Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.

Our thoughts are with those impacted by this crash, and we hope for a full recovery for all individuals injured.

Rural-Urban Roadway Crash Risks Near Topeka

Accidents like the one at 35th St and N Kansas Ave highlight the specific challenges faced by drivers on roads that blend rural and urban environments. As commuters transition from open countryside into more populated zones near Topeka, they often encounter changing speed limits, hidden driveways, and busier intersections that demand heightened attention.

Ditches along the side of roadways, while common in rural and semi-urban areas, present significant rollover and entrapment risks when vehicles leave the roadway during a collision. Even low-speed crashes can have serious outcomes when a vehicle departs the pavement unexpectedly.

Local safety advocates urge drivers to maintain appropriate speeds, remain vigilant at intersections, and stay prepared for sudden changes in traffic patterns. Additionally, rural intersections often lack the lighting and visual cues present in city environments, making early-morning and late-evening driving particularly hazardous.

For victims of rural crashes, recovery may involve not only physical treatment but also navigating complex insurance claims and potential legal matters, especially when multiple agencies respond to an incident.

For more information or to receive help after an accident, contact Local Accident Reports.

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BUSINESS

Topeka Capital-Journal

Moldy habanero peppers, an insect floating in a bottle of whiskey, a sewage backup and frozen crab rangoons stored in trash bags were among the violations that food safety inspectors cited at Topeka establishments last month.

Kansas law delegates to the Kansas Department of Agriculture the authority to regulate food establishments, food processing plants and lodging establishments. Violations — particularly priority violations directly linked to causes of foodborne illness — can lead to various consequences, including the immediate closure of an establishment.

Kansas Department of Agriculture records show that while most of the 41 total Topeka area service establishments inspected in January passed with either no violations or no serious ones, several failed. Most inspections were routine, but inspectors also visited after complaints, for licensing, follow-ups and other reasons.

Out-of-compliance food and lodging establishments in Topeka

The following nine establishments were issued notices of noncompliance with Kansas law after inspections in January.

The Jan. 24 complaint inspection of the lodging establishment found 22 violations.

The lodging establishment license was not publicly posted for guests in the lobby. There was no emergency plan available. There was no pet advisory.

Carbon monoxide detectors had not been tested, and it had not been logging tests. A hearing impaired smoke detector was not working. Emergency lights were not working.

Four rooms had dirty bathtub grout. One room had a stained mattress pad, and another had a stained blanket. Three rooms had stained mattresses. One room had a dirty microwave. Two rooms had secondary locks that were not working.

The fitness room had no sanitizer and no clean towels. Pool operational and disinfectant logs were not being maintained daily.

Ice buckets were not being sanitized. Multiple electrical outlets near water sources were not ground-fault circuit interrupter. Multiple spray bottles did not have a label.

A pantry area in the lobby had deodorant and medicine stored above snacks. A laundry room sink did not have paper towels. The laundry room also did not have single-use gloves.

The establishment remained out of compliance after a Feb. 7 follow-up inspection.

Separate from the above lodging establishment inspection, a Jan. 23 routine inspection of the food establishment found seven violations.

The mini fridge was not keeping cream cheese, boiled eggs and milk cold enough. The inspector wrote, "The condenser is frozen solid and not allowing the fridge to keep cool properly."

The dishes that had been washed had not also been sanitized. There were no sanitizer test strips. The food thermometer was not working because it needed a battery.

The kitchen handwashing sink had a box of trash bags in it. The sink also did not have soap, nor did it have paper towels.

The establishment was back in compliance after a Feb. 4 follow-up inspection.

The Jan. 23 complaint inspection found 11 violations.

The establishment did not cease operations and notify state authorities of an imminent health hazard of sewage backup in the kitchen.

A cook who was frying raw fish needed education on how to avoid cross contamination.

A cooler had a box of moldy habanero peppers. A cold make table by the fryers had a container of sliced tomatoes with white mold. A tomato slicer had old food debris on it.

A pan of mashed potatoes in a cooler had not cooled enough, which the inspector indicated was because it was wrapped too tightly to allow heat to escape and was too large of a portion.

The kitchen sanitizer dispenser was not working properly. The handwashing sink in the dish room had no soap and no paper towels. Two spray bottles below the sink were not labeled.

An opened box of cheesecake in a cooler did not have a date mark. Neither did an opened container of half and half.

The restaurant was back in compliance after a Feb. 4 follow-up inspection.

The Jan. 23 first operational inspection after licensing found two violations.

A package of hot dogs in the cold make table and a package of beef sausages in a mini fridge were both dated Jan. 10, which is past the seven-day limit.

The kitchen needed a thin probe thermometer because the food thermometer they had was for large pieces of meat.

The establishment was back in compliance after a Feb. 4 follow-up inspection.

The Jan. 22 modified complaint inspection found one violation.

The ware-washing sink on the truck stop side did not have hot enough water. The person in charge said they were waiting for a part to arrive, and they had been using hot water from other distribution points while awaiting repairs. Sinks elsewhere in the building did have hot water.

The establishment was back in compliance after a Feb. 4 follow-up inspection.

The Jan. 22 complaint inspection found eight violations.

A bottle of Jim Beam Kentucky straight bourbon had a winged insect floating in the bottle. The bar had more than 20 winged insects. The inspector wrote that the person in charge said "their pest company advise pouring hot boiling water down the drains but (the person in charge) is unsure if they is being done nightly. Recommended doing first in the morning. Provided education to use apple cider vinegar or sugar water to also help."

A walk-in cooler had containers of coconut shrimp batter, opened cream cheese and opened guacamole, all without date marks. While sliced ham had a date mark of Jan. 13, it had been held past the seven-day limit. The cooler also had pans of green beans, cheddar broccoli soup, chicken noodle soup and queso that had not cooled enough, which the inspector indicated was due to stacking multiple deep pans.

A cooler for salad was not keeping lettuce, coleslaw, black bean corn salsa, hard boiled eggs, American cheese slices and cut tomatoes cold enough. The inspection discovered that the unit was unplugged. A cooler for pizza ingredients had black olives from Dec. 3, which was past the seven day limit.

The inspector provided education on requirements for partially cooked food after finding partially cooked chicken wings in a cooler.

A cooler had an open bag of feta cheese crumbles and deli salad, both without date marks. A different cooler had a pot of chili with an incorrect date mark.

There were no chlorine test strips.

The establishment was back in compliance after a Feb. 4 follow-up inspection.

The Jan. 15 complaint inspection found 10 violations.

A freezer had containers of raw shrimp, imitation crab, wontons and other foods that were covered in ice particles. The inspector wrote that "ice particles can compromise food when it's built up on containers."

A fridge by the sushi station had raw chicken stored above ready-to-eat kung pao chicken and General Tso's chicken. The inspector wrote that "you want to keep raw foods below all ready to eat foods to avoid cross contamination."

There was a tray of cookies on a counter without a protective cover, such as a sneeze guard.

A cook at the sushi station was using a grocery bag to store fried sushi. The freezer had two large trash bags filled with crab rangoon and multiple grocery bags of crab. The inspector wrote that using non-food-grade bags "can allow contaminates from those bags to effect food."

The food thermometer was dirty. The can opener had amassed metal shavings on the blade.

The water in the dish washing machine was not hot enough to properly sanitize dishes. The three compartment sink also did not have hot enough water, so the temporary solution was to boil water on the stove to add to the sink. The hot water heater was not large enough.

The establishment was back in compliance after a Jan. 29 follow-up inspection.

The Jan. 15 routine inspection found four violations.

The establishment did not cease operations and notify state authorities of an imminent health hazard of sewage backup in the kitchen.

Multiple floor drains had standing water. Sewage backed up onto the floor when the inspector ran water. The person in charge told the inspector that "this has been on going for the last couple of days and upper management is aware." They also said "they are using buckets to scoop the water out" of sinks and pouring it down a drain. A back door was open, where the inspector saw steam and water puddles with food particles in the snow.

A handwashing sink had no soap in the dispenser. A mini fridge had a can of Reddi whip without an open date.

The restaurant voluntarily closed.

The establishment was back in compliance after a Jan. 16 reopening inspection.

A Jan. 13 follow-up inspection, which came after Dec. 30 routine inspection, found one violation.

The ladies restroom sink did not have hot enough water.

The establishment was back in compliance after another follow-up inspection on Jan. 14.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.