The infant mortality rate in 2000 was 6.8 per 1,000 live births. Kansans reported 12,395 legal abortions in the same year, averaging 22 per 1,000 women. The overall death rate was 927.2 per 100,000 population in 2000 higher than the US average of 873.1. Heart disease, the leading cause of death in the state, occurred at a rate of 260.0 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2000, above the national average of 258.2. Topeka, a major US center for psychiatric treatment, is home to the world-famous Menninger Clinic. The smoking prevalence was 21.1% of all Kansans ages 18 and older. The rate of HIV-related deaths stood at 1.0 per 100,000 population, well below the national average of 5.3 in 2000. There were 2,465 AIDS cases reported through 2001.
Kansas's 133 community hospitals had 322,067 admissions and 11,211 beds in 2001. There were 8,925 full-time registered nurses and 1,356 full-time licensed practical nurses in 2001 and 234 physicians per 100,000 population in 2000. The average expense of a community hospital for care was $1,219.30 per inpatient day in 2001.
Federal government grants to cover the Medicare and Medicaid services in 2001 totaled $1.0 billion; 391,076 enrollees received Medicare benefits that year. At least 11.4% of the population was uninsured in 2002.
The University of Kansas has the state's only medical and pharmacology schools. The university's Mid-America Cancer Center and Radiation Therapy Center are the major cancer research and treatment facilities in the state. The Menninger Foundation has a research and treatment center for mental health.