Topeka Relocation Guide 2008 - (Page 8) Topeka Bragging Rights The ACCRA Cost of Living Index ranks Topeka’s cost of living about 11 percent lower than the national average. The index provides a measure of living cost differences among nearly 300 urban areas and is based on six components: housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods and services. For the housing component, Topeka is ranked a whopping 27 percent below the national average. Kansas state-owned highways were ranked third in the nation by an independent California research foundation in its 16th annual report identifying the best and worst vehicle transportation systems. “The ranking for Kansas reflects investment by taxpayers in two multibillion-dollar transportation construction programs,” said Jerry Younger, assistant secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation. “It goes to show what a well-funded, fiscally-responsible transportation program will do for your system.” Kansas enjoys the country’s second lowest rates for liability coverage on auto insurance premiums, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Stormont-Vail HealthCare is ranked among the top 5 percent of hospitals for patient safety, according to an independent national research study. HealthGrades, the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company, awarded StormontVail the 2007 Distinguished Hospital Award for Patient Safety. St. Francis Health Center and Tallgrass Surgical Specialists have collaborated on the Turning Point Surgical Weight Loss Solutions bariatric program, receiving Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence status from the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Despite the shortage of registered nurses nationwide, Topeka has two nursing schools preparing registered nurses at the baccalaureate level – Washburn University School of Nursing and Baker University School of Nursing. The State Scorecard on Health System Performance, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, ranks Kansas 10th and 11th nationwide in two categories of access to medical care: percent of insured adults (ages 18-64) and percent of insured children (ages 0-17). Washburn University is rated sixth in the Midwest among public master’s level universities in America’s Best Colleges rankings by U.S. News & World Report. This is the eighth consecutive year that Washburn has earned a Top 10 ranking. Both St. Francis Health Center and Stormont-Vail HealthCare received the 2007-2008 Consumer Choice Award for overall quality and image from National Research Corp. The Washburn University School of Business has been designated one of the best business schools in the nation by The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company has selected the school for inclusion in the 2008 edition of “Best 290 Business Schools.” This is the first time the Washburn School of Business has been featured in the guidebook. 8 Topek a Reloc at ion Gu ide 20 08
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