Missouri Health Talks: Recent Episodes
KBIA
Missouri Health Talks travels throughout the state gathering conversations between Missourians about issues of access to healthcare.
Dr. Ashley Popejoy is a spokesperson for the American Dental Association and a pediatric dentist in Southwest Missouri. She spoke about the many oral health complications that can come from cancer treatment and how a medical team can help.
Registered Dietician Merri Leach and Social Worker Sarah Spoonemore work together at the Mosaic Medical Center in St. Joseph. They spoke about the importance of wraparound care for cancer patients, and focusing on a patient’s mental health, social wellbeing, financial stability, nutrition and more.
Dr. Tyler Severance is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at University of Missouri Healthcare, which means he works with kids who have blood and cancer disorders. He spoke about some of the short and long-term impacts cancer treatment can have on kids
Jennifer Rosenblad and Amy Appold are best friends who live in Columbia and have both survived breast cancer. They spoke about the benefit of knowing other survivors who fully understand the challenges of treatment, as well as about how community support was important during their experiences.
Randy Rafter is the executive director of Black Pride STL, the second oldest Black gay pride organization in the country. The group began more than 30 years ago during the AIDS epidemic, but has sense evolved and expanded to serve the entirety of a person.
Aaron Kitchens is the executive director of the Glo Center — an LGBTQ+ resource and community center in Springfield that serves the southwest part of the state.
Open Table is the local soup kitchen in Fulton that serves dinner to the community four days a week — regardless of income. Sue Beaty is the president and shared a little about the group and how they're serving the community through conversation and over dinner
Callaway County Special Services is the local SB40 board in Fulton. It’s a tax-supported program that provides services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Executive director Mike Lederle spoke with Emery Jones, the director of day services at the Life Enrichment Center about their individuals — who range in age from 18 to nearly 80.
Good Dads is a Missouri-based program that teaches men how to be better fathers and role models to children. Ava Summers and Mary Holloway with Good Dads spoke about a new program they've launched in Fulton called Forge.
Baby Grace is an organization that provides diapers, wipes, children’s clothing and more to families in Fulton — for free.
North Star Advocacy Center is a domestic and sexual violence shelter based in Maryville and that serves the northwest corner of the state.
The Safe House in Cape Girardeau provides safe shelter, case management, a 24-hour crisis hotline and more for people experiencing domestic violence throughout Southeast Missouri.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 71% of pet owning women entering shelters reported that their abuser threatened or harmed family pets.
In 2024, domestic violence shelters across the state served nearly 55,000 people who were seeking emergency shelter, court advocacy, therapy and more.
Doretta Kidd lost her husband, Johnny, to Alzheimer’s last November. She and her stepdaughter, Ashley Avery — who assisted with his care — spoke about what they learned from their years of caregiving and what they’re doing now to try and continue to make a difference.
Terri Lipe lives in Bolivar and has been caregiving for her mother for 11 years. To make ends meet, she began a take-and-bake casserole business out of her home.
Hannah Richardson lives in St. Louis and is 25, or in her words, “currently 14 years away from my age of onset “ for Alzheimer’s disease. Her family has a rare genetic form of the condition that impacts people in their late 30s and early 40s.
Billie Baldwin lives outside of Bolivar and is a caregiver for her husband. She and friend Terri Lipe are co-facilitators of the Polk County/Bolivar area Caregivers Helping Caregivers support group, which meets once a month.
Maureen Templeman teaches gerontology — or aging — at Missouri State University in Springfield. She recently launched a new project called the Southwest Missouri CARE Collective that’s designed to create a new opportunity for mutual aid between caregivers.
According to the 2024 Missouri Student Survey, nearly 35% of school aged kids in the state report feeling hopeless at times.
Debbie Bennett and Kaylie Walker are both nutrition educators in northwest Missouri and for the past few years they’ve hosted an MU Extension podcast called “Truth or Trend” that examined online trends and claims about health and well-being.
Earlier this month, the newest version of Dietary Guidelines for Americans was released by the federal government — with a new inverted pyramid graphic that looks very different from the My Plate and Food Pyramid guides that have been used during the last few decades.
Gina Plata-Nino is the SNAP director for the Food Research and Action Center, a national nonprofit group focused on eliminating hunger in the US, and spoke about some of the impacts changes to SNAP could have on Missourians.
The Missouri Immunization Coalition was a non-profit that focused on advocacy, education and training around vaccines. Funding cuts to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in April led to a loss of funding for the group and they were forced to shutter in summer 2025.
Building Community Bridges is a group that focuses on supporting area youth — and their families — by providing community and giving them the chance to discover new passions and learn new skills, such as boxing, chess, modeling, dance and more.
Kayla Keller and Hannah Pond both work at the Halo Girls Home in Jefferson City, a residential program for homeless and at-risk girls ages 16-21 who are pregnant, parenting, and non-parenting.
Hannah Dolan lives in Jefferson City and was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. She spoke about the importance of talking about and normalizing neurodivergent experiences.
Craig Fontenot and Dr. Kelly Cleary both work at Food Allergy Research & Education, or FARE — a national non-profit focusing on food allergies. They spoke about what people can do to make holiday gathering safe and more comfortable for everyone.
The Center Project is an LGTBQ+ community center in Columbia that serves mid-Missouri. Mel Constantine Miseo is a board member and spoke about the recently announced food share for the holidays — where anyone needing help can come to the Center Project and receive shelf stable foods.
Erin Washburn and Stephanie Daniels both work for FosterAdopt Connect in Springfield. They spoke about how some of their services — especially their Youth Connect Center can support youth ages 13 through 21, as well as families involved in the child welfare system.
Dr. Matthew Tilton and Amy Baumgartner with Northeast Missouri Health Council in Kirksville spoke about how they use AI in their clinic — having it listen to patient-provider conversations, so doctors can focus less on their note taking and more on their connection with patients.
Dr. Philip Payne is the chief health AI officer at the Center for Health AI, a collaboration between WashU Medicine and BJC Health System in St. Louis. He spoke about the code of conduct that providers should consider when employing AI in healthcare processes and decisions.
Nurses Drew Herbert and Matt Farmer are University of Missouri researchers trying to find out if generative AI, along with professional therapy, can help pregnant people with opioid use disorder who are ready to seek care.
Dr. Amy Patel is the Medical Director of the Breast Cancer Center at Liberty Hospital outside Kansas City. She spoke about an AI algorithm they use with breast ultrasounds that gives radiologists a data-informed second opinion.
Jason Mayberry is the stroke coordinator for Texas County Memorial Hospital in Houston, Missouri. They began using RapidAI, an AI software, in October 2023 that helps their doctors more quickly assess, diagnose and begin treatment for people experiencing stokes.
PFLAG Sedalia is a community group focused on serving LGBTQ+ folks and their families throughout western Missouri and beyond.
Jessi Frencken and Carmen Rathert are the co-owners of The Pediatric Place, an interdisciplinary therapy clinic in Clinton and Knob Noster that offer services, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, ABA [applied behavior analysis] therapy and more.
New Growth Transit is based in El Dorado Springs, and it serves it’s community as a sort of neighbor-to-neighbor ride share – where community-member volunteers are reimbursed to drive folks to the doctor, work or to get groceries.
Mercy Services United is a newer initiative in Sedalia that provides a walk-in hub for social services and connection for those in need. It’s a partnership between many organizations, including the United Way of Pettis County and the ToRCH program at Bothwell Regional Health Center.
The Heckert Community Center in Sedalia opened in 2022 and offers many services to members, such as a full gym, an indoor walking track, an indoor pool, a myriad of fitness classes and more.
The Pettis County Health Center has just officially become a milk depot – which means they are now a drop off site for those wishing to donate human breast milk to help medically fragile and premature infants.
The Northeast Missouri Health Council in Kirksville is a federally qualified health center (FQHC), that serves folks throughout northeast Missouri. At an FQHC, patients regardless of income and whether or not they have insurance can access a wide variety of services, including medical and dental care.
Rural Advocates for Independent Living, or RAIL as it’s more commonly known, is an organization based in Kirksville that covers 10 counties throughout northeast Missouri. Its goal is to help people with disabilities stay independent and in their communities.
Tonia Berry and Bailey Quigley work at the Northeast Missouri Area Health Education Center (NEMO AHEC), which aims to develop the healthcare workforce in rural Missouri by engaging with high schoolers.
Makenzie Schroeder and Lissa Behm-Morrowitz at the University of Missouri recently released a study about how using social media filters to change one’s appearance can lead to a phenomenon called “social self-comparison.”
CoMo Mobile Aid is a local grassroots organization that sets up outside the local overnight shelter, Room the Inn [RATI], twice a week – offering a pop-up thrift store, a wound care station and a large, converted van where folks can get all sorts of essentials: from band aids and Tylenol to menstrual pads and shampoo.
Jaquie Melloway and John Trapp are the leadership team that run Room at the Inn, the local overnight shelter in Columbia that serves unhoused people. They spoke about some of the things that have surprised them about the folks they serve.
Reighna is an unhoused woman in her 40s. She spoke about some of the systemic challenges that can make it hard for people to climb out of homelessness, but also about the community that supports her.
Amy is an unhoused woman in her 50s who we met at Room at the Inn, the local overnight shelter in Columbia. She spoke about some of the challenges of trying to take care of her health while living on the street with chronic illnesses.
Hogs for Hunger is a program that allows farmers to donate pigs to their local food banks or senior centers for a tax deduction. Since the program began, more than 2.6 million servings of pork have been donated.
Dr. Allison Sindle is a dermatologist with Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, down in the Bootheel. She comes from a farming family and spoke about some of the ways farmers – and farmers’ loved ones – can help keep them safe from the sun.
Farming is a common way of life in Shelby County in Northeast Missouri, but farming doesn’t come without it’s challenges. In the last few years, it was found that the county had one of the highest rates of suicide by firearm in the state.
Emma Alexander and her family live in southwest Missouri and come from a long line of Missouri farmers. She and her 16-year-old son Lucas recently sat down and spoke about how farming and its challenges benefit their mental health and well-being.
Dr. Zane He is a psychiatrist with University of Missouri Health Care. He works at the MU Student Health Center as a sort of “school psychiatrist." He spoke about how he's seen the stigma around mental health change during his career, and about how simply talking about issues can help reduce the stigma around mental health.
According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, stroke is the sixth leading cause of death in Missouri. Dr. Adnan Qureshi with University of Missouri Health Care is an expert on strokes and spoke about how treatment options for strokes have expanded during his time in the field.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have already been more than 700 measles cases in the United States so far this year. That's more than double the number of cases reported in all of 2024.
The Presser Art Center in Mexico has been hosting a new class, Art for All Abilities, which gives creators with developmental and intellectual disabilities the opportunity to come together and make art.
Jenny Bossaller, a professor of library sciences at the University of Missouri recently sat down with Robin Westphal, the Executive Director of Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia, to talk about the important role libraries can play – as a tool for connection.
The Osage County Branch of the Missouri River Regional Libraries is located in Linn – and for the past year or so, they’ve been hosting programs that focus on fall prevention and an active lifestyle for area seniors.
The Mexico-Audrain County Library District recently began offering a new service in partnership with a local doctor. Christal Bruner is the director of the library district and spoke about how patrons can now check out blood pressure monitors when they need them, as well as new books that help better explain this and other health conditions.
The Little Dixie Regional libraries, which cover Randolph and Monroe county, serve the health of their communities in lots of ways. Like a collection of small health equipment, such as thermometers and blood pressure cuffs, that can be checked out and a "Healing Library," a collection of interactive kits that allow families to tackle hard topics together.
The Moberly School District recently opened the Little Spartans Clubhouse," an embedded, in-school daycare option for district teachers. Vicky Snodgrass is the director of the Little Spartan Clubhouse and spoke about how this new resource benefits students, teachers – and the community as a whole.
Moberly and Randolph County have a pretty high rate of families being involved in the foster system. Amy Martel and her husband Daniel are trying to change that with Rooted 242 – a café and community space in downtown Moberly where kids aging out of the foster system are given opportunity to learn job and life skills – in a safe and supportive space.
Ashley Swon is a counselor who lives in Moberly and works at Crossroads Counseling LLC based in Fayette. She spoke about the benefits of this home-based care and of giving families skills that help them stay together.
James Williams and Keeyon Howard help run the “Focus on Fatherhood” program in Moberly, which is through Randolph County Caring Community Partners and works to improve the well-being of the entire community by investing in fathers.
Cosmo Evans is a disabled veteran who’s nonbinary and intersex. They spoke about their access to medical care that both affirms their gender and benefits their physical health.
Lydia Bennett is a pansexual, polyamorous person, as well as a resident physician working in emergency medicine. She spoke about how her identity has and hasn’t played a role in her work.
Dr. Brittney Marshall has been working in rural healthcare since her clinical days – now as the resident physician at the Family Medicine Clinic in Fayette. She spoke about why she chooses to work in – and loves rural medicine.
Nathan Gilbert is a college student in Columbia who has borderline personality disorder, or BPD – a mental health condition that impacts a person’s ability to manage their emotions and can lead to tumultuous relationships. He spoke about his BPD diagnosis and how the condition impacts his life, but does not define him.
Dr. Robin Blount is the chief medical officer at Boone Health. She spoke about the importance of vaccinations – especially as people gather in large groups during the holidays.
Dr. Taylor Miller is a veterinarian and mental health professional with Not One More Vet, a group that’s working to combat the high rate of suicide in the field of veterinary medicine. Research shows that veterinarians are twice as likely as other medical professionals, and four times more likely than the general population to die by suicide.
Rona McNally is the director of the Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol, which helps patients prevent and report Medicare fraud. It’s estimated that nationally, Medicare losses $60 billion a year to fraud, errors and abuse.
Kip Kendrick, the presiding commissioner of Boone County, spoke about the center's mission to address barriers to employment for public safety employees through providing access to affordable childcare.
Applying for Medicare may seem really scary, but this week we hear from Shannon Hasenstein with Aging Best in Columbia. Her job is to help Missourians find the Medicare plan that is best for them.
Tyler Davis is the first community resource manager at Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia. He started full time in January, and his job is to connect patrons with health and social support resources. He spoke about some of the needs he has seen in the community and how he – and the library can help.
Katie Manga is the CEO of nonprofit organization Gateway to Hope, which provides support to breast cancer patients, survivors and anyone impacted by breast cancer or in need of breast health services.
Christina Lee in St. Louis. She works at the St. Louis Empowerment Center as a peer case manager supervisor. She spoke about peer support workers and the important role these folks can play in recovery.
Meghan Kruse is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Columbia Public School’s Scholar Clinic, a school-based clinic that serves students enrolled in CPS. She spoke about childhood vaccinations through their clinic, and about the power of having a conversation with concerned parents.
Stacey Andrews in Lynn Meyerkord both work at the AIDS Project of the Ozarks, or APO, in Springfield. They spoke about the history of harm reduction and how folks may already be using harm reduction techniques in their everyday lives.
Grey Riley was diagnosed with ADHD and autism in their youth and with multiple chronic conditions as an adult. They spoke about how being at the intersection of disability and queerness has impacted their life.
In August, the Missouri Department of Revenue updated the process for gender marker changes on a state ID – now requiring proof of gender affirming surgery or a court order.Amariah Hardwick is a trans women who lives in St. Louis and is a leader with Transformations, an organization founded and led by trans women of color.She spoke about the impacts of this change and how the process of transitioning looks different for every person.
Lynne Meyerkord has been working at the AIDS project of the Ozarks, or APO, in Springfield for 37 years and is now the Executive Director.The organization was created in the early days of the AIDS epidemic to help people suffering from HIV and AIDS. She spoke about how HIV has changed in the nearly 40 years she’s been working in the field.
Kay Gibson and Valerie Badhorse are the co-chairs of the American Indian Center of Springfield. Kay’s tribe is Cherokee and Valerie’s tribe is the– Bois Forte Band (boys fort band) of the Minnesota Chippewa. They spoke a little about why they started the center in the first place.
Clay Goddard and Lauren Stockam both work in Springfield. Goddard is the president for Brightli Behavioral Health’s Southwest Region and Stockam works in communication and outreach at Springfield-Greene County Health. They spoke about the “Hey Man, You Good” campaign that’s working to reduce the high rate of male suicide in southwestern Missouri by getting men to open up.
Amanda Coleman is the vice president of early childhood and family development for the Community Partnership of the Ozarks in Springfield. She spoke about some of the challenges guardians face when trying to find childcare in rural Missouri.
Tony Lutz is 62 and was born and raised in Jefferson City. He spoke about his experiences as a closeted gay man in mid Missouri – during the early days of the AIDS epidemic.
Dr. Thomas Selva, a pediatrician and the Chief Medical Information Officer at University of Missouri Health Care, spoke about how patient portals can empower people to play a larger role in their own healthcare and increase access for patients.
Dr. Crystal Lim is the chair of health psychology at the University of Missouri, and has spent much of her career working with children who are overweight. She spoke about how the treatment of excess weight has changed to focus more of health than size.
Jessica Obuchowski is the Central Region Vice President of Youth Services for Brightli, the parent compant of Burrell Behavioral Health. She spoke about how parents can talk to their kids about mental health and recognize warning signs for suicide.
Jeff Horwitz is the CEO of Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic Project, or SAFE, a national organization working to end overdose deaths. He spoke a little about how the safe storage – and timely disposal – of prescription medications at home can protect families.
Jaime Basnett is the ALS research program manager at NextGen Precision Health. She spoke about challenges rural ALS patients can face seeking care and what NextGen is doing to help.
Treaka Young was elected last month to the Jefferson City City Council, but previously worked as an ombudsman for the state. A long-term care ombudsman is often a volunteer who helps families and individuals ensure their rights and needs are being respected and preserved in long-term care facilities, like nursing homes. Treaka spoke a little about an ombudsman’s role and how people can reach out to them for help.
Joe Jefferies is a certified peer support specialist who lives in Fayette. They spoke about their queer identity and journey toward recovery from substance use disorder, as well as about the need for more resources in rural communities.
Addiction science expert Rachel Winograd spoke about how the dominant perception of people who use drugs can impact their ability to seek care and recover
Paige Spears has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 35 years. At the age of 26, he was given a life sentence plus 30 years for an armed robbery he committed in 1988 – where no one was physically injured. He’s now 62. We met up with his family in January-Wabash Park in north county St. Louis recently and spoke about Paige and how his absence for more than 30 years of incarceration has impacted them.
A three-year grant awarded to the University of Missouri by the USDA will help train health and social workers on adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs.
Paige Spears has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 35 years. At the age of 26, he was given a life sentence plus 30 years for an armed robbery he committed in 1988 – where no one was physically injured. He’s now 62.Betty Cummings is his mother, and still lives in Ferguson, Missouri. She’s now 87-years-old and spoke about how the many years of Paige’s incarceration have impacted her.
Jamie Morton is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Iowa and a former nurse. She led a study that found stigma can impact health outcomes of opioid-dependent moms.
Kari Utterback is a senior planner at Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services – focusing on coordinated entry and homelessness. She spoke about some of the resources unsheltered and unhoused Columbians have this winter, as well as about some of the roots causes of homelessness in our community.
Sam Vosburg is a retired veteran and three-time cancer survivor who lives in Aurora – in southwest Missouri. He was recently selected for one of state’s first cannabis microbusiness licenses. He spoke about how marijuana helped him with his own health – and about his plans to expand his hobby into a full-fledged business.
Paige Spears has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 35 years. He was given a life sentence plus 30 years for an armed robbery he committed in 1988 – where no one was physically injured. He spoke a little about how he’s changed while being incarcerated and what he hopes to accomplish if he’s released.
Dr. Stephanie Logan is the CEO of DeafLEAD – a Columbia-based group that supports the Deaf and hard of hearing community and recently launched a new ASL crisis line through 988.
Lonnie Lockhart Bey, Mataka Askari and Supreme Allah all previously served time in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Since being released, they have all chosen to work with at-risk youth in Columbia.
Carlos Wade is an inmate at the southeast Missouri Correctional Center in the Bootheel. He's been in prison for 28 years – since he was 17 years old, and he maintains his innocence.
Kerry Karaffa is a University of Missouri Counseling Center psychologist that is embedded within the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and works directly with vet students.
Karren Ganschinietz lives and works in Boss, Missouri. She’s been a CNA, or Certified Nursing Assistant, for nearly 40 years – working in assisted living facilities and home care. She spoke with Missouri Business Alert about the shortage of CNAs in Missouri and how that could impact our healthcare systems, as well as the care patients receive.
Sabrina Weaver is a nurse in Columbia and created the non-profit, Defense Against Diabetes, which helps people manage their Type 2 diabetes and helps prevent the onset of the disease in the first place. She spoke about some of the challenges people can face when they're working to establish new healthier habits.
LaKisha Redditt is a Black doula and the founder of Virtuously B’Earthed Doula Services in St. Louis. She spoke about how much more education black birthing people have to do to keep themselves and their babies safe – and about how a doula can help in that process.
Nkenge Miller is a Black doula in St. Louis who started her own doula practice, Doula’s Intuition, in 2018. She spoke about the need for and benefit of doulas – especially those with shared cultural backgrounds.
Sabrina Weaver is a nurse in Columbia and created the non-profit, Defense Against Diabetes, which works with people with diabetes, as well as people before they get diabetes – helping them establish new, healthier habits.She spoke about the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, how both of these can impact children and families and about how preventing diabetes in the first place can help improve people’s long-term health.
Bridgett Robbins is an Assistant teaching professor at the Sinclair School of Nursing, but before that she worked as a nurse in Mid-Missouri for more than 30 years.She spoke about how travel nursing can impact hospitals and about why she believes some students want to sign traveling contracts.
Danielle Devers works in Student Health & Well-being at the University of Missouri, and one of her roles is to work with the Well-being peers – a diverse team of students that seek to support and educate other MU students on topics like alcohol responsibility, stress and mental health, sexual health, healthy relationships, and more.
Bridgett Robbins is an Assistant teaching professor at the Sinclair School of Nursing, but before that she worked as a nurse in Mid-Missouri for more than 30 years.She spoke about how the past several years of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted – and continues to impact – her and those she works alongside.As a note - This piece discusses the pandemic, grief and death, and may be distressing to some listeners.
Lauren Jones is a sophomore and hairstylist at Mizzou and spoke a little bit about her own relationship – and past – with her hair, as well as about how hair can impact the mental health and well-being of other people in the Black community.She also spoke about the role she gets to play, as a stylist, in helping people see the beauty in their hair.
Kiera Bradshaw is a senior and part-time hairstylist at the University of Missouri. She spoke about the mental health impacts of hair, texturism and hair depression in the Black community.Texturism is the discrimination against people with kinkier, coarse hair in the 4B and 4C range, as well as a preference for looser and smoother textures in the 3A to 3C range.
Students for Change is a student-led group in the Columbia Public Schools. Karli Jones and Taylor Lee both attend Hickman High School, and Virgil Worstell is a student at Rockbridge.They spoke about how their organization came to be and how the threat of gun violence impacts their day to day live.
Lonnie Lockhart Bey and Julian Jackman both spent many years in prison, and since their releases they have worked together to create the R.I.S.E Initiative in Columbia, which works with and empowers at-risk youth.They spoke about some of the reasons they created the R.I.S.E. Initiative and about what motivates them to do this work.
Teens Mylee Hawkins and Jessi Johnson are competitive figure skaters who met at the Jefferson City ice rink. The sport is very physically and mentally demanding, so they spoke about how they’ve found support in each other.
Debi Hake is a licensed professional counselor with the Marriage and Family Counseling Center in Columbia. One of her specialty areas is spiritual abuse and religious trauma.She spoke about how religious trauma impacts how people navigate mental health care.
Jessica Chambers, a peer support specialist at the Reentry Opportunity Center in Columbia (the ROC), works with folks who are coming out of prison – helping them connect to housing, treatment, and just a sense of community.
Cameron Reitan, a second year Master’s of Public Health student at the University of Missouri, who’s also employed as a personal care attendant – essentially, she’s hired by people with disabilities to help them with whatever tasks they need.She spoke about why she does this work and a little about what people misunderstand about caregiving.
As the saying goes, sometimes nature and fresh air can be the best medicine.Steve Buback is a natural history biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation and spends most of his day outdoors – dealing with various rare plants, insects and birds.He spoke about how exposure to nature can impact people’s mental and physical health, and a little bit about how the pandemic has shifted some people’s relationship with the outdoors.
Debi Hake is a licensed professional counselor with the Marriage and Family Counseling Center, and one of our specialty areas is spiritual abuse and religious trauma.She spoke about how religious trauma can make navigating substance use disorder recovery spaces difficult.
This week we hear from Pamela Hardin, a water aerobics instructor at Columbia’s Activity and Recreation Center. She's a water aerobics instructor at Columbia's activity and Recreation Center and leads a class called “Moving My Joints,” which is designed for those who have arthritis or just need slower paced exercise.She spoke with her student Jennifer Reed about how beneficial water workouts can be – no matter how old you are.
Madison County has been dealing with lead-concentrated soil for decades and children living around mine waste areas have had elevated quantities of lead in their bloodstreams.Kurt Limesand is the EPA Region 7’s remedial project manager for the Madison County Mines Superfund Site, and Cory Kokko is with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease RegistryThey spoke about the history of blood-lead contamination and how it still impacts children today.
Dr. Catherine Peterson is an Associate Professor of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri. She spoke about diet culture, and how people can work to find balance in a time where fad diets are all popular.
Dr. Jane McElroy is a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Missouri. She specializes in LGBTQIA+ healthcare and spoke about some of the common barriers and difficulties LGBTQIA+ patients encounter when accessing care.
Dr. Darrel Ray is the founder of Recovering from Religion, a non-profit working with people experiencing religious trauma, and the Secular Therapy Project, which helps clients find therapists offering secular, science-based therapy.He spoke about how traumatic religious experiences can impact the limbic system, which is involved in behavioral and emotional responses like the “fight or flight” response, and about the importance of recognizing its possible impact on the brain.
KBIA hosted an event at Douglass High School in October about opioid, overdoses and Narcan in our community. Narcan is the brand name for naloxone and is a lifesaving drug that can reverse an opioid overdose.Pastor Charles Stephenson is the Executive Director of Powerhouse Community Development, which provides a variety of services for people with substance use disorders. He spoke a little about his organization and finding hope in recovery.
Debbie Merciers is the Market Manager at the Downtown Poplar Bluff Farmer’s Market. She spoke with the Missouri on Mic team in July.She spoke about how finding a purpose in helping other mothers who've lost their children has helped her grieve her son Kyle's death in a gun accident.
Dr. Jane McElroy is a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Missouri. She specializes in LGBTQIA healthcare and spoke about how weight and weight loss can take on different significance in lesbian and bisexual communities.
Noel Kopriva is a member of Missouri Moms Demand Action, a nonpartisan group working toward common sense gun regulation. She spoke about how gun owners can keep their families safe and help prevent suicide deaths using the “Be SMART” model of ownership.You can read more about Moms Demand Action in this month's Vox magazine.
Debbie Merciers is the Market Manager at the Downtown Poplar Bluff Famer’s Market. She spoke with the Missouri on Mic team in Poplar Bluff in July.She spoke about losing her son, Kyle, in a gun accident several years ago.
Dr. Catherine Peterson is an Associate Professor of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri. She spoke about the safest and most effective way to decide what dietary supplements you should be taking – if any at all.
According to the CDC, Missouri currently has 125 diagnosed cases of monkeypox, but stigma could be preventing people from seeking help.Yerina Ranjit is a health communication researcher and scholar at the University of Missouri, and she spoke about how the stigma that comes from attaching a disease to one at-risk population can be harmful, as well as keep all people at risk of monkeypox from seeking care.
Angie Rundle lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and her son, Chris, is a student at the University of Missouri. Their family shares a rare inherited genetic condition, called familial adenomatous polyposis, which causes cancer.They spoke about Angie’s own experiences with colorectal cancer and about how this condition impacted them as Chris was growing up.
Shelby Lewis is a recent alum of the University of Missouri. She spoke about her experience growing up with undiagnosed ADHD and her journey to finally getting diagnosed and treated as an adult.
D. Ojeda is a Senior National Organizer for the National Center for Transgender Equality.They spoke about the close relationship that gender-affirming care and abortion have within the healthcare industry, and they explained how anti-transgender and anti-abortion rights legislation leave everyone, but especially transgender people – vulnerable within healthcare.
Shaashawn Dial is the Director of Education and Community Relations with Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which is the local affiliate serving Mid-Missouri.She spoke about the need for quality, comprehensive sexual education especially now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned and Missouri’s trigger law, which bans nearly all abortions has gone into effect.
Heather Harlan is an educator from Columbia/Boone County Public Health & Human Services. She spoke about substance use disorders, as well as how medication-assisted treatment is a real option to consider for those affected.
Shira Berkowitz is the Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at PROMO. They spoke about the importance of being inclusive when talking about the impacts of Roe V. Wade being overturned, as well as about the ways that this decision would impact already vulnerable populations – like trans and nonbinary Missourians.Just as a note - this conversation took place after the Dobbs draft decision was leaked, but before the official ruling in June.
Quinn Calvert is a Missouri resident who – in the past – had to travel from Columbia to St. Louis to get an abortion.They spoke about the ways that lack of access influenced their choices leading up to that abortion, and about the concerns they have if the procedure becomes even more inaccessible.As a note, this conversation took place after the Dobbs draft decision was leaked. But before the official ruling overturned Roe vs. Wade on Friday, June 24.
Jason Jarvis spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at Paquin Towers in Columbia in March. He spoke about fire safety and how guardians can have meaningful and helpful conversations about safety with kids – especially heading into the 4th of July holiday.
Jason Jarvis spoke with us at a Missouri on Mic event at Paquin Towers in Columbia in March. He spoke about some injuries that dramatically changed his life and made him passionate about sharing the importance of driving safely with others.Just as a note – this piece includes graphic descriptions of suicide and vehicular accidents.
Alisha Johnson is a Care in Aging Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Sinclair School of Nursing here in Columbia. She spoke about aging in place, and what that means for older adults and long-term care facilities.
Darren Morton and John Trapp both work to combat homelessness in Columbia. Darren is the Managing Director at Turning Point, and John is a principal at 4-A-Change.They spoke about the post winter needs of the unhoused community in Columbia and about some of the barriers they face year-round.
Alisha Johnson is a Care in Aging Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Sinclair School of Nursing here in Columbia. She spoke about the culture of aging in the United States and how that can impact older adults.
Joelle Thompson is an elementary school art teacher from Independence, Missouri. She spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the State Fair last August.She contracted COVID-19 in September 2020 and shared about her experiences with long COVID and some of the lasting health effects she’s dealt with since then.
Lisha Taylor and Leah Freeman are a mother and daughter duo who spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February.They spoke about a health challenge they both share – fibromyalgia, and about a few of the ways this chronic disease impacts their daily life.
Lima is a freshman at the University of Missouri and a refugee from Afghanistan. Her family came to Mid-Missouri many years ago on a special immigrant visa, or SIV.Since her father worked with the US and Afghan military, we are omitting her last name and the town they live in for safety.We met at a recent baby shower for expectant and new Afghan moms in Columbia where she was interpreting – English to Pashto. She spoke about what it was like coming to the US as a child and about what the rest of the community can do to help those immigrating to the area now.
Tyrone Seals, Sr. lives here in Columbia and is currently experiencing homelessness. He spoke with KBIA’s Missouri on Mike team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library, which serves as a day warming center for the community, on February 19th.He spoke about some of the realities of homelessness and how winter weather is impacting the lives of unhoused Columbians.
Wendy Rich is from Joplin, Missouri, and was diagnosed four years ago with alpha gal – a tickborne illness that causes allergic reactions to red meat and other products made from mammals. It is transmitted though the bite of a Lone Star tick.Since then, Rich co-founded the Joplin Alpha Gal Awareness group to support others who have been diagnosed with or are looking to learn more about the illness.
This week we hear from Debbie Morris. She lives in Long Lane – a small town of about 1,000 in south central Missouri. She was diagnosed with alpha gal, a tickborne illness that causes a severe allergic reaction to animal byproducts in June 2020.She spoke about how the disease has impacted her life – including in some unexpected ways.
Evonnia Woods is the Senior Outreach Producer for Reproaction, an advocacy organization focusing on reproductive justice.In Missouri, Black women experience a higher rate of severe maternal morbidities – things that impact the quality of life – than white women, according to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services.She spoke about how barriers – like a lack of comprehensive sexual education and a limited knowledge of one’s body can lead to unintentional pregnancies and sometimes poorer outcomes for moms and babies.
Evonnia Woods is the Senior Outreach Producer for Reproaction, an advocacy organization focusing on reproductive justice.According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, Black women are four times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than white women in Missouri.She spoke about the way that intersectional issues – like transportation, poverty and racism – can contribute to Black maternal and infant mortality.
Ashley Curtis is the lab director and principal investigator at the Cognition, Aging, Sleep, and Health Lab, or CASH Lab, at the University of Missouri. She studies the relationship between sleep conditions and cognition.She spoke about the misconceptions about insomnia and about some of the ways that sleep hygiene practices could improve everyone’s sleep health.
April Mickens Jolly is the Vice President of Health Equity & Culture at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri – and a Black mother.According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, Black women in Missouri are 4 times more likely to die within a year of pregnancy than white women.
Sara Humm is the public information specialist for Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services.She spoke about the continued presence of COVID-19 throughout Missouri, and about – some of the ways – people can do their best to keep their family, friends, and community safe during the holiday season.
Mary Beth Miller is the lab director and principal investigator for the Health Intervention and Treatment Research Lab, or HIT Lab where she studies the relationship between alcohol and sleep.She spoke about how drinking alcohol can impact the quality of sleep people get each night and how it may even be the reason you are waking up.
Lisa and Gary Kremer spoke with KBIA’s Missouri on Mic team at the Missouri State Fair back in August. They reflected on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the way they live their lives, and Lisa reflected on losing her mother in the winter of 2020 to the disease.
Dr. Olugbemisola Obi is the medical director for the NICU, or neonatal intensive care unit, at MU Health Care in Columbia.She says the hospital has seen some mothers lately who are very sick from COVID-19 – so sick in fact that their babies are delivered pre-term. She spoke about the impact that having a premature baby in the NICU – while also being COVID-19 positive – can impact a family.
Lydia Olmstead and Dr. Jacque Sample work together on the Columbia Disabilities Commission. Lydia is a person who happens to be deaf/blind, and Dr. Sample has a son with a disability.They spoke about Columbia’s sidewalks and about improvements that would make the community more inclusive – and perhaps even more environmentally friendly.
Matthew Huffman is the Public Affairs Director for the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, and Joan Masters is the Senior Coordinator of Partners in Prevention – a coalition of 24 Missouri colleges and universities working toward healthy and safe campuses.They spoke about drug-facilitated sexual assaults and how those have changed during the last few decades – from perpetration using illegal substances like rohypnol, or roofies, to legally obtainable drugs and even – just alcohol
Dr. Laura Vricella is an OB-GYN and a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. She spoke about how the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has impacted her and her staff, and about some of the ways that COVID-19 infections seem to be impacting expectant mothers and their babies.
Susan Good is a retired nurse who spent most of her career and the beginning of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic working in Tacoma, Washington.She spoke with KBIA’s Missouri on Mic team at the Columbia Bicentennial event back on July 4th about what nursing during the pandemic in Washington state was like, and a little bit about why she’s chosen to retire to Columbia, Missouri.
Kennedi Barker is a public health nurse for Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services. We spoke a few weeks ago during a mobile outreach vaccine clinic that she was working about how the more than 17 months of the pandemic – and working with Columbians from all walks of life – has impacted her.
Jeanee’ Kennedy is the Chief Nursing Officer for Freeman Health Systems in Joplin. For several weeks now, Joplin has had the worst COVID-19 hospitalization rates in the county. In fact, Jeanee’ said their hospital recently had to open a third COVID unit to accommodate all of their patients.She spoke about what she’s seeing in her community and about how this current surge is taking a toll on nurses and other frontline health workers.
Jeremy Drinkwitz is the President of the Mercy Hospital in Joplin. Joplin currently has the worst rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county and three of the surrounding counties it serves are also in the top 10.