Correction: An earlier version of this story reported the state's community testing would begin on June 29, rather than the correct date of June 26. When physician Erik Martin left his home in Joplin to help with New York’s COVID-19 outbreak in April, his county had fewer than 10 confirmed cases of the virus. Since returning in May, those numbers have skyrocketed: nearly 300 Jasper County residents have tested positive, and more than 800 are in quarantine. “I never expected that within such a

Meat processing plants across the Midwest have become hotspots for COVID-19. Now rural health workers are trying to keep track of workers who get sick -- and those exposed to the disease. But that’s challenging because many workers are immigrants or refugees, and there’s a language barrier. Glenda Cervantes’s work at the Saline County Health Department usually involves helping people see if they qualify for social services. But for the last two months she’s been responding to the local COVID-19

The Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing announced today that they’re making clear, accessible masks available to Missourians. These accessible masks have clear fronts, which allow people to clearly see an individual’s mouth while they speak. This aspect of communication is critical for those who read lips and an integral part of effective communication for those who speak American Sign Language.

Many routine medical procedures have been postponed or rescheduled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but there is one common medical condition that cannot be put off so easily – pregnancy. So, hospitals in Mid-Missouri have had to determine the best ways to keep moms, babies and staff safe, as well as reduce anxiety for expectant mothers.

Starting Monday, May 18, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will be recommending more testing in long-term care facilities, in an effort to increase COVID-19 testing within high-risk environments.

For hundreds of elderly and disabled residents in Missouri, personal care attendants, or PCAs, are a lifeline that stave off isolation and help them stay out of nursing homes. The field was already facing a shortage of workers before the COVID-19 pandemic began, but now, things are even worse.

Correction: a previous version of this story reported a COMTREA Health employee tested positive for COVID-19. The individual was exposed to the virus outside of work and quarantined, but was not symptomatic. If someone gets sick in a seven county swathe of the Ozarks of southeastern Missouri, the closest place they can go for care is a clinic run by Missouri Highlands Health Care. Highlands is a federally qualified health center or FQHC, with clinics in some of the least populated and poorest

By now, most people will probably have heard that older and immunocompromised individuals have a higher risk for serious complications from COVID-19. But for one group of patients, those who need dialysis – the normal recommendations of simply isolating at home, isn’t really an option. Dr. Preethi Yerram is a nephrologist for the University of Missouri Health Care System, as well as the Medical Director at the DCI Transitional Care Unit and Home Dialysis Unit here in Columbia. She spoke with

When my cat, Pip, started sniffling and sneezing a few weeks ago, I didn’t give it much thought. But as the sneezing continued, I started to get worried – both about Pip, of course, and about how I was going to safely get him to the veterinarian during Columbia’s stay-at-home order. So, I called my vet and found out they had changed the way appointments were handled. Instead of going into the office with my cat, I would call when I was parked outside, hand Pip over in a carrier from my car, and

As COVID-19 cases have gone up in Missouri, more and more stay-at-home orders have gone into effect. But these orders, which are an attempt to reduce transmission, could, in some cases, be increasing the risk of domestic and sexual violence. Matthew Huffman is the Public Affairs Director for the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence , and he spoke with KBIA’s Rebecca Smith about how domestic violence programs offering direct services to survivors – things like shelter,