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.