Community Health
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Surge In Drug-Affected Newborns Driven By Rural Opioid Use
December 22, 2016
“A surge in U.S infants born with symptoms of withdrawal from heroin or strong prescription painkillers is driven largely by rising drug use among women in rural areas, a new study found. The problem in urban and rural areas was about the same in 2004 — about 1 in 1,000 births were affected. But by […]
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Drug-Addiction Epidemic Creates Crisis in Foster Care
October 31, 2016
The nation’s drug-addiction epidemic is driving a dramatic increase in the number of children entering foster care, forcing many states to take urgent steps to care for neglected children. Several states, such as New Hampshire and Vermont, have either changed laws to make it possible to pull children out of homes where parents are addicted, […]
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Flu Season Facts
October 21, 2016
Flu season is here. Get informed on flu season facts and get your flu shot before it’s too late! Influenza activity generally begins to increase in October and peaks between December and March. Long flu seasons can last through May. Nationally, approximately 46 percent of individuals ages six months and older receive a flu vaccine. […]
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Missouri’s Opioid Crisis
September 7, 2016
According to Kaiser Health News, about 30,000 people die annually from opioid overdose — overdoses of heroin or prescription painkillers including oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and fentanyl. Nearly 1,000 of those deaths occur each year in Kansas and Missouri. Throughout the last decade, abuse of opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine, has skyrocketed 137 […]
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Mapping Missouri’s Health Care Workforce
July 28, 2016
Hospitals throughout the nation are facing a significant challenge recruiting and retaining qualified health care workers in a highly competitive labor market. Missouri is no different. Here are some quick facts from a report released by the Missouri Hospital Association on the state’s health care workforce. Nearly one in four jobs created so far in […]
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The Addiction Crisis in Missouri
July 6, 2016
A recent article in Governing Magazine revealed the advancement in treatment of and recovery from opioid and heroin addiction made in states that have accepted Medicaid Expansion. This analysis highlights the lack of progress made in Missouri because our state government has thus far rejected Medicaid Expansion, instead sending Missouri taxpayers’ dollars to subsidize programs […]
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Medicaid Non-Expansion Affects Hospitals
June 30, 2016
A recently-released study conducted by Georgetown University highlights the impact of Medicaid expansion – or lack thereof – on hospitals that provide a significant level of care to low-income and uninsured patients. Representatives of three area hospitals discussed the study with the Quill, affirming its findings that Missouri’s non-expansion status is leaving hospitals in difficult […]
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Commentary: Closing Missouri’s Coverage Gap
June 30, 2016
Below is an excerpt from an opinion piece written by Racheal Baker of Dexter, Missouri, who is the SEMO organizer with Missouri Health Care for All. “Even though I worked 40 hours a week, I was unable to afford health insurance for six years and my previous employer didn’t provide it. During that time, I was […]
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Mental Health In Missouri: Limited Access, Increasing Demand and Tragic Consequences
June 20, 2016
Did you know? Missouri has the 17th highest suicide rate in the country, and is second highest only to North Dakota in the Midwestern region. One in 10 Missouri adults have a serious mental illness, and 40 percent of those adults go without treatment. Missouri has cut state general revenue funding for mental health services […]
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How Diabetes Affects Missouri Communities Differently: Opportunities to Promote Health Equity
April 21, 2016
Health disparities and inequalities occur when notable differences in health factors or health outcomes are observed between different populations. In the U.S., significant differences exist between populations of different demographic, socioeconomic and geographic strata in key health outcomes, such as average life expectancy. The study of health disparities dates to 1714 Italy, when Bernardino Ramazzini […]
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