Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

During the pandemic, participation in the federal program for low-income women and children dropped more steeply in Missouri than in all but one other state, a new report found. One cause might be Missouri's burdensome administrative system, which requires EBT cards to be physically swiped when loading benefits.

After weeks of requiring people to submit online eligibility forms to receive the monkeypox vaccine, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is now letting clinics determine eligibility for the shots. LGBTQ advocates fear the online form, which asks questions about sexual behavior, discourages some people from seeking the vaccine.

Missouri requires people who want the monkeypox vaccine to fill out an online form disclosing their sexual identities and behavior. The form aims to ensure limited amounts of vaccine get to those who are most at risk. But some LGBTQ advocates worry the screenings could discourage people from getting vaccinated.

A multi-year report on maternal mortality in Missouri found that women on Medicaid are eight times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than those with private health insurance. Black women were three times more likely to die than white women.

As fewer people are getting tested for the coronavirus in offices, labs and pharmacies, sewer shed surveillance has become one of the most accurate ways to show the virus still exists in the community. The state and its partners at the University of Missouri are monitoring 112 sites to see if viral particles are increasing and if new variants are emerging in the region's wastewater.

The state will now shift to addressing the coronavirus as endemic rather than epidemic. The change will officially begin on Friday.

Health officials say there is no safe level for exposure among children.

More than 2,000 applications were submitted for medical marijuana licenses in 2019, but fewer than 400 were ultimately awarded. And while the state doesn’t track the race of those who got a license, people in the burgeoning industry say few went to Black-owned businesses.

Paula Nickelson, who started her new position Tuesday, had served as deputy director since Feb. 1 and has worked for the department for more than 22 years.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem asked Lynelle Phillips, University of Missouri public health professor and Missouri Immunization Coalition Board president, if it's time for Missourians to learn to live with the coronavirus and whether the state is jumping the gun on its new plan.