Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

In Missouri, most WIC mothers start breastfeeding but stop during the first year. Experts say there needs to be more support for retention because breastfeeding supports public health.

Between 2018 and 2020, more than 200 women in Missouri died during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth, according to a state health department report released this week. The number of deaths has increased since the 2022 report. The number of deaths from suicide and firearms increased, and Black women were three times as likely to die during or after pregnancy than their white counterparts.

In Missouri, the average person born in 2021 could expect to live to be 74.6 years old, a whole three years younger than the average age ten years ago. The state’s drop is part of a nationwide decline, though the life expectancy in Missouri is lower than the United States average.

The records being sought by federal authorities include any correspondence with the nonprofits or their leadership; the organizations’ initial applications for the program; reimbursement claim submissions; bank accounts into which reimbursements were directed; and training materials provided to the nonprofits.

Missouri's large local and statewide increases in syphilis cases are dramatic, but not surprising, experts said. Decreased funding for prevention and the coronavirus pandemic could be contributing to the sexually transmitted infection spreading among demographics.

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.