The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services recently released a report that analyzed the digital health of the state’s public health system with the goal of identifying improvements that could be made to the state’s public health data infrastructure.

MU Health Care says Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield walked out of negotiations with MU Health Care this week. The previous contract served more than 100,000 individuals in the region - including thousands of unionized workers. Anthem’s withdrawal discontinues care for Missouri’s unionized labor force.

Starting Tuesday, April 1, Anthem members will be out-of-network for all MU Health Care providers.

Childcare can be difficult to find and difficult to afford - especially on a teacher’s salary. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith has more on one new program in Moberly that aims to keep teachers in their classrooms.

University of Missouri Health Care and UnitedHealthcare announced an extension of their existing contract today that will last until April 30, 2027.

In-clinic abortion care has returned to Columbia after a long hiatus. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith takes us behind the scenes – on a tour of the local Planned Parenthood health clinic.

An outbreak of H5 avian influenza was confirmed by United States health agencies in mid-2024. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the public health risk is currently low - but states are still monitoring the progression.

As of 8 a.m. Monday morning, abortions are once again available in Columbia. The procedure has been inaccessible to those living in mid-Missouri since the last abortion was performed at the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic in 2018.

Seclusion is a protocol used in hospital settings when a patient is displaying unsafe behaviors. Many organizations, including US healthcare accrediting body The Joint Commission, say that it should be used as a “last resort” - but at Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in Columbia, rates of patient seclusion are among the highest in the nation.

Agricultural officials across the state are urging people who keep domestic poultry to practice proper biosecurity measures amid an outbreak of bird flu. A strain of bird flu called Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, has impacted flocks in 29 Missouri counties since 2022 and led to millions of birds being euthanized.