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.

In 2022, the Missouri State legislature passed a law calling for the Missouri Department of Corrections to open a nursery - allowing moms to stay with their infants for up to 18 months within prisons. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith recently attended the opening of the facility and has more on how they aim to benefit mothers, infants and other inmates.

For the first time in many years, Mid-Missourians will soon be able to access abortion care at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, even though no procedures are scheduled for this week.

Staff at the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis are taking extra precautions to protect raptor species from H5 avian influenza. Officials from the Missouri Department of Conservation say rates of the virus are rising among birds of prey.

Missouri’s falconry hunting season opened February 11 for ducks, coots and mergansers, and light goose season began on February 7. Conservation experts say waterfowl can carry avian flu, and it's important to take proper precautions around wild birds.

Beginning April 1, University of Missouri Health Care patients with Medicare Advantage plans through Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will no longer have access to in-network care.

The Child Advocacy Center of Central Missouri has begun accepting referrals and treating children.