Missouri Health Talks

Hosted by Rebecca Smith

Missouri Health Talks travels throughout the state gathering conversations between Missourians about issues of access to healthcare.

Latest Episodes

"Our goal has always been to ensure that kids are getting services without having to drive really far distances."

Jessi Frencken and Carmen Rathert are the co-owners of The Pediatric Place, an interdisciplinary therapy clinic in Clinton and Knob Noster that offer services, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, ABA [applied behavior analysis] therapy and more.
Overcoming the barrier of rural transportation with 'the power of people and of volunteers.'

New Growth Transit is based in El Dorado Springs, and it serves it’s community as a sort of neighbor-to-neighbor ride share – where community-member volunteers are reimbursed to drive folks to the doctor, work or to get groceries.
"As senior centers, we're constantly looking at our communities and trying to see what works."

Once a month, the senior center in Osceola offers a toenail clinic for their patrons.
Connecting residents to resources: 'Something that seems small can make all the difference in someone's life.'

Mercy Services United is a newer initiative in Sedalia that provides a walk-in hub for social services and connection for those in need. It’s a partnership between many organizations, including the United Way of Pettis County and the ToRCH program at Bothwell Regional Health Center.
Programs for Sedalia seniors, 'kind of started in the fitness realm, but then it's grown.'

The Heckert Community Center in Sedalia opened in 2022 and offers many services to members, such as a full gym, an indoor walking track, an indoor pool, a myriad of fitness classes and more.
"Families will tell us that donating (breast) milk can help them along their grief journey."

The Pettis County Health Center has just officially become a milk depot – which means they are now a drop off site for those wishing to donate human breast milk to help medically fragile and premature infants.
With oral health in rural Missouri, 'the thought process is – take the care to where they're at.'

The Northeast Missouri Health Council in Kirksville is a federally qualified health center (FQHC), that serves folks throughout northeast Missouri. At an FQHC, patients regardless of income and whether or not they have insurance can access a wide variety of services, including medical and dental care.
"Our goal is to keep people as independent as possible in the communities of their choice."

Rural Advocates for Independent Living, or RAIL as it’s more commonly known, is an organization based in Kirksville that covers 10 counties throughout northeast Missouri. Its goal is to help people with disabilities stay independent and in their communities.
Showing high schoolers ‘there's so many careers other than doctors and nurses.’

Tonia Berry and Bailey Quigley work at the Northeast Missouri Area Health Education Center (NEMO AHEC), which aims to develop the healthcare workforce in rural Missouri by engaging with high schoolers.
Social self-comparison: "Examining how we use social media and the effects on us is really important."

Makenzie Schroeder and Lissa Behm-Morrowitz at the University of Missouri recently released a study about how using social media filters to change one’s appearance can lead to a phenomenon called “social self-comparison.”