COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) There were fewer cases of influenza reported around Missouri during the week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3 than the previous week, according to information from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The total of 7,582 cases still puts the Show-Me State in the “very high” category, but it is down by
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Eldon held a town-hall meeting on Wednesday night at the city’s community center to discuss a recent boil order. The area was under a boil order from the Department of Natural Resources for three weeks until this past Tuesday. City officials on Wednesday night gave a time line on
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing the number of “universal vaccine recommendations” for children to 11, down from the previous total of 17. One Missouri doctor worries the change may lead to confusion for families. The CDC announced on Monday that it was cutting the number of recommended vaccinations
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Eldon announced on Tuesday that the boil order that it has been under for three weeks has been lifted. The city made the announcement in a social media post that the Department of Natural Resources lifted the order after it determined water samples taken on Saturday and Sunday determined
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Flu cases are rising sharply across Missouri as the state heads into the heart of the winter illness season, with emergency room visits rising nearly 6% according to the latest report from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. From Dec. 14–20, Missouri recorded 146 new influenza-related hospital admissions. Emergency room
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Facing a 5 p.m. deadline, UnitedHealthcare and SSM Health reached a last-minute agreement Wednesday to extend their current insurance contract by 30 days. SSM Health had warned that failure to reach an agreement could disrupt care for more than 140,000 patients and lead to higher costs starting Jan, 1. The 30-day
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Planned Parenthood location in Rolla will close on Thursday, Planned Parenthood Great Rivers announced in a Tuesday press release. Telehealth visits will still be available for those in the area and residents who did visiti the Rolla health center can continue receiving in-person care in Springfield, the release says. The press
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A two-week boil order in Eldon will continue for at least another day as the city looks for a solution for its water issue. The city issued the order on instructions from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources after a test revealed high levels of E. coli in the system on Dec.
Continue Reading ELDON, Mo. (KMIZ) Some Eldon residents are frustrated as a boil water order is entering its second week. Monday marked 13 days since people were asked to boil water in the city. The city issued the order on instructions from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources after a test revealed high levels of E. coli
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri was awarded $216,276,818 through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, according to a Monday press release from the Missouri Primary Care Association. The award includes a $100 million base allocation, supplemented by additional discretionary funding, the release says. The money will support the state’s Transformation of Rural Community Health Care initiative,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Health officials are expecting a busy flu season following the discovery of H3N2 subclade K, a variant of the Influenza A strain. According to the CDC, of the 91 Influenza A virus samples collected since Sept. 28, almost 87% belonged to subclade K. The genetic mutation of subclade K makes it only
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) As colder temperatures move into Mid-Missouri, health experts typically expect an increase in seasonal illnesses. But so far, influenza activity across the region remains low. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported “low” influenza activity across the state from the week of Nov 16-22. The weekly total number of cases
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Sedalia announced in a Tuesday social media post that the Pettis County Health Center has set up three naloxone vending machines for public use. Naloxone – also known by its brand-named version Narcan – is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. One machine is outside the Pettis
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) As artificial intelligence technology continues to expand into health care, growing concerns are emerging over the use of AI-powered chatbots as substitutes for licensed therapists, particularly among young users. Research from the National Library of Medicine shows nearly 50% of people who could benefit from therapy are unable to access it due to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A patient at the University of Missouri Psychiatric Center has been charged with a felony after he was accused of attacking a mental health technician on Saturday. Michael Brown Jr. was charged with first-degree assault. He is not listed on the Boone County Jail’s online roster and a court date has not
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Health care will likely cost you more in 2026, as open enrollment for health insurance is just around the corner. Open enrollment refers to the time of year when people are able to sign up for health care insurance, change their current plans, or cancel their plan all together. However, people may
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The average time a Missouri resident spends in an emergency department from arriving to leaving is 2 hours and 35 minutes, ranking the state 29th in the longest average wait time. Emergency department wait times have increased across the country and here in Missouri. According to the CDC, emergency departments in the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia/Boone County Department of Health and Human Services has placed a naloxone distribution box outside of its building on West Worley Street. A Tuesday social media post from the Health Department says boxes of naloxone – which is meant to reverse the effects of overdoses – is open 24 hours a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The first of several community mental health sessions in Columbia will take place 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Hanover Village Community Center. Columbia Office of Violence Prevention Administrator D’Markus Thomas-Brown confirmed the first date on Tuesday. The city approved a $21,000 contract with TMT Consulting last month to provide six trauma-informed and community
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Drug overdoses across the state declined by 25.6% last year, dropping from 1,948 deaths in 2023 to 1,450 in 2024. This marks the second consecutive year of declining fatalities, according to the University of Missouri–St. Louis Addiction Science Team. Each region across the state experienced a decrease in overdose deaths in 2024
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