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
Continue Reading
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
Continue Reading
As Mid-Missouri begins cooling to fall temperatures, the Boone County Fire Protection District is reminding residents to follow home heating safety precautions before using space heaters or fireplaces.
Continue Reading
Several law enforcement agencies across Mid-Missouri are accepting unused and expired prescription drugs Saturday for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s national Drug Take Back Day.
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – Boone Health plans to build a new health clinic in Howard County. The provider announced on Thursday that it is building a new clinic in Glasgow, about 20 minutes northwest of Fayette and 50 minutes away from Columbia. The new clinic will allow them to add more staff and install an
Continue Reading
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
Continue Reading
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
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A new mental health center in Columbia will triple the length of time patients can get treatment, with the hope of better caring for their illnesses. Burrell Behavioral Health broke ground Tuesday on its new Behavioral Health Crisis Center on Texas Avenue in Columbia. Burrell provides services specializing in mental health and
Continue Reading
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
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and the Gans Creek Wild Area will close for two days next month for a managed deer hunt, according to a Friday press release from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The closure will occur Nov. 3-4. Hunters for the event have already been selected and will
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone Health is chipping away at Missouri’s primary care shortage, hiring 25 providers in the past 12 months, eight of whom are primary care providers. Four additional primary care providers are expected to join Boone Health by the end of the year, according to a Wednesday press release from Boone Health. The
Continue Reading
EDITOR’S NOTE: AI contributed to background research for this article. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County launched a new Youth Substance Use Prevention Coalition on Wednesday afternoon at the Columbia/Boone County Health Department. This meeting marks the start of a collaborative effort to tackle youth substance use and promote community-driven change, organizers say. The coalition aims
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) MU Health Care experts are reminding the community that October is the time to re-up flu and COVID-19 immunizations to be ready for the winter season. “While most people can recover easily from infections like flu and COVID, those vulnerable patients are more likely to end up with a severe disease, to
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Audrain County isn’t eligible to use funds from the Rural Healthcare Transformation Program to build a new hospital in Mexico. The federal program prohibits the funds to be used for capital investments, like building a new hospital, according to Missouri Hospital Association spokesman Dave Dillon. There were plans for the Audrain Community
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Schnucks announced in a Wednesday press release that it is recalling smoked mozzarella penne salad because of a possible listeria contamination. The recall was announced for stores in Missouri, Indiana and Illinois. Schnucks has three locations in Columbia and one store in Jefferson City. Affected products have the UPC code 21287100000 and
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three people have died from West Nile virus in Missouri this year, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The DHSS also says there’s been an increase in human cases of the virus this year with 16, compared to 15 reported last year. There was one fatality
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is not satisfied with the revised stormwater management plan the City of Columbia submitted in August to reduce waste from homeless encampments entering public waters. In a letter Thursday to Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick, the department set a Nov. 15
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that people accused of crimes have the right to a fair and speedy trial. But for those waiting for state-mandated mental health treatment before trial, speedy isn’t always the case. Jeanette Simmons, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, said around 500
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The University of Missouri’s School of Medicine’s Emergency Department held a “simulated mass casualty event” at Faurot Field on Wednesday. Emergency medicine resident physicians trained for six different scenarios, including cardiac arrest, a field stampede incident, a player spinal injury and more. The students used several actors and mannequins–plus a mobile lab to
Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This article has been clarified to say physicians will be available for consultation at vaccine events. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) After a CDC advisory committee vote Friday, only adults 65 and up or those sensitive to COVID-19 can get the vaccine directly. Everyone else must first consult their doctor. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on
Continue Reading