Investment in medicines like Narcan, an overdose-reversing drug, has allowed many Missourians to respond to opioid overdoses quickly. But more work is needed to address barriers to care and other stigmas, especially in rural areas.
Meg Cunningham
Meg Cunningham is The Beacon’s rural health reporter. She graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism, where she covered state government and health. She spent roughly three years covering national politics, including the 2018 and 2020 elections, at ABC News in Washington. She’s spent over five years covering politics and policy, with the last three of those years focused on Missouri state government, developing expertise on state policy and agencies, democracy and representation, and health outcomes in Missouri. She grew up in the Kansas City suburbs.
Posted inHealth
‘Trapped in a fiery kennel’: Lawsuit against Missouri Department of Corrections alleges extreme heat at one prison is a constitutional violation
The lawsuit alleges that those with certain medical conditions and those in solitary confinement are at increased risk in Algoa Correctional Center, which does not have central air conditioning.
Posted inRural
After the Trump administration canceled funding for schools to buy local produce, Missouri farmers hope the relationships continue
Farmers say the program guaranteed fair prices and encouraged them to increase production.
Posted inRural
Air quality worsened in Missouri from 2021 to 2023
An annual report from the American Lung Association found that from 2021 to 2023, ozone levels worsened in the 19 counties where they are measured.
Posted inKansas City
Head Start, utility assistance in danger: Missouri agencies scramble as Trump administration looks to slash federal spending
Missouri has 19 community action agencies that work to support the state’s poorest families. Funding for programs like Head Start and utility assistance is at risk the year ahead.
Posted inRural
Primary care shortage has an outsized impact on rural Missouri
Rural Missourians tend to be older and have more chronic health conditions. It makes a consistent primary care provider more important, but rural patients have the least access to them.
Posted inRural
Revitalizing a rural downtown is difficult enough. It’s even harder when the state owns the main road.
Some Missouri towns don’t have control over their main streets because they are state highways. When they want to pursue downtown revitalization projects, not having control over the road can make things complicated.
Posted inKansas City
Billions at stake in Missouri and Kansas if proposed Medicaid, SNAP cuts move forward
The cuts could lead to nearly 30,000 jobs lost across Missouri and Kansas health care systems and food suppliers, a new study found.
Posted inRural
New mobile clinic in Buchanan County aims to test more women for cervical and breast cancer
A new partnership in Buchanan County is hitting the road to provide breast and cervical cancer screenings to women in the area. Studies show that for these two forms of cancer, early detection can be lifesaving.
Posted inHealth
Medicaid cuts: What could happen in Missouri?
Republicans in Washington, D.C., are searching for ways to reduce federal spending to offset the cost of implementing parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda. One possibility already hinted at by the House of Representatives is cuts to Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for people whose income and resources […]