Missouri Health Talks

Meghan Kruse is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Columbia Public School’s Scholar Clinic, a school-based clinic that serves students enrolled in CPS. She spoke about childhood vaccinations through their clinic, and about the power of having a conversation with concerned parents.

Stacey Andrews and Lynn Meyerkord both work at the AIDS Project of the Ozarks, or APO, in Springfield. They spoke about the history of harm reduction and how folks may already be using harm reduction techniques in their everyday lives.

Grey Riley was diagnosed with ADHD and autism in their youth and with multiple chronic conditions as an adult. They spoke about how being at the intersection of disability and queerness has impacted their life.

In August, the Missouri Department of Revenue updated the process for gender marker changes on a state ID – now requiring proof of gender affirming surgery or a court order. Amariah Hardwick is a trans women who lives in St. Louis and is a leader with Transformations, an organization founded and led by trans women of color. She spoke about the impacts of this change and how the process of transiti...

Lynne Meyerkord has been working at the AIDS project of the Ozarks, or APO, in Springfield for 37 years and is now the Executive Director. The organization was created in the early days of the AIDS epidemic to help people suffering from HIV and AIDS. She spoke about how HIV has changed in the nearly 40 years she’s been working in the field.

Kay Gibson and Valerie Badhorse are the co-chairs of the American Indian Center of Springfield. Kay’s tribe is Cherokee and Valerie’s tribe is the– Bois Forte Band (boys fort band) of the Minnesota Chippewa. They spoke a little about why they started the center in the first place.

Clay Goddard and Lauren Stockam both work in Springfield. Goddard is the president for Brightli’s Southwest Region and Stockam works in communication and outreach at Springfield-Greene County Health. They spoke about the “Hey Man, You Good” campaign that’s working to reduce the high rate of male suicide in southwestern Missouri by getting men to open up.

Amanda Coleman is the vice president of early childhood and family development for the Community Partnership of the Ozarks in Springfield. She spoke about some of the challenges guardians face when trying to find childcare in rural Missouri.

Tony Lutz is 62 and was born and raised in Jefferson City. He spoke about his experiences as a closeted gay man in mid Missouri – during the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

Dr. Thomas Selva, a pediatrician and the Chief Medical Information Officer at University of Missouri Health Care, spoke about how patient portals can empower people to play a larger role in their own healthcare and increase access for patients.

Dr. Crystal Lim is the chair of health psychology at the University of Missouri, and has spent much of her career working with children who are overweight. She spoke about how the treatment of excess weight has changed to focus more of health than size.

Jessica Obuchowski is the Central Region Vice President of Youth Services for Brightli, the parent compant of Burrell Behavioral Health. She spoke about how parents can talk to their kids about mental health and recognize warning signs for suicide.

Jeff Horwitz is the CEO of Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic Project, or SAFE, a national organization working to end overdose deaths. He spoke a little about how the safe storage – and timely disposal – of prescription medications at home can protect families.

Jaime Basnett is the ALS research program manager at NextGen Precision Health. She spoke about challenges rural ALS patients can face seeking care and what NextGen is doing to help.

Treaka Young was elected last month to the Jefferson City City Council, but previously worked as an ombudsman for the state. A long-term care ombudsman is often a volunteer who helps families and individuals ensure their rights and needs are being respected and preserved in long-term care facilities, like nursing homes. Treaka spoke a little about an ombudsman’s role and how people can reach out t...

Joe Jefferies is a certified peer support specialist who lives in Fayette. They spoke about their queer identity and journey toward recovery from substance use disorder, as well as about the need for more resources in rural communities.

Addiction science expert Rachel Winograd spoke about how the dominant perception of people who use drugs can impact their ability to seek care and recover

Paige Spears has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 35 years. At the age of 26, he was given a life sentence plus 30 years for an armed robbery he committed in 1988 – where no one was physically injured. He’s now 62. We met up with his family in January-Wabash Park in north county St. Louis recently and spoke about Paige and how his absence for more than 30 year...

A three-year grant awarded to the University of Missouri by the USDA will help train health and social workers on adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs.

Paige Spears has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 35 years. At the age of 26, he was given a life sentence plus 30 years for an armed robbery he committed in 1988 – where no one was physically injured. He’s now 62.Betty Cummings is his mother, and still lives in Ferguson, Missouri. She’s now 87-years-old and spoke about how the many years of Paige’s incarcerat...

Jamie Morton is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Iowa and a former nurse. She led a study that found stigma can impact health outcomes of opioid-dependent moms.

Kari Utterback is a senior planner at Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services – focusing on coordinated entry and homelessness. She spoke about some of the resources unsheltered and unhoused Columbians have this winter, as well as about some of the roots causes of homelessness in our community.

Sam Vosburg is a retired veteran and three-time cancer survivor who lives in Aurora – in southwest Missouri. He was recently selected for one of state’s first cannabis microbusiness licenses. He spoke about how marijuana helped him with his own health – and about his plans to expand his hobby into a full-fledged business.

Paige Spears has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 35 years. He was given a life sentence plus 30 years for an armed robbery he committed in 1988 – where no one was physically injured. He spoke a little about how he’s changed while being incarcerated and what he hopes to accomplish if he’s released.

Dr. Stephanie Logan is the CEO of DeafLEAD – a Columbia-based group that supports the Deaf and hard of hearing community and recently launched a new ASL crisis line through 988.