Missouri's 'Vaccine Deserts' | Adult Children Back At Home

By Steve Kraske,

Danie Alexander, Mackenzie Martin

Published February 8, 2021 at 5:02 PM CST

A Kansas City resident receives his first shot of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination on Jan. 26 at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church.

Portions of the Kansas City metro have limited-to-no access to COVID-19 vaccines and more young adults are living at home now than ever before.

Segment 1, beginning at 9:13: Kansas City is the site of multiple 'vaccine deserts.'

Kansas City and St. Louis have areas with limited-to-no access to the COVID-19 vaccine. And even as more providers start to administer the vaccine, these 'vaccine deserts' are expanding. That's a huge problem — especially as Missouri tries to prioritize equity.

Tessa Weinberg, reports on education, health care and the legislature for the Missouri Independent
Alex Smith, health reporter for KCUR

Segment 2, beginning at 29:04: There are benefits and challenges to grown children moving back in with mom and dad to wait out the pandemic.

Five months into the pandemic, the number of 18- to 29-year-olds living with their parents increased by 2.6 million, surpassing the previous peak during the Great Depression. One Kansas City mother and son revealed how the readjustment was going after years of not living under the same roof.

François Des Marteau, Kansas City dancer and dance instructor
Donna Des Marteau, owner/director of Donna’s School of Performing Arts

Tags

Up To Date St. Louis Kansas City Missouri (KCMO)Talk Show Coronavirus vaccines family health policy research Health public health regional health parents children

Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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