Alex Smith
Health ReporterAs a health care reporter, I aim to empower my audience to take steps to improve health care and make informed decisions as consumers and voters. I tell human stories augmented with research and data to explain how our health care system works and sometimes fails us.
Email me at alexs@kcur.org.
-
COVID-19 cases are mounting again in Missouri, and unvaccinated individuals are at much higher risk than vaccinated people in crowds and indoor spaces.
-
The Pfizer vaccine is free and safe for 12-to-17 year olds, but teen vaccinations in Missouri are far behind other groups in the state.
-
Vaccination rates in Kansas City, Missouri, and some metro counties are lower than in Joplin, where a Delta-variant surge is driving one of the highest new case rates in the state.
-
Missouri now has over 1,000 COVID cases per day, an infection level not seen in months.
-
Dementia cases are projected to explode in coming decades, but new research shows lifestyle changes can reduce 40% of cases.
-
The report concludes that expanding the program in Missouri would create tens of thousands of jobs. "We don’t see how the state can’t afford to expand Medicaid," one researcher said.
-
Medicaid expansion supporters say Republicans' refusal to implement the constitutional amendment will result in delays of health care for Missourians in need.
-
Addressing the mistrust and health care access problems faced by African Americans will take more than big vaccination events, some experts say.
-
Absent statewide mandates, local communities should continue to use preventive measures to ensure safe working conditions, an expert said.
-
Excess deaths in Missouri well exceeded the official count of residents killed by the coronavirus.