Sarah Fentem
Sarah Fentem reports on sickness and health as part of St. Louis Public Radio’s news team. She previously spent five years reporting for different NPR stations in Indiana, immersing herself deep, deep into an insurance policy beat from which she may never fully recover. A longitme NPR listener, she grew up hearing WQUB in Quincy, Illinois, which is now owned by STLPR. She lives in the Kingshighway Hills neighborhood, and in her spare time likes to watch old sitcoms, meticulously clean and organize her home and go on outdoor adventures with her fiancé Elliot. She has a cat, Lil Rock, and a dog, Ginger.
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Officials on Monday announced Washington University's Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital would no longer offer puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or surgeries to minors — even those who are exempted from Missouri's new ban. -
A growing number of people are testing positive for the coronavirus, but Missouri scientists say the virus still poses a smaller threat to residents than during the height of the pandemic.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that callers to Missouri's social services helpline waited an average of 48 minutes before reaching someone, and 44% of callers hung up before being helped.
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Between 2018 and 2020, more than 200 women in Missouri died during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth, according to a state health department report released this week. The number of deaths from suicide and firearms increased, and Black women were three times as likely to die as their white counterparts.
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Two of the largest health systems in Missouri earlier this year announced plans for a $10 billion merger. Experts said that won't necessarily benefit patients when it comes to prices and quality of care.
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During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government issued emergency protections that barred states from removing people from the government-funded health insurance program for low-income people and families. That changes this month.
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The Osage Beach Board of Aldermen has approved a redevelopment plan for the lakefront project near the Grand Glaize Bridge. Plans for the 25-acre property include restaurants, a Ferris wheel, a waterpark with a retractable roof and a 400-room Marriott hotel.
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Pandemic pressures have eased, but Missouri hospitals still can't find enough nurses, techs or staffThe Missouri Hospital Association's annual report shows vacancies and turnover rates at the state's hospitals have decreased since the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. But they remain high, and employers are concerned about the future workforce.
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St. Luke's Health System on Wednesday announced plans to merge with BJC Healthcare, which operates Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the largest hospital in Missouri, and 14 other hospitals.
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Advocates for transgender people say they can’t completely celebrate Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's withdrawal of a rule limiting gender-affirming care — which would have also applied to adults — because Gov. Mike Parson is expected to sign a bill that limits such care for minors.
