Latest news with #MissouriDepartmentofHealthandSeniorServices
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Meeting set to review potential cancer cluster at Liberty elementary school
LIBERTY, Mo. — The Clay County Public Health Center said it is submitting information for review to the Missouri Cancer Inquiry Committee – regarding concerns raised about a possible cancer cluster at Warren Hills Elementary School in Liberty. This request is an extension of the 'cancer cluster investigation' carried out in 2022. Rep. Graves asking RFK Jr. to look into cancer cases at Liberty school To date, 10 staff members have been diagnosed with various cancers, mostly breast cancer. The committee is set to meet on June 25 to review the diagnosis data and determine the next steps. The Clay County Public Health Center and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in previous years concluded '…there is no evidence to suggest that the breast cancer rate at Warren Hills Elementary is higher than expected, which means no environmental investigation is warranted.' Regardless, the school district said it has initiated a series of environmental tests. Warren-Hills-Follow-Up-Letter-with-Attachments-5.14.25Download Mobile users, please click the link above for the best PDF experience. A document dated May 8, 2025, written by a staff member of the Clay County Public Health Center says, 'to date, the school has received information on a total of 7 breast cancer cases, 1 cervical, 1 brain and 1 throat cancer among their staff. There are also potentially concerns about student populations as of 2025.' 'One of the environmental concerns raised by school staff has been related to the on-site cell tower,' the document reads. In 2022 and 2023, the school district investigated the tower; it received a compliance report confirming full adherence to FCC standards. In regard to the 'cancer cluster inquiry' on April 17, the district shared the following message: 'The District became aware that the Clay County Public Health Center (CCPHC), the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS), along with the Missouri Cancer Registry were prepared to move forward with requesting/initiating a follow up cancer cluster inquiry at Warren Hills. The District promptly expressed its support for this effort and offered our assistance. This week, the District received confirmation that these agencies made a formal recommendation to the Missouri Cancer Inquiry Advisory Committee to proceed with the inquiry. We were notified today, (05/14/25) that the Committee will meet on 6/25/25 to formally review the diagnosis data and determine next steps.' You can find the other assessments made by the district here. According to school's website, in August of 2022, the district was notified by the principal at Warren Hills Elementary that several staff members had received cancer diagnoses in recent years. Since then, follow-up tests have been conducted, including water testing, radon testing and air quality testing. Sara Peterson-Davis' daughter attended the school, starting in the 3rd grade, when the family moved to the area 22 years ago. She said the unknown and recent news is concerning. 'It seems incredibly unusual to have that cluster of people who have the same cancer who worked in the same proximity of each other,' she said. 'It would be nice to know…I mean, it would be crucial to know actually what the problem is. 'It's a school; there are children; there are staff. People want to be safe where they work and where they live and where they learn.' You can see a timeline of when concerns were brought to the school and how the district handled them, as well as the agencies that were/are involved, here. A statement provided by Liberty Public Schools reads: 'Liberty Public Schools is committed to providing safe and healthy learning environments at all of our schools and facilities. Specifically to Warren Hills Elementary, in recent years our team has been in close contact with the Clay County Public Health Center, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Children's Mercy Environmental Health, and the Missouri Cancer Registry, as we have responded to specific health and environmental concerns expressed by Warren Hills staff. We are thankful for their expertise and partnerships and will continue to work with them as we move forward. Their work has been, and will continue to be, essential in leading and guiding us. In following the guidance and determinations made by the health agencies listed above, we have been assured that the school is safe for the Warren Hills community. Having said this, we also fully recognize that this school community has had questions related to this, and it is of the utmost importance to us to support them with information and resources. Throughout, our focus has been on the well-being of our staff and students as we have worked to provide support to the Warren Hills school community. An account of all of the work completed to date has been published and made available on the Warren Hills school website, which is updated regularly. We will continue to remain engaged with the staff, families, and school community and provide them updates, as necessary.' The district said it was notified Wednesday that there will be a meeting held by the committee on June 25 to look more into this. Congressman Sam Graves has asked for federal help with uncovering the root causes in the 'concerning number of cancer diagnoses amongst staff and students at Warren Hills Elementary School in Liberty, Missouri.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri upgrades system for public benefits program WIC to allow remote benefits loading
Bread at the Schnuck's grocery story in Columbia marked as permitted to be purchased through Missouri's WIC program, which provides supplemental foods, nutrition education and referrals to health care, at no cost, to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are determined to be at nutritional risk (Jason Hancock/Missouri Independent). Missourians receiving federal food assistance for low-income women and children will face fewer administrative hurdles to get benefits after the state this month modernized its system. The Women, Infants and Children Program, known as WIC, for years required participants to physically visit an office to have their benefits loaded onto their cards — a requirement that sometimes hindered eligible Missourians from getting the food benefits at all. But as of this month, the Department of Health and Senior Services has completed updates to allow participants to receive benefits remotely — transitioning to a system that has long been operated in nearly every other state. WIC is a federal program providing supplemental food, nutrition education and referrals to health care to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants and children up to age 5 who are determined to be at nutritional risk. The new WIC card technology in Missouri in effect as of May 1 'will improve the participants' benefit issuance and redemption experience,' said Lisa Cox, spokesperson for Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which operates the program. 'So we anticipate that participants may remain enrolled in WIC for a longer time, which could increase participation.' Missouri's rate of WIC participation has long been below the national average, though it's improved in recent years. Some attributed Missouri's administratively-challenging system to the low rate, especially during COVID, when the state had to continue requiring in-person issuance. In 2022, only 41% of eligible Missourians were enrolled in WIC, and the national average was 54%. As of April, Cox said, there were 95,401 Missourians participating in WIC. As of 2022, Missouri was one of just nine states which used a WIC system that required participants to bring their benefits cards to the local agency office when loading benefits — what's called an 'offline' system for reloading benefits. Participants on the offline system dealt with transportation and socioeconomic barriers to accessing in-person benefits. 'I have to request off work just to come load the card,' one mother told The Independent. The modernization effort in effect this month allows the state to operate an 'online' system capable of remotely and automatically reloading benefits. Cox previously said the reason Missouri elected to operate an offline system was based on an analysis conducted roughly a decade ago. In 2020, 'it became apparent that an online system would be more user friendly,' Cox previously said, but 'Missouri WIC was unable to change that decision mid-implementation.' There are other advantages to the modernization, Cox said in a press release, designed to make it easier for participants to track their benefits and for retailers to receive their reimbursement. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Rep. Graves asking RFK Jr. to look into cancer cases at Liberty school
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An alarming number of cancer cases at a Kansas City-area school has a local congress member asking for government help. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves wrote a letter this week to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., asking for his agency's help in looking into a 'concerning number of cancer diagnoses' reported among staff from Warren Hills Elementary School in Liberty. The school is located within the Republican congressman's district. Unpaid parking fines? New Lawrence regulation means you could get the boot In response, Liberty Public Schools acknowledged that while community members have questions, the district has been assured by local and state health agencies that the school is safe. In his letter dated May 12, Rep. Graves wrote that since 2013, at least six staff members have developed breast cancer, with another unexpectedly dying after a short battle with liver cancer last fall. He said many parents 'have deep and growing concerns' about sending their children to school there. While the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services conducted a radon testing study in 2015 that found no issues at the school, and the Clay County Public Health Center conducted a public health study in 2022, Rep. Graves stated there hasn't been a comprehensive study into what's going on, and that's why he's asking Secretary Kennedy for help. The school has fewer than 650 students and about 40 teachers, according to the letter. FOX4 has reached out to Rep. Graves' office for any updates on his request. Read the full letter from Rep. Graves here. The school district created a section on its website about this issue, including a January letter from the Clay County Public Health Center that maintained the breast cancer rate at the school is 'no higher than expected for the community.' The school district sent the following statement Wednesday to FOX4: 'Liberty Public Schools is committed to providing safe and healthy learning environments at all of our schools and facilities. Specifically to Warren Hills Elementary, in recent years our team has been in close contact with the Clay County Public Health Center, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Children's Mercy Environmental Health, and the Missouri Cancer Registry, as we have responded to specific health and environmental concerns expressed by Warren Hills staff. We are thankful for their expertise and partnerships and will continue to work with them as we move forward. Their work has been, and will continue to be, essential in leading and guiding us. In following the guidance and determinations made by the health agencies listed above, we have been assured that the school is safe for the Warren Hills community. Having said this, we also fully recognize that this school community has had questions related to this, and it is of the utmost importance to us to support them with information and resources. Throughout, our focus has been on the well-being of our staff and students as we have worked to provide support to the Warren Hills school community. An account of all of the work completed to date has been published and made available on the Warren Hills school website, which is updated regularly. We will continue to remain engaged with the staff, families, and school community and provide them updates, as necessary.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Three economic research firms vying to study the health of Missouri cannabis industry
(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent) A trio of research firms who contend Missouri is a poster child for success in the cannabis industry hope to win a contract to study the state's market closer. 'As it relates to cannabis markets, Missouri is pretty famously the model to follow,' said Mackenzie Slade, CEO and owner of New York-based Cannabis Public Policy Consulting. 'So I'm very interested in doing a super deep dive.' In March, the state issued a request for proposals looking for a vendor to conduct a cannabis market and economic impact study. Currently, Missouri has issued nearly 400 cannabis licenses to operate full-scale cultivation and manufacturing facilities and dispensaries. The state will also eventually have 144 microbusiness licenses, which are limited in size and scope and meant to benefit disadvantaged business owners. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In 2024, Missouri sold$1.46 billion in total marijuana sales in the state's second year of adult-use marijuana, outperforming states with a longer history of marijuana legalization like Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. The results of the study will help the state determine 'whether or when the state will be required to issue additional cannabis facility licenses and, if so, how many, where, and of what type,' according to a March press release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Missouri received three responses that fit the requirements of having at least five years of experience specializing in the economic impact of marijuana, or at least 10 years of experience conducting economic impact studies in general. The responding agencies were Slade's firm, St. Louis-based Capital Consulting Services and Oregon-based Whitney Economics. The firm that wins the bid will be awarded the $X million contract. Beau Whitney's company, which conducts studies globally, gathers data monthly on the cannabis industry for each legal state on business licenses, supply capacity and revenues. 'I have data that goes back multiple years,' he said, 'and so I can say, 'Here's the progression of the state and its program,'' along with providing future projections 10 years out. Whitney calls Missouri a 'success story.' In one of his recent reports that looked at investment potential nationwide, he found there's still opportunities for growth, development and investment into the Missouri market. 'And that's unusual,' he said. 'In Oregon where I'm based out of, I just gave an update to the Office of Economic Analysis and I basically said, there's no investment opportunity in Oregon for any new businesses. Zero for the next 10 years.' That's because there's too much supply, an over saturation of licenses and prices are so low that people can't make any profit, he said. 'My goal with Missouri is to give them the data that they need to avoid that scenario,' Whitney said. Slade has seen the same in New York, where her firm has been based for about seven years. Her company administers a national survey on cannabis use, which essentially measures and quantifies demand behavior for consumers. One of the things that they use it for, she said, at a national level is to try to understand how states are performing based on their policies. 'And Missouri continuously outperforms other states, relative to their date of sale,' she said. '…because they were able to stand up a market so quickly.' Secrecy around ownership records raises questions about Missouri marijuana networks That was in part because Missouri limited the number of licenses to get operational within just a few months. For the study, Slade proposed to use the state's track and trace data to identify the efficiencies of the licenses. 'That's a prime example of where we would uncover some extremely important considerations for policy,' she said. 'And I do believe that the intent of the study is to identify areas of policy that need to be updated.' Tracey Jeffries' company, Capital Consulting Services, has helped governments with economic feasibility studies for 15 years on a state and federal level, and she's a certified Missouri minority-owned business enterprise as a Black woman owner. According to state policy, winners of any state contract must employ 10% minority-owned and 5% women-owned businesses. The advantage Jeffries believes she brings to the program is knowing her state and its economy, having led projects throughout Missouri. 'DHSS has done a great job,' she said, 'but it's timely to have the feasibility study because this will benefit the regulators, the businesses, and most importantly to me, in my opinion, the community.' State law says the cannabis regulators may 'lift or ease any limit on the number of [cannabis] licensees or certificate holders in order to meet the demand for marijuana in the state and to ensure a competitive market while also preventing an over-concentration of marijuana facilities within the boundaries of any particular local government.' Experts generally agree that Missouri's decision to only issue the minimum licenses allowed under its constitution has been the key to the industry's boom. However, critics have long argued that the decision created a monopoly that's kept out opportunities for people who were most impacted by the War on Drugs. While the microbusiness license program was included in the 2022 consutitional amendment to address inequities, the limitations on what these businesses can do make it difficult to turn a profit. If the department does issue additional licenses, at least half of those licenses must be awarded to owners of cannabis microbusiness facilities that have been operational for at least a year. The study will also provide information regarding the overall economic stability of the regulated market, including strengths and risks, with a special emphasis on the market's impact on economically distressed areas of the state. Jeremy Washington, spokesman for the Office of Administration, the agency that handles contracting for the state, said there isn't a 'published schedule for the completion of the evaluation process.' However, upon completion of the evaluation process, the MissouriBUYS Bid Board will be updated to reflect the changed status. In addition, the entire procurement file will be published on the Division of Purchasing's awarded bid and contract document site. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri has first confirmed measles case, health officials say
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri has its first confirmed case of measles, health officials announced Friday. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) said someone visiting Taney County has a confirmed case of measles. This person has been associated with recent international travel, according to the DHSS. Possible measles exposure risk at Garden City hotel 'The case is in a child whose vaccination status has not yet been verified,' the DHSS said. 'There is no indication of widespread exposure as this person was diagnosed soon after arrival to Taney County.' The DHSS said exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted. This is the first confirmed measles case detected in Missouri this year. 'For those unvaccinated or those unsure of their vaccination status, now is the time to review records and get caught up if needed,' said Dr. George Turabelidze, state epidemiologist with DHSS. The DHSS is supporting the Taney County Health Department with the disease investigation and advising individuals who may have been exposed. As of Thursday, there were 37 confirmed measles cases in Kansas. Measles outbreak in Kansas: 37 cases reported in past month Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and red and watery eyes. Symptoms appear within 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus. Tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth 2 to 3 days after symptoms begin. Measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline. They then spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. Measles can cause severe health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and death. Measles can be transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. The virus can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves an area. People who are infected will begin to have symptoms on average 1 to 2 weeks after being exposed to a person with measles. People who think they have measles or may have been exposed to measles should isolate themselves and call their health care provider before arriving to be tested. It is important to let the provider know that the patient may have measles and to get instructions on how to come to the office for diagnosis without exposing other people to the virus. More information about measles and county-level MMR vaccination rates can be found at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
