Missouri Health Talks

Jason Jarvis spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at Paquin Towers in Columbia in March. He spoke about fire safety and how guardians can have meaningful and helpful conversations about safety with kids – especially heading into the 4th of July holiday.

Jason Jarvis spoke with us at a Missouri on Mic event at Paquin Towers in Columbia in March. He spoke about some injuries that dramatically changed his life and made him passionate about sharing the importance of driving safely with others.Just as a note – this piece includes graphic descriptions of suicide and vehicular accidents.

Alisha Johnson is a Care in Aging Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Sinclair School of Nursing here in Columbia. She spoke about aging in place, and what that means for older adults and long-term care facilities.

Darren Morton and John Trapp both work to combat homelessness in Columbia. Darren is the Managing Director at Turning Point, and John is a principal at 4-A-Change.They spoke about the post winter needs of the unhoused community in Columbia and about some of the barriers they face year-round.

Alisha Johnson is a Care in Aging Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Sinclair School of Nursing here in Columbia. She spoke about the culture of aging in the United States and how that can impact older adults.

Joelle Thompson is an elementary school art teacher from Independence, Missouri. She spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the State Fair last August.She contracted COVID-19 in September 2020 and shared about her experiences with long COVID and some of the lasting health effects she’s dealt with since then.

Lisha Taylor and Leah Freeman are a mother and daughter duo who spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February.They spoke about a health challenge they both share – fibromyalgia, and about a few of the ways this chronic disease impacts their daily life.

Lima is a freshman at the University of Missouri and a refugee from Afghanistan. Her family came to Mid-Missouri many years ago on a special immigrant visa, or SIV.Since her father worked with the US and Afghan military, we are omitting her last name and the town they live in for safety.We met at a recent baby shower for expectant and new Afghan moms in Columbia where she was interpreting – English to Pashto. She spoke about what it was like coming to the US as a child and about what the rest of the community can do to help those immigrating to the area now.

Tyrone Seals, Sr. lives here in Columbia and is currently experiencing homelessness. He spoke with KBIA’s Missouri on Mike team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library, which serves as a day warming center for the community, on February 19th.He spoke about some of the realities of homelessness and how winter weather is impacting the lives of unhoused Columbians.

Wendy Rich is from Joplin, Missouri, and was diagnosed four years ago with alpha gal – a tickborne illness that causes allergic reactions to red meat and other products made from mammals. It is transmitted though the bite of a Lone Star tick.Since then, Rich co-founded the Joplin Alpha Gal Awareness group to support others who have been diagnosed with or are looking to learn more about the illness.

This week we hear from Debbie Morris. She lives in Long Lane – a small town of about 1,000 in south central Missouri. She was diagnosed with alpha gal, a tickborne illness that causes a severe allergic reaction to animal byproducts in June 2020.She spoke about how the disease has impacted her life – including in some unexpected ways.

Evonnia Woods is the Senior Outreach Producer for Reproaction, an advocacy organization focusing on reproductive justice.In Missouri, Black women experience a higher rate of severe maternal morbidities – things that impact the quality of life – than white women, according to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services.She spoke about how barriers – like a lack of comprehensive sexual education and a limited knowledge of one’s body can lead to unintentional pregnancies and sometimes poorer outcomes for moms and babies.

Evonnia Woods is the Senior Outreach Producer for Reproaction, an advocacy organization focusing on reproductive justice.According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, Black women are four times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than white women in Missouri.She spoke about the way that intersectional issues – like transportation, poverty and racism – can contribute to Black maternal and infant mortality.

Ashley Curtis is the lab director and principal investigator at the Cognition, Aging, Sleep, and Health Lab, or CASH Lab, at the University of Missouri. She studies the relationship between sleep conditions and cognition.She spoke about the misconceptions about insomnia and about some of the ways that sleep hygiene practices could improve everyone’s sleep health.

April Mickens Jolly is the Vice President of Health Equity & Culture at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri – and a Black mother.According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, Black women in Missouri are 4 times more likely to die within a year of pregnancy than white women.

Sara Humm is the public information specialist for Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services.She spoke about the continued presence of COVID-19 throughout Missouri, and about – some of the ways – people can do their best to keep their family, friends, and community safe during the holiday season.

Mary Beth Miller is the lab director and principal investigator for the Health Intervention and Treatment Research Lab, or HIT Lab where she studies the relationship between alcohol and sleep.She spoke about how drinking alcohol can impact the quality of sleep people get each night and how it may even be the reason you are waking up.

Lisa and Gary Kremer spoke with KBIA’s Missouri on Mic team at the Missouri State Fair back in August. They reflected on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the way they live their lives, and Lisa reflected on losing her mother in the winter of 2020 to the disease.

Dr. Olugbemisola Obi is the medical director for the NICU, or neonatal intensive care unit, at MU Health Care in Columbia.She says the hospital has seen some mothers lately who are very sick from COVID-19 – so sick in fact that their babies are delivered pre-term. She spoke about the impact that having a premature baby in the NICU – while also being COVID-19 positive – can impact a family.

Lydia Olmstead and Dr. Jacque Sample work together on the Columbia Disabilities Commission. Lydia is a person who happens to be deaf/blind, and Dr. Sample has a son with a disability.They spoke about Columbia’s sidewalks and about improvements that would make the community more inclusive – and perhaps even more environmentally friendly.