missouri bootheel

Access to Care

After Hospital Closure, A Missouri Community Tries to Fill The Gap in Health and Jobs

Lee Ann Stuart still wears her nursing scrubs, even though the only work she’s been doing since Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center closed June 11 is to…
Access to Care

Soon-To-Be Mothers In Missouri’s Bootheel Scramble To Find Care After Hospital Announces Closure

Taja Welton is ready for her daughter to be born. She’s moved into a bigger house, one with room for a nursery. She has a closet full of pink, Minnie…
Policy & Politics

Political Gridlock Leaves Missouri Without A Basic Tool For Fighting Drug Abuse

At Richard Logan’s pharmacy in Charleston, Missouri, prescription opioid painkillers are locked away in a cabinet. Missouri law requires pharmacies to…
Community Health

One Year Later, A Mother Reflects on Pregnancy and Premature Birth

Bram Sable-Smith

One year ago, while reporting on infant mortality rates in Kennett, Missouri, I met a 27-year-old expectant mother named Marylouisa Cantu. She was pregn...
Community Health

Facing Infant Mortality Crisis, Competing Agencies Work Together

This story is part of the series "Shortage in Rich Land" on Missouri's Bootheel region. Click here to see all of the stories.It’s a cold afternoon in…
Access to Care

To Fill a Doctor Shortage Rural Communities Focus Education on Local Students

This story is part of the series "Shortage in Rich Land" on Missouri's Bootheel region. Click here to see all of the stories.It’s early morning. The sun…

Sick Season 2

Incarcerated people are some of the sickest people in our country. Many have chronic conditions such as diabetes or lung disease. And they’re far more likely to suffer from mental illness and addiction. On Season 2 of Sick, listen to stories of what goes wrong in corrections facilities — places meant to keep people healthy, but built to punish them.

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