Search results for: “housing”
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Reflections on Ferguson: Five Years
August 9th should cause us all to take time for reflection. Michael Brown Jr.’s killing five years ago was a tragedy for his family, and it sparked a tempest of activity that came to be known simply as “Ferguson.” Ferguson reached across greater St. Louis, the country, and around the world, tattooing an identity on…
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Family Values Mean Valuing Families
The plight of thousands of migrant children separated from their parents has dominated recent media cycles, capturing the country’s outrage over a fundamental challenge to American values. Two recent articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, “The Suffering of Children” and “Housing Immigrant Children – The Inhumanity of Constant Illumination,” forcefully document the mental…
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Health Equity Requires Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Where We Stand as a Foundation As an organization committed to achieving health equity, Missouri Foundation for Health is deeply concerned by anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation proposed by Missouri lawmakers. These legislative efforts, as well as those in other states and nationally, threaten to undermine the progress we’re striving to achieve. Imagine a…
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Getting Help When We Need It: The Net Benefit
It was a stark headline – “Despite strong economy, many Americans struggling to get by” – according to the article and a new report by the Urban Institute, nearly 40 percent of American families had trouble meeting one of their basic needs last year. Today an increasing number of our families and neighbors need help.…
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Women’s Health in Missouri: Going in the Wrong Direction
When Governor Mike Parson signed House Bill 126 into law on May 24th, he stated this action signaled that Missouri stands for protecting women’s health. This law is just the latest action that flies in the face of a preponderance of evidence, conflicts with widespread consensus among health professionals, and will, in fact, be harmful,…
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Reflections: Acknowledging the Challenges
To my fellow changemakers, The end of my tenure at MFH is drawing near. My upcoming retirement gives me the opportunity to reflect on our shared path and our shared priorities. Many of you will be familiar with the word “changemaker,” and if you’re reading this it is quite likely you are one. In thinking…
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Advancing Health and Equity in Missouri Through the American Rescue Plan Act
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic crisis have had particularly devastating effects on already distressed communities. Latino, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, and Black people, who are historically less healthy and less wealthy than white Americans, have experienced higher death rates, are more likely to have encountered job and other income losses, and face longer-lasting economic fallout…
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Looking Back, Looking Forward: Hopes for a Healthier 2021
2020 is a hard year. 2021 will soon be here. In my mind, it’s the perfect time to pause and take advantage of Janus’s gift of transition and new beginnings to reflect on the challenging times of the year, where we’re heading in 2021, and guideposts for using a new year to bring forth new…
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Pre-existing Conditions: Is poverty on the list?
Pre-existing conditions, a term of art in the health insurance industry, has garnered widespread attention recently. What began in the 1930s as a list of diseases or conditions used to not enroll people most likely to use health insurance became a staple of profitable health insurance businesses. The industry benefits financially from enrolling healthier people,…
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New Report Exposes Crushing Burden of Medical Debt on Missourians
A new report commissioned by Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) reveals the devastating impact medical debt has on Missourians. Based on eight focus groups conducted in December 2023, the report, titled “Medical Debt in Missouri,” paints a stark picture of financial hardship, stress, and compromised health due to mounting medical bills.
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MFH Hosts Coro Fellows for the Second Time in One Year
After completing a five-week session at Missouri Foundation for Health earlier in the program, two Coro Fellows opted to return to MFH for the final segment of their fellowship. From April 18 to May 8, Fellows Marina Balleria and Joseph Hassine rejoined the Foundation for their self-assigned individual placements. MFH has been a supporter of…
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Strengthening the Health Field: Welcoming Our Program Fellows
June 6th marked the arrival of two new program fellows at the Foundation, and for the first time they are joining us for two full years. Nava Kantor and Tracy Sexton, both recent graduates of master’s programs in the St. Louis area, will gain hands-on experience in the wide variety of work underway at MFH. “This is…