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View more news, opportunities and resources on the LPHA Info Hub.
HUB UPDATES
Thank you for the suggestions you have been providing during the fall LPHA regional meetings on ways that we can improve the LPHA Info Hub. We'll be implementing many of these changes over the next couple of weeks. If you have additional ideas, you can submit suggestions using the feedback form on the Hub. Or you can contact Jaci McReynolds at jmcreynolds@missouristate.edu.
UPCOMING DUE DATES
► Oct 16: Summer feeding invoices and DA-38 due (electronically preferred)
► Oct 16: Return FY26 summer food participation agreement
► Oct 16: Return FY26 childcare sanitation participation agreement
► Oct 17: Deadline to apply to host a Pathways student intern in spring 2025
► Oct 20: Provide your feedback to Richard Moore at DHSS on the CORE Participation Agreement for State Investment in Local Public Health Services
► Oct 24: Deadline to apply for Accreditation funding
► Nov 17: CHIP H.S.I. Net expenditure report for Quarter Ending 09-25 (July 1, 2025, to September 30, 2025)
DHSS UPDATES
► Director's Message, 10/16/2025
► The Public Health Emergency Planning (PHEP) contract has received full federal funding and contract amendments will be going out to LPHAs in January, 2026.
► Public feedback is invited for proposed rule change that would authorize curbside pickup at licensed marijuana dispensaries. (link)
► The State Public Health Lab (SPHL) is making changes to courier services (details). Please note, any specimens that need to be collected for an urgent communicable disease prevention and response effort by an LPHA will be handled on a case-by-case basis to figure out the best way to get to SPHL when courier services are not available.
MISSOURI NEWS
► 10/15/2025 A person in Greene County was infected with a rare tick-borne illness called the Heartland virus this summer, according to DHSS. (link)
► 10/15/2025 Missouri teens still find vapes “cool.” (link)
► 10/15/2025 Troy Dream Center program helps residents recover from addiction with a free program that provides housing, transportation, meals, supplies and life skills training. (link)
► 10/14/2025 A 1990 Missouri court case is enmeshed in a current court review of public health’s right to mandate vaccinations and other interventions. (link)
NATIONAL NEWS
News items are posted for your situational awareness only and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of either DHSS or OPHI. News stories behind pay walls will not be included in order to ensure fair access to all.
► 10/16/2025: FDA officials are considering the removal of aluminum salts from shots, a move that could put about half of childhood vaccinations at risk. (link)
► 10/16/2025: Senate Democrats are poised for the 10th time Thursday to reject a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government, insisting they won’t back away from demands that Congress take up health care benefits. (link)
► 10/16/2025: Drug overdose deaths in Missouri decreased for the second consecutive year in 2024, according to the latest data from DHSS. (link)
► 10/16/2025: For the first time in more than a decade, the number of states with rates of obesity of 35% or more has dropped, according to CDC data. Missouri’s rate is 34.6%. (link)
► 10/16/2025: Melinda French Gates plans to invest $50 million in funding for women’s health research. (link)
► 10/14/2025: Former CDC officials say people need to shift their trust in public health information to local physicians instead of federal agencies. (link)
► 10/14/2025: New research published in BMJ shows alcohol consumption of any amount increases risk of dementia. (link)
OPPORTUNITIES
► Missouri Public Health Institute is hosting two listening sessions for rural LPHAs to provide input on the Rural Health Transformation grant funding application for Missouri.
Listening Session 1, Friday, October 17th | 10am-12pm. Register
Listening Session 2, Monday, October 20th | 2-4pm. Register
WEBINARS/TRAINING/CONFERENCES
► Oct 21, 2:00 pm, Leveraging Media to Transform Public Health Narratives and Policy, hosted by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Learn how to work with media outlets to share accurate, trustworthy information that supports informed individual and policy decisions crucial to health. Register
► Oct 22, 10:00 am – 2:15 pm, Can We Harness AI to Promote Healthier Lives? An AI for Health Symposium, hosted by Washington University. As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms health-care delivery and population health strategies, fundamental questions emerge about ensuring equitable access, maintaining ethical standards, and translating cutting-edge algorithms into meaningful real-world impact. This symposium brings together leading experts to explore how we can harness the potential of Al while safeguarding against bias and ensuring its benefits reach all communities. Learn more. Register
► Oct 23, 12:00 pm, Expanding Access to Contraception in Rural Communities, hosted by Missouri Family Health Council. Explore strategies to expand access to affordable, client-centered contraception in rural settings, with a focus on long-term clinic sustainability. Register
► Oct 29 – 31, Science for Health Systems, hosted by Washington University. Join this global forum virtually or in person to share new research on the measurement and improvement of health system performance. The inaugural conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, and implementers from multiple disciplines and regions of the world to share health system research methods and findings to maximize impact on health. Learn more and register
► Oct 29 – 30, TEEX: Medical Countermeasures: Point of Dispensing (POD), Planning and Response, Springfield, MO. Hosted by the Region D LPHA administrators. Learn how to coordinate plans to provide mass distribution of medical countermeasures in response to a large-scale public health incident in order to meet CDC’s 48-hour standard. There is no cost to attend, but class size is limited to 35 participants. Register
► Oct 30, 12:00 pm, Improving the Lives of Individuals with Disabilities, hosted by UMKC Institute for Human Development. Explore the work of the Missouri Disability and Health Program (MODHP) addressing barriers such as high costs, limited recreational resources, and gaps in accessible care through innovative initiatives, community partnerships, and targeted strategies that promote better health outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Examine real-world barriers and facilitators to access, present levels of program impact, and discuss how providers, administrators, and community professionals can advance disability-inclusive health efforts across the state. Register
► Nov 12, 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Public Health and New Media: Modes of Persuasion, hosted by Boston University School of Public Health. Explore public health communication, with a focus on new media, including Twitter, TikTok, etc. Hear best practices for communicating reliable and trustworthy public health information and combatting mis- and dis-information. Register
► Nov 13, Annual Missouri Advocates' Retreat, hosted by Missouri Foundation for Health. Learn how to build relationships with elected officials, how to be creative with coalition building, and organizing and advocacy skills. Learn more about this free event. Register
► Dec 4 – 5, Annual Rural Health Research Summit. Hoted by the Rural Health Research Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia. This event at the Drury Inn Conference Center in Columbia assembles administrators, clinicians, nurses, community health specialists, and other professionals dedicated to advancing health care in rural communities. Save the date. Details to come.
► Dec 8 - 10, Governmental Public Health Summit, hosted by Missouri Public Health Institute. Governmental public health leaders from across the state will convene at Old Kinderhook to strengthen service delivery, advance systems change, build lasting connections, and celebrate the hard work LPHAs do every day. Topics were selected by LPHAs, and DHSS Director Sarah Willson will provide the keynote. Early Bird registration saves you $50 through October 17. Registration closes November 7. Learn more and register
► Dec 8, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, Grant Management and Compliance Training, Part 1, hosted by Missouri Public Health Institute at the Governmental Public Health Summit. Register. Alternative date is January 21, 2026 (virtual).
► Jan 21, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, Grant Management and Compliance Training, Part 1, hosted by Missouri Public Health Institute at the Governmental Public Health Summit. Register
► Mar, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, Grant Management and Compliance Training, Part 2, hosted by Missouri Public Health Institute at the Governmental Public Health Summit. Alternative date is April 15, 2026 (virtual). Register
► Apr 15, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, Grant Management and Compliance Training, Part 2, hosted by Missouri Public Health Institute at the Governmental Public Health Summit. Register
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