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View more news, opportunities and resources on the LPHA Info Hub.
HUB UPDATES
► Fall Regional LPHA meeting presentations have been added to the Archives page
► LPHA Update calls: Connection information has been added to the calendar for calls on November 18, December 2, December 16, January 6, and January 20.
► Vital Records: Local Public Health Agency Training Guide, revised July 7, 2025 is now available under Quick Links on the Home page.
UPCOMING DUE DATES
► Nov 17: CHIP H.S.I. Net expenditure report for Quarter Ending 09-25 (July 1, 2025, to September 30, 2025)
DHSS UPDATES
► Leadership Challenge: New session now open for registration, January 27 – 29 in Columbia. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants saying this is one of the most engaging, effective, thought provoking, and well delivered trainings they have ever participated in. Email Tiffany Bayer to register for available seats. Additional sessions may be offered later in 2026. Refresher Courses are also being scheduled for anyone that has completed the Challenge but wants more. Details to come soon.
► Mental Health First Aid: Upcoming training dates include:
- January 22, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Madison County Health Department, Fredericktown
- January 28, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, virtual
These trainings qualify for the incentive for LPHA Administrators, but staff are also welcome to attend. Register
► Food resources: Find food resources in the greater St Louis area to fill the gap in SNAP benefit cuts. (link)
► Health Advisory: Missouri DHSS issues Health Advisory (11/3/2025) on 7-OH (link)
► Great American Smokeout: DHSS offers free social media resources for this November 20th observance, including videos to share on your social media channels to help promote quitting tobacco. (link)
► Communication Lunch and Learn session: November 12. Kelsey Neth, Communications Coordinator for the Clay County Public Health Center will present on clear communication and using plain language. Register
► Water Fluoridation Funding: DHSS's Office of Dental Health has grant funding available for community water systems that have a local water fluoridation program. This would be any system that adjusts the level of fluoride in their water supply to reach an optimal level of 0.7 ppm to help improve oral health. If you are interested in receiving funding, please complete the application by December 12, 2025. Please consider letting your local water system know about the funding opportunity. If you have any questions, please reach out to Gwen Sullentrup or call 573-526-1563.
► Vital Records Training: Local Public Health Agency Training Guide, revised July 7, 2025. (link)
► Grant Management and Compliance Training: Register for Grants Management and Compliance Training (eligible for incentive funds)
MISSOURI NEWS
► 11/5/2025: Governor Kehoe announces Missouri has submitted an application for Rural Health Transformation funding to CMS. Awards will be announced by December 31. (link)
► 11/5/2025: Missouri Legalized Abortion 1 Year Ago, Here’s What’s Happened Since the Landmark Vote. (link)
► 11/5/2025: Joplin city officials have agreed to provide temporary funding to the Area Agency on Aging Region X to prevent a disruption of programs and meals at the Joplin Senior Center as well as home-delivered meals. (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.
► 11/6/2025: The end of daylight saving time on Sunday sparks conversation about the impact of the time change on mental health. (link)
► 11/6/2025: A video from the U.S. health secretary calling for a global ban on thimerosal in vaccines set off false claims online about the safety of several ingredients. (link)
► 11/6/2025: USAA offers interest free loans to federal employees whose income has been affected by the shut down. (link)
► 11/6/2025: A budget request sent to Congress by the Trump Administration proposes eliminating the Hospital Preparedness Program to allow states and cities to fund their own preparedness plans. (link)
► 11/6/2025: Medicare temporarily stopped paying for telehealth appointments when the government shut down, leaving many patients without access to healthcare. (link)
► 11/6/2025: Foreign Food Safety Inspections Hit Historic Low After Funding Cuts. (link)
► 11/5/2025: MO DSS says partial SNAP benefits will be loaded directly to each household’s EBT card as usual this month, but when and how much remains unclear. (link)
► 11/4/2025: Tylenol, Autism And The Perils Of Bad Science In Court, op ed by Brian Castrucci. (link)
► 11/3/2025: Data suggest COVID vaccination cuts risk of long-term symptoms in teens by over a third. (link)
OPPORTUNITIES
► Registration closes at 5:00 pm on November 7 for the 2025 Governmental Public Health Summit, Secure your seat by registering today.
► The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) extends an invitation to join the Project Firstline Community of Practice (CoP) — a collaborative learning space designed to strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) capacity across public health institutes and healthcare partners. Launching December 2025, this national CoP will bring together public health professionals who are leading, learning, and innovating in healthcare IPC. Together, we’ll share practical strategies, lessons learned, and success stories that strengthen our collective response to healthcare-associated infections and emerging threats. Sign up to receive an invitation and learn more about how to participate.
► Starting December 1st, qualifying rural healthcare facilities can submit RFPs for equipment to support broadband connectivity at their facility. The Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program offers a 65% discount on eligible broadband connectivity expenses for eligible rural health care providers (HCPs). You can apply as an individual health care provider or as a consortium, i.e., a group of HCPs that can be both rural and non-rural.
RESOURCES
► Youth and AI: A new report from Infodemiology.com describes how young people are using AI chatbots for mental health support. Using interviews conducted alongside Partners in Prevention, the analysis revealed that while youth recognized AI’s limitations, they appreciated its privacy, accessibility, adaptability to culture or language, and lack of judgment. (link)
► Trusted Messenger Program Training Series, from the Public Good Projects. This free training gives healthcare providers the tools, tactics, and strategies to improve communication skills. The first one-hour module is available now and offers 1.0 CME credits. (link)
► Public Health Thank You Day is November 24. Resources and social media content are available for local use, provided by the American Public Health Association (APHA). (link)
► Five Reasons to be Thankful for Public Health Leaders, article from ASTHO in advance of Public Health Thank You Day, Nov 24.
► Diaper Need Message Framing: Families are struggling to meet their children’s basic needs, including diapers, as the cost of living continues to climb. Yet public narratives about poverty tend to revolve around personal responsibility and choices instead of systems that are failing to support families. New research from the FrameWorks Institute and the National Diaper Bank Network offers evidence-based strategies to change those narratives.
► 2025 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, from the Commonwealth Fund
WEBINARS/TRAINING/CONFERENCES
► Nov 4, 9:45 am - 3:30 pm, LPHA Regional Meeting, hosted by DHSS. Madison County Health Department, 105 Armory Street, Fredericktown, MO.
► Nov 6, 2:00 - 3:15 pm, Sustaining Accreditation Through Smart Documentation Systems, hosted by ASTHO. Learn reliable, long-term strategies for developing documentation tracking systems that are engaging and sustain your agency's accreditation readiness. Learn from experts, get access to tools, and hear peer-driven examples of success. 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
► Nov 18, 1:00 - 2:30 pm, Designing for Connection: Public Health Approaches to Relationship and Partnership Management, hosted by ASTHO. Public health leaders share innovative strategies for measuring, managing, and strengthening public health partnerships. Panelists explore practical approaches to enhance infrastructure and improve engagement with local and community partners. Register
► Nov 18, 2:00 pm, Rural Communities and Economic Resilience, hosted by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Rural communities across the country are experiencing rapid change marked by increasing diversity, shrinking public health infrastructure, and mounting economic challenges. Explore strategies and frameworks designed to facilitate innovation, resilience, and more inclusive prosperity in rural communities facing significant change. 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, 2026, 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 18, 2026, 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, 2026, 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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