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View more news, opportunities and resources on the LPHA Info Hub.
"The question we must grapple with in our respective lanes of industry/trade groups, schools and programs of public health, local/government agencies is: how can we align around shared priorities in ways that translate to coordinated action in this urgent moment?"
-Adnan Hyder, School of Public Health Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, Boston University School of Public Health
HUB UPDATES
► May 5 LPHA Update call recording and presentations added to Archives page
► Link to new Missouri Wastewater Surveillance Program Dashboard added to Data page
► DHSS Contacts page updated and BCDCP District Epi Map updated
► DHSS' Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology (BEE) is now the Bureau of Health Care Analysis and Data Dissemination (BHCADD). Updates are reflected on the Data and DHSS Contacts pages.
► April BEHS training link and Q&A added to BEHS page
► Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention resources added to Quick Links section of Hub home page
UPCOMING DUE DATES
► May 11: Deadline to submit signed invoices for incentive funding
► May 13: Quarterly CHIP HSI expenditure report due to CLPHSCHIPHSIReports@health.mo.gov
► May 16: Deadline to submit a request for a Pathways Intern
► Jun 30: deadline to register for Overdose Fatality Review Summit on July 29
► Jun 30: PHEP FY26 year end report, Inventory Report, Tangible Personal Property Report, final invoice, and Sub-Recipient Annual Financial Report due to preparedness@health.mo.gov.
► Oct 1: Deadline to complete PHAB Readiness Assessment (at no cost)
DHSS UPDATES
► Lori Brenneke’s Retirement: You are invited to attend Lori Brenneke’s Retirement Reception on June 26 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at 930 Wildwood Drive, Jefferson City (Maple and Birch Conference Rooms).
► World Cup Health Advisory, May 1, 2026 (link)
► Core invoicing: The process for invoicing for the Core contract will change with the new state fiscal year July 1. Review this presentation for a walkthrough of the new, simple invoicing process.
► BEHS Training: The training on Lodging Facility Types, previously scheduled for May 7 has been reschedule to May 14, 9:30 – 11:00 am. See the Calendar for details.
► Perinatal Hep B: Effective August 28, 2025, Missouri law was updated to require prenatal testing for certain infectious diseases at multiple points during pregnancy and after delivery. (RSMo § 210.030). Health care providers should ensure testing for syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV occurs at:
- every pregnancy
- first prenatal visit
- around 28 weeks of pregnancy
- delivery
These requirements support early identification and treatment to help prevent transmission to infants and improve health outcomes for families.
► Public Health Conference call for proposals. MPHA, MODHSS, MPHI and MICH invite you to submit a proposal to present at the Joint Public Health Conference September 15-17, at The Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Missouri. The conference will have approximately 300 attendees, with both exhibitors and sponsors. View the criteria and submit your proposal by Friday, May 29, 2026.
► Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses hosted by Brown University are offered for free to LPHAs through CDC's Public Health Infrastructure Grant. There is also a MBSR Blood Pressure Reduction course available. All classes are held virtually through Zoom. To enroll, email mindfulness@brown.edu with the subject line Mindful-Missouri to apply the LPHA discount. View the class schedule
RURAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION (RHTP)
► RHTP Newsletter: DSS issues first RHTP newsletter for stakeholders. Subscribe to future RHTP Stakeholders newsletters.
► RHTP Implementation Webinar: The webinar will introduce the Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) Care, the state’s coordinated model to enhance rural healthcare delivery and improve community outcomes. DSS will outline opportunities for organizations to participate and preview upcoming leadership roles within the program.
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Community institutions deep dive (e.g., CBOs, LPHAs), 5/13 at 1:00 PM
Additional webinars for Hub Anchor applicants will be held following the application release, expected in mid-May.
More details
Register for webinars
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.
► 5/6/2026: The White House’s new strategy on addiction aims to make getting treatment easier than getting drugs. (link)
► 5/6/2026: Starting in July, Medicare Part D plan members may be eligible to get a GLP-1 prescription for weight loss for $50 a month through a short-term pilot program that ends in December 2027. (link)
► 5/6/2026: Taxpayers who were penalized during the COVID pandemic for not paying taxes on time have until July 10 to file for a refund or termination of penalties. (link)
► 5/6/2026: Utz voluntarily recalls limited varieties of Zapp's and Dirty brand potato chips due to possible salmonella contamination. (link)
► 5/5/2026: The FDA approves the first fruit-flavored vapes for adults 21 and older. (link)
► 5/5/2026: Human-to-human spread of hantavirus is suspected on a cruise ship currently off the coast of Cape Verde. There are two confirmed and five suspected cases, with three fatalities and one patient in intensive care so far. (link)
► 5/5/2026: President Trump reinstates the Presidential Physical Fitness Award as part of his push to return an annual physical fitness test to America’s schools. (link)
MISSOURI NEWS
► 5/6/2026: One in four Missourians say they’ve run into obstacles obtaining birth control, according to a new survey of about 1,000 people from the Missouri Foundation for Health. (link)
► 5/5/2026: A Missouri appellate court upholds a $495 million verdict against north suburban-based Abbott Laboratories in a case over whether its formula for premature infants caused a girl to become seriously ill. (link)
RESOURCES
► Data Learning Series: Registration is open for the Missouri Public Health Institute’s 3-part data learning series. Details
► Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Resources: Find resources to prevent and respond to sexual violence across Missouri on the Statewide Resource Map hosted by Ozarks Public Health Institute. Submit resources in your area to be added to the map.
► Hep B: A new study suggests reduced newborn hepatitis B vaccination coverage may increase infant infections. (link)
► The Future of Public Health conversation series, hosted by Boston University School of Public Health led to these key takeaways:
- Public health faces a communications and marketing challenge. We need to do more, especially when there is no universally agreed definition of public health.
- Public health is inherently political. Public health must engage in policy, which is unavoidably political, and we should be open to acknowledging that.
- Community engagement is a strength, yet many times not scalable. As a field, we prioritize community engagement and trusted local messengers, but we have not invested in ways to scale these approaches across societies.
- Increased fragmentation, especially in recent times, permeates the field. From concerns around the relevancy of our curricula in schools of public health, to the many interest groups within the field, to a growing question that over-specialization may be hindering our long-term growth, there is a disconnect in how the field should advance.
- Our values are strong, but how we operationalize them has been variable. Understanding and expanding notions of what we mean by equity and “health for all” is important, and yet a challenge for many in our field.
OPPORTUNITIES
► Pathways Interns: LPHA requests for Pathways interns for fall 2026 are due by May 16. Internships are open to students and recent graduates in nursing, environmental health, undergraduate or graduate public health programs, and other disciplines interested in pursuing a public health career. Students receive a stipend of $20 per hour up to $6,400 for completing an internship of up to 320 hours depending on academic program requirements and agency projects. There is no cost to LPHAs to participate. Submit your request for an intern.
► Moral Injury in Public Health Focus Groups: Moral injury is defined as “psychological harm incurred from committing, witnessing, or being subject to actions that violate one’s moral code” (VanderWeele & Wortham, 2025). The effects of moral injury can include feeling misunderstood, depression, a loss of purpose, withdrawing from others, cynicism, reduced physical activity, physical pain, and a loss of trust in yourself or your co-workers or community members. For her DrPH dissertation, Jaci McReynolds is exploring moral injury among public health workers in Missouri in order to identify individual and organizational strategies to help PHWs move beyond moral injury to rebuild trust and reclaim their lives.
Jaci will be hosting 1-hour focus group sessions in June to learn about strategies Missouri's local public health workers and LPHAs have applied to move beyond moral injury. To register to participate, please submit your name and email address. You will receive a follow up email with the date and time for the Zoom focus group and ways to participate anonymously, if that is important to you. Your contributions will help inform recommendations for strategies that could be adopted across Missouri to help thousands of public health workers. If you have questions, please email Jaci at jmcreynolds@missouristate.edu or call 417-839-3579.
WEBINARS/TRAINING/CONFERENCES/EVENTS
► May 12, 2:00 pm, The Future of Public Health: Where it is headed and what it will take, hosted by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. As the field navigates shifting policy landscapes, evolving systems and growing demands on the workforce, leaders and practitioners need to reimagine how public health operates and what it will take to sustain and strengthen it for the future. Learn what shapes the field today through the lens of three key topics: financing systems, supporting the workforce and organizing the field. Register
► May 13, 1:00 – 2:30 pm, DSS Update on RHTP for LPHAs and CBOs. The Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) invites LPHAs, rural health care providers, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to participate in an informational webinar supporting Missouri’s implementation of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a major federal initiative designed to strengthen health care in rural communities. Register
► May 21 - 22, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Rapid HIV Tester Training, hosted by DHSS at 930 Wildwood in Jefferson City, Conference Room Pine A/B. Register
► May 21, 1:00 - 2:00 pm, Public Health Communications for Impact: Approaches to Strengthening Infrastructure, hosted by ASTHO and the Public Health Communications Collaborative. Learn about a new guide designed to help agencies strengthen their internal infrastructure and coordination for maximum impact. Health department panelists will share real-world strategies for building the foundational systems and processes necessary to effectively communicate the value of public health investments. Register
► May 28, SDOH and Chronic Disease Prevention and Management. This session will introduce the portion of the CY26 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that includes services to address health related social needs: Community Health Integration (CHI), Principal Illness Navigation (PIN) and Principal Illness NavigationPeer Support (PIN-PS) services. Participants will understand how each service is defined, provider and patient eligibility requirements and billing and documentation specifications. This session will emphasize the clinical and financial benefits of pursuing this reimbursement pathway, highlight sample workflows and provide best practices for submitting services for reimbursement. Register
► May 28, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, A Systems Approach to Preparing the Health Workforce for Social Determinants of Health, hosted by University of Missouri. This seminar offers a forward-thinking exploration of how the health workforce can be better prepared to address social determinants of health (SDOH) through coordinated, multisector action. Register
► Jun 23, 1:00 pm, PHAB Refreshed Standards and Measures Launch. Guided by extensive feedback from the field and years of data, these updates help users navigate the refined Standards & Measures, pursue continuous quality improvement, and reduce documentation burden. Capacity for this event is limited. Register
► Jun 24, STI Quarterly Meeting. A registration link will be sent out to program sites at a later date.
► Jul 29, Overdose Fatality Review Summit, hosted by DHSS Overdose Data to Action in States team and Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) partners. On site training in Jefferson City for up to 100 Missouri LPHA staff and local partners (coroners/medical examiners, public safety, EMS, hospital ER, behavioral health) to increase the number of local overdose fatality review (OFR) boards in Missouri. Learn what an OFR is and how it can be used to guide overdose prevention and response within a community. Identify local partnerships to establish and conduct OFRs, understand overdose data systems and how to use the data to effectively guide the OFR process, understand how to prioritize and select cases for review, and see how an OFR operates. Register by June 30.
► Sep 1 – 2, Fall Preparedness Summit, in Jefferson City, hosted by DHSS’ Office of Emergency Coordination with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Program and the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP). This will replace the traditional Fall Planners Meeting. Location, detailed agenda, and session times are being finalized, but attendees can expect engaging sessions on emergency preparedness and networking opportunities with partners across the state. Additional details, including a registration link, will be shared closer to the date.
► Sep 9 - 10, Missouri Rural Health Conference, hosted by Missouri Rural Health Association. Details to come.
► Sep 29, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Perinatal Hepatitis B Case Management Using ShowMe WorldCare, hosted by the Bureau of Genetics and Healthy Childhood. Register. Learn to:
- Navigate PHB case management workflows in SMWC
Interpret Hepatitis B laboratory results
Track required tasks and timelines for pregnant women and infants
Apply updated LPHA responsibilities related to pregnancy screening and follow-up
Support timely vaccination and post-vaccine serology testing
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