Brett Peveto

This is Groundwater Awareness Week and with over 400,000 private wells in the state, officials are encouraging people to test their well water for common contaminants. Over one quarter of the state's population relies on private wells for drinking water.

Missouri's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is now available year-round. The program offers payment assistance as well as a crisis component to help people facing disruptions in service. Crisis applications have expedited processing. Recent changes to the program include increased payments and expanded access.

January is Radon Action Month. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, just behind smoking. Radon seeps into homes through foundations, pipes and gaps in walls. Missourians can request free radon tests from the state. Homes of any age or design can have radon problems.

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. While it has no symptoms, it can be treated with early detection. Vision loss often begins on the periphery, and you can lose half your vision without realizing it.

Community Health Centers' funding has been supported by the 340b drug-pricing program, but in recent years, pharmacy benefit managers have been finding loopholes to avoid the 340b structure. Laws have been passed in 22 states to restrict these PBM practices.

A Georgetown University report shows the number of uninsured children in Missouri declined during the pandemic. Federal policy during the health emergency required states to provide continuous Medicaid coverage to receive extra funds. The continuous coverage provision will expire in April.

With flu and RSV showing early season intensity, experts are worried about the return of COVID straining the health-care system. The nursing workforce is smaller than at the beginning of the pandemic, as 100,000 nurses left the job in 2021.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, which focuses on unpaid care work. Home and Community Based Care services play a role in shifting the elderly away from being institutionalized but their funding has been cut in Missouri, which threatens wrap-around services that keep people out of nursing homes.

Wild turkeys were once threatened, but their populations were restored through conservation efforts. The Recovering America's Wildlife Act, which may be on the brink of passage in Congress, would invest $1.4 billion annually in state and tribal plans to restore other animal and plant species in jeopardy.

A new report says nearly all Missouri coal plants are releasing toxins into the groundwater. The report says improper storage of waste materials from coal-fired power plants are causing unsafe levels of groundwater contamination at 91% of U.S. coal plants.