Sarah Fentem
Sarah Fentem reports on sickness and health as part of St. Louis Public Radio’s news team. She previously spent five years reporting for different NPR stations in Indiana, immersing herself deep, deep into an insurance policy beat from which she may never fully recover. A longitme NPR listener, she grew up hearing WQUB in Quincy, Illinois, which is now owned by STLPR. She lives in the Kingshighway Hills neighborhood, and in her spare time likes to watch old sitcoms, meticulously clean and organize her home and go on outdoor adventures with her fiancé Elliot. She has a cat, Lil Rock, and a dog, Ginger.
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St. Louis County Circuit Judge Ellen Ribaudo granted a request from the Missouri chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and their plaintiffs to extend the pause on Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's rule limiting transgender care for another two weeks. -
Temporary emergency regulations that prohibit doctors from providing gender-affirming care to transgender people unless they meet stringent requirements are slated to take effect April 27. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey says the rules are meant to protect minors from hasty and risky medical procedures. Transgender patients say the rules go against the recommendations of medical professionals.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government prevented states from kicking people off MO HealthNet, Missouri's Medicaid health insurance program. That provision ends April 1, and state residents will once more need to prove their eligibility for the low-cost coverage.
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The National Women’s Law Center and Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed suit Thursday in St. Louis Circuit Court on behalf of 13 faith leaders in Missouri. The lawsuit claims Missouri’s so-called trigger ban and other laws restricting abortion access violate residents’ religious freedom.
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Millions received the COVID-19 vaccine, which was the first widely used immunization to use mRNA technology. Washington University researchers hope they can use the same method to make an mRNA flu shot.
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A $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund the project, a collaboration among eight partner institutions in Missouri and Illinois.
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After weeks of requiring people to submit online eligibility forms to receive the monkeypox vaccine, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is now letting clinics determine eligibility for the shots. LGBTQ advocates fear the online form, which asks questions about sexual behavior, discourages some people from seeking the vaccine.
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In July, Missouri officials debuted 988, an emergency mental health hotline that connects callers to dozens of organizations around the country based on the caller’s area code. The hotline’s overhaul means crisis response organizations need more workers and money to pay them. Advocates are concerned that the state has not committed to funding the hotline for the long term.
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The region is recovering after a massive storm dumped more than 9 inches of rain. People and animals are staying in makeshift shelters while the flash flooding recedes.
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The historic rainfall broke the single-day record set in 1915.
