HCC Network Wishes Students a Safe and Successful School Year!

Funds are currently available to help students in foster care with purchasing back-to-school supplies. A case number is required.

Please reach out to Kylee for assistance at 660.463.0234.

Join Us for Project Connect on November 29

HCC Network is excited to be hosting our first annual, one-day public health service event for adults, Project Connect, on Tuesday, November 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will be held at the Concordia Community Center,

802 S Gordon St.

Concordia, MO 64020

This event is for underserved and uninsured adults that need connected to various services in their community.

Download Details

Amazon Returns at HCC Network Warehouse

HCC Network has acquired a variety of Amazon returns. If your organization would like to see if these items can be put to good use, email Eric at warehouse@hccnetwork.org to schedule a day and time to visit our warehouse. Please coordinate with others in your organization so that only one person per organization is scheduling visits.

This offer to shop for free Amazon returns ends Wednesday, September 7, 2022.

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month!

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month! A time when we come together with one voice and one vision to address the main challenge in transplantation: the gap between the need for organ transplants and the supply of donated organs. Minority communities have disproportionately higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease which contribute to organ failure and the need for an organ transplant. Over 100,000 people are currently on the national transplant waiting list, with more than 60% representing racial and ethnic minorities.

Join us in celebrating this vital effort to deliver positive messages that help minority communities make the decision to support organ, eye, and tissue donation. Add your diversity to the online donor registry today.

MRHA Board Announces the Departure of Executive Director

Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) Executive Director, Melissa Van Dyne, has accepted a new position at the University of Missouri School of Medicine directing the ThinkFirst Program. During her four-year tenure at the MRHA, Van Dyne worked to evolve the Association’s foundation by growing existing programs and developing new critical rural health programs. This includes the Customized Caregiver Training and Relief program, Mobility Management and Transportation, and Telehealth Advocacy and Technical Assistance.

“Melissa has served MRHA well during an instrumental time of growth and through challenging COVID years,” said MRHA Board President Patricia Miller. “We are thankful for her leadership and wish her the very best in her career.” Van Dyne’s last day was August 26^,2022.

Looking forward, the MRHA Board is confident in senior leaders to work closely with the Board over the next few months through this transition. “We are confident that the leadership of Beverly Stafford, Director Programs and Member Service and Scott Andrews, Director of Finance will ensure that member services and program needs are fully met during this transition,” said Incoming Board Chair Tim Shryack. “Our mission is to safeguard and improve the health of rural Missourians. Never before has this been more challenging or more of a priority in our rural state. The Board will assess our needs and priorities and will launch the search appropriately. We want to position MRHA to effectively lead our mission and we will continue to need great talent to move MRHA forward.”

MRHA Board Members include:

Patricia Miller, President, Missouri Alliance of YMCAs

Toniann Richard, Past President, Health Care Collaborative of Rural Missouri

Tim Shryack, President Elect, Missouri Ozarks Community Health

Deanna Lamb, Secretary, Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee

Amanda Arnold, Health Care Collaborative of Rural Missouri

Barbara Brendel, Missouri Office of Rural Health

Carla Gibson, REACH Health Care Foundation

Justin Duncan, Washington County Ambulance District

Katie Reichard, Missouri Primary Care Association

Lauren Moyer, Compass Health Network

Sunil Mungee, Southeast Health Systems

Tania Sharp, Health Cooperative of Missouri

For more information, contact Patty@moymca.org. To learn more about MRHA, visit MRHAssociation.org.

Learn More

CDC Streamlines COVID-19 Guidelines

The CDC has streamlined its COVID-19 guidance to help people better understand their risk, how to protect themselves and others, what to do if exposed to COVID-19, and what to do if they are sick or test positive for the virus.

COVID-19 continues to circulate globally, but with the tools, resources and CDC guidance available for reducing COVID-19 severity, there is significantly less risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death than earlier in the pandemic.

Actions to take will continue to be informed by the COVID-19 Community Levels, launched in February.

Three mid-Missouri locations offer Novavax vaccine for unvaccinated individuals:

The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is now available in mid-Missouri.

Vaccines are available for unvaccinated individuals in three places, per the vaccine locator: Jefferson City Medical Group (JCMG), Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS), and MU Health Care.

Get Vaccinated

Whitehouse Releases Monkeypox Outbreak Response

Download the Fact Sheet.

CDC Updates

Monkeypox virus DNA was found on high contact surfaces in the Utah home of two infected individuals, with Monkeypox virus genetic material detected on 70% of the 30 specimens.
More than 14,000 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. as of Aug. 18, 2022.
Nearly 2 million additional doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine are now available.
Breakthrough infections are occurring in some cases when people are vaccinated after exposure, WHO officials said.

About the Vaccine

Two vaccines may be used for the prevention of monkeypox disease:
JYNNEOS vaccine is approved for the prevention of monkeypox and smallpox disease.
People can be vaccinated after exposure to monkeypox virus to help prevent monkeypox disease (i.e., post-exposure prophylaxis).
ACAM2000 vaccine is approved for immunization against smallpox disease and made available for use against monkeypox under an Expanded Access Investigational New Drug (EA-IND) protocol.
Globally and in the United States, supply of JYNNEOS vaccine is currently limited, although more is expected in the coming weeks and months. In the United States, there is a large supply of ACAM2000, but this vaccine has more side effects and contraindications.