MissouriCare supports health, welfare of Southeast Missourians through grants

In these trying times, I am grateful for the continued support from the Missouri business community in contributing to the health and welfare of our region. I am particularly grateful for Missouri Care Inc., an Anthem company, for donating a total of $54,000 to a trio of noble causes that will benefit the residents of Southeast Missouri.

The donations include: $14,000 to Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium, $15,000 to SEMO Health Network and $25,000 to Bollinger County Library. These grants will impact the well-being and quality of life for our families, neighbors and friends.

The $14,000 grant to Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium will be used to develop a telehealth room and to purchase items for the Stork Nest Pantry. The telehealth room will support case management, behavioral health, virtual meetings, health education and provider meetings with clients. The room will be designed to support soundproof and audio technology. The Stork Nest Pantry provides basic needs to area families enrolled in the program. The funding will help improve conditions for children and parents by ensuring that certain infant care, safety items and household items are available to families in the Missouri Bootheel.

The $15,000 grant towards SEMO Health Network will support and further enhance School-Based Health Center activities. SBHC delivers primary care and mental health services to school children in Kennett and Sikeston school districts. Providing services inside the school setting helps to ensure access to care. The MissouriCare grant will help supply those clinics with much-needed items, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant will aid in developing new locations into full-functioning clinics, as well as add dental care.

I am particularly excited about the $25,000 grant to Bollinger County Library to provide greater internet access for rural Bollinger County residents. Currently, the library provides 10 publicly accessible Wi-Fi hotspots in the county. The MissouriCare grant will help cover the continuing data, installation and maintenance costs for the two-year project. I was happy to work with MissouriCare to help guarantee these funds that will provide rural residents greater access to much-needed broadband service.

I am pleased to see MissouriCare taking a holistic approach when it comes to providing healthcare services and education. We all need to do our part to keep our communities healthy, and I cannot thank MissouriCare enough for their continued support and commitment to improve the life of every Missourian.

Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) represents the 27th District in the Missouri State Senate.