Rural Health: Missouri secured $218 million in federal rural-health funding for a second year, building on investments in local care hubs, hospitals and workforce development. In Reynolds County, expectant parents may face more than an hour’s trip to a hospital with delivery services; the state is also investing about $6.5 million to expand mobile health and community paramedicine. Maternal Care: Missouri is expanding treatment options for new mothers with substance-use disorders, as providers report barriers including programs that don’t accept pregnant patients and long travel distances. Medicaid: A federal judge struck down a rule requiring people with serious conditions to prove their illness significantly limits their ability to work. The ruling could ease exemptions for nearly 140,000 Missourians, but the state’s work requirements remain in place and people still need to verify eligibility. Veterans’ Mental Health: Kansas City’s Battle Within is working to help veterans navigate mental-health challenges; Missouri has the nation’s 16th-highest veteran suicide rate, according to a VA report. Measles: After one Christian County case linked to exposure elsewhere in Missouri, officials say they found no communitywide exposure sites and urge families to check vaccination status.