Behavioral Health: Jefferson County’s mental health fund will award $7.2 million to 13 agencies for counseling, addiction treatment and other services in 2027–28. Medical Education: Kansas City University won a $75,000 NIH award for weaving nutrition and disease prevention into medical training. Insurance Access: Children’s Mercy will be in-network for an ACA marketplace plan after weeks of patient outcry. Medicaid: Missouri is preparing to require many expansion recipients to work, study or volunteer 80 hours monthly starting Jan. 1, 2027; exemptions include people with disabilities and those deemed medically frail. Rural Care: Missouri was awarded $218 million in its second year of federal rural-health grants, while Gov. Mike Kehoe announced more than $55 million for rural health improvements. Pain Research: A University of Missouri study found 35% of patients still reported pain two years after lung surgery with nerve-freezing treatment; researchers say more study is needed. Reproductive Health: Missouri voters rejected another abortion ban, preserving the state’s abortion-rights protections.