Welcome to our digital newsletter! Your source for updates on health equity initiatives, community partnerships, and IHN programs, it’s your go-to source for collaboration, innovation, and impact in the St. Louis region & beyond. Let’s build healthier communities together.
PREPARING FOR THE 2026–27 RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON
As fall approaches, so does respiratory virus season. Influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 can affect anyone, but infants, older adults, pregnant people, people with certain underlying health conditions and those who are immunocompromised may be at greater risk for serious illness.
This year, leading medical organizations came together around a shared evidence base for the 2026–27 season. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) developed coordinated recommendations informed by the Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, in collaboration with the American Medical Association (AMA). The project independently reviewed 299 studies on influenza, RSV and COVID-19 immunizations.
What should you know about this season’s recommendations?
- Influenza: Annual flu vaccination continues to be recommended for everyone 6 months and older without a contraindication. Vaccination is also recommended during pregnancy at any gestational age.
- RSV: Adults 75 and older and adults ages 50–74 at increased risk are recommended to receive a one-time RSV vaccine. During pregnancy, ACOG recommends maternal RSV vaccination at 32 weeks 0 days through 36 weeks 6 days, generally September through January. Infants younger than 8 months who are not protected through maternal vaccination should receive a long-acting RSV antibody. Certain high-risk children ages 8–19 months entering their second RSV season should also receive protection.
- COVID-19: AAP recommends 2026–27 vaccination for all children ages 6–23 months and children and adolescents ages 2–18 at increased risk of severe COVID-19; vaccination should also be available to other families who desire protection. AAFP recommends updated vaccination for adults, including during any trimester of pregnancy and while lactating, while IDSA recommends vaccination for immunocompromised children and adults. Some professional-society recommendations differ from current federal guidance, so talk with your health care professional about what is recommended for you or your family.
Protect Yourself and Your Community
Vaccination is one important tool, but everyday prevention matters too. Public health agencies recommend regular handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, improving indoor air when possible and avoiding close contact with others when sick. Schools, workplaces and families can also help by encouraging people who are ill to stay home.
If You Get Sick
If you are feeling sick, give yourself time to rest and recover at home while taking steps to reduce the spread of illness to others. Current public health guidance recommends returning to normal activities once symptoms are improving overall and you have been fever-free without fever-reducing medication for at least 24 hours, followed by additional precautions for five days.
For questions about symptoms, testing or treatment, contact your health care professional or community health center. People at higher risk for serious illness should contact a health care professional promptly, as some treatments work best when started early. For a medical emergency, call 911 or seek emergency care.
Preparing now can help keep our families, schools, workplaces and communities healthier this respiratory virus season.
Learn more: Vaccine Integrity Project — 2026–27 Respiratory Season Evidence Review
📢 IMPORTANT REMINDER: SNAP UPDATE FOR MISSOURI RESIDENTS
Beginning October 1, 2026, the Missouri Department of Social Services will update verification requirements for SNAP applications, recertifications, and add-a-person requests.
Under the new requirements, households may be asked to provide documented proof of:
- Shelter costs, including rent, mortgage, and utilities
- Dependent care or childcare expenses
- Countable resources, such as money in a bank account
Current SNAP households do not need to take any immediate action or submit new documents simply because of this change. The updated requirements will apply when submitting an application, recertification, or add-a-person request on or after October 1.
Acceptable documentation may include bills, receipts, lease agreements, bank statements, or written proof from the person or business being paid.
Learn more and watch for additional updates from the Missouri Department of Social Services: https://dss.mo.gov/food-assistance
Please share this information with Missouri families who may be impacted.
MO-ACHE LEADERSHIP FORUM PANEL
IHN President and CEO Andwele Jolly recently had the pleasure of moderating the Missouri American College of Healthcare Executives (MO-ACHE) Leadership Forum in Kansas City, where healthcare leaders gathered for a candid conversation on “Career Development: Leading Your Own Leadership.”
Andwele was joined by an outstanding panel of healthcare executives, including Chad Moore, Vice President of Managed Care at The University of Kansas Health System; Li Ern Chen, MD, Market Leader of Physician Workforce Solutions at Korn Ferry; and Patrick Rafferty, CEO of CenterPoint. Together, the panel and audience engaged in a robust discussion about what it truly means to take ownership of your career in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Among the principles Andwele shared was one that resonated throughout the room: “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” In a field where there is constant pressure to move quickly — into the next project, opportunity, or leadership role — Andwele emphasized that effective leadership often requires slowing down first. Taking the time to understand the landscape, and more importantly, the “why” behind the people you work for, work alongside, and are entrusted to lead, is what builds lasting trust. That trust, in turn, creates the foundation for shaping strategy and culture — and strategy and culture ultimately drive the impact and outcomes that matter most.
A heartfelt thank you to MO-ACHE, the fellow panelists, and everyone who contributed to such a thoughtful and meaningful conversation.
INTRODUCING THE INAUGURAL STL RUN CREW X IHN ONE-MILE ROAD RACE & COMMUNITY CELEBRATION!
We are thrilled to announce a brand new event coming to St. Louis this fall — and we want you to be a part of it!
On Saturday, October 17th, IHN is partnering with STL Run Crew to host our inaugural One-Mile Road Race & Community Celebration in the heart of Old North St. Louis. This is more than a race — it is a community experience designed to bring people of all ages and abilities together through the power of movement, health, and connection.
Whether you are a seasoned runner, a casual walker, or simply looking for a fun way to engage with your community, this event is for you. Our vision is simple: create a signature St. Louis event where everyone belongs and everyone can participate — because movement looks different for everyone, and that is something worth celebrating.
Stay tuned for more details on registration, the course route, and everything we have planned for the celebration. This is just the beginning of what we hope becomes a beloved annual tradition right here in St. Louis.
Mark your calendars, lace up your shoes, and get ready to run, walk, and celebrate with us on October 17th. We can’t wait to see you there!
Register Here: https://www.movemint.cc/events/TheLouMile
HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE
OF ST. LOUIS STREETS
A new Department of Transportation is coming to St. Louis, and community voices should help shape it from the start.
That’s why Transform 314 is collecting feedback from residents about how they learn about street and sidewalk projects, how they want to be engaged, and what they expect from the St. Louis City’s new Department of Transportation.
With your help, they will provide the St. Louis City with real data from real St. Louisans before the Department launches in 2029.
Take the survey and help Transform 314 tell the St. Louis City how residents feel. Your opinions matter, and so do the conditions of our streets and sidewalks and other public infrastructure!
CCH SELECTED AS HEALTH AT HOME CHALLENGE PHASE 1 WINNER
We are proud to announce that the Administration for Community Living (ACL) selected the Missouri Collaborative, a collective effort between the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, the Mid-American Regional Council’s (MARC) Community Support Network (CSN) in Kansas City, and the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (ma4), as a Health at Home Challenge Phase 1 winner.
This federal award recognizes the strong collaborative spirit across Missouri’s Community Care Hubs (CCHs) and aging services providers across the state, reflecting the growing movement to strengthen Missouri’s CCH ecosystem to support seniors. The ma4’s participation brings 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) across the state, along with more than 500 community-based organizations (CBOs), as a service delivery network ready to partner with healthcare entities. Working together, Missouri now has the foundation for one of the nation’s most comprehensive CCH infrastructures.
We couldn’t have done it without the support of the Senior Fund of St. Louis City and Marillac Mission Fund, and we appreciate the invaluable insights and partnership that have come from so many of you. Thank you for your collaboration, insights, and investment in launching this work.
Additionally, we were incredibly grateful for the letters of support included in the application from UnitedHealthcare, Molina Healthcare, Aetna Better Health of Missouri, the EverTrue PACE program, and PACE KC, and we are excited to continue exploring contracting opportunities with these organizations that will enhance service delivery for dually-eligible and near-dually-eligible individuals.
While this is a statewide opportunity, it will make an impact locally. We are aiming to establish statewide contracts for services that will be delivered via local CBOs, driving new revenue to aging service providers in the St. Louis region and across the state to expand available services.
This is the first phase of the competition, and as we progress, we will share updates and opportunities to engage more directly.
IHN TEAM MEMBER CONTRIBUTES TO
NEW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESEARCH
IHN is proud to recognize Nathalia Gutierrez Sacasa, MPH, CPH, Program & Evaluation Manager for the CHW Tornado Recovery Project, as a co-author of a newly published study in the Community Mental Health Journal.
The study explores strategies for connecting people receiving behavioral health services with tobacco cessation treatment and examines how these approaches can be incorporated into routine care.
Congratulations to Nathalia and their fellow researchers on this publication!
Read the full article and learn more about their findings: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10597-026-01727-1
STAFF SPOTLIGHT: KAITLYN HOLMBERG
This month, we are proud to shine our Staff Spotlight on Kaitlyn Holmberg, one of IHN’s dedicated Community Referral Coordinators and a shining example of what it means to show up for patients with both hard work and heart.
As a Community Referral Coordinator (CRC), Kaitlyn works on-site in the hospital, meeting patients in acute settings and helping bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient care. Her work is rooted in a simple but powerful goal: ensuring that every patient, regardless of their ability to pay, has access to a primary care home and the health resources they need to thrive. Whether she is connecting a patient from the emergency department to a primary care home, scheduling follow-up appointments, arranging transportation, or linking someone to community resources, Kaitlyn approaches every interaction with genuine care and dedication.
Her supervisor, Emily W. LaCour, Assistant Director of Care Transitions Clinical and Community Integration, says it best:
“I have had the pleasure of working with Kaitlyn for the past 4 years and have seen firsthand the unique gifts she brings to her work. I especially appreciate her calm, can-do approach. CRCs often encounter patients during times of great stress and Kaitlyn’s relaxed and confident presence can be incredibly reassuring for them. I have also seen how impactful she has been with supporting new CRCs in onboarding and adjusting to the work. I am so grateful to have Kaitlyn on my team!”
Kaitlyn, thank you for the calm, compassion, and dedication you bring to this work every single day. We are so grateful to have you on the IHN team!
Highlighting the power of partnership. From community-based organizations to healthcare institutions, IHN is proud to collaborate across sectors to advance health equity in the St. Louis region and beyond.
ST. LOUIS LONG COVID INITIATIVE
As another virus season arrives, IHN is three years into working alongside Washington University to make Long COVID care and support more accessible across the St. Louis community. Working with community health centers, we’re helping primary care teams recognize and manage Long COVID in their own patients, while strengthening connections to specialty care when it’s needed.
Why Long COVID? Because it’s a different kind of challenge than the seasonal viruses we know. Flu, RSV, and COVID can all cause serious illness, but COVID is more likely to lead to a complex chronic condition affecting many different parts of the body. For some people, COVID doesn’t end when the initial infection does. Symptoms can continue, return, or new ones can appear over time. That’s Long COVID. It can show up as crushing fatigue, a racing heart, trouble with thinking and memory, or deep muscle and joint pain, often several at once, often shifting week to week. Two people with Long COVID can have symptoms that look nothing alike.
And it isn’t rare. About 17 million U.S. adults, roughly 1 in 15, are living with Long COVID right now, about as many as have cancer. In St. Louis City, that’s an estimated 15,000 adults. The true number is likely higher: recent research across 58 hospitals found that standard tracking misses about half of all cases. Part of the challenge is that Long COVID can be difficult to recognize and diagnose in routine care. That’s what drives IHN’s work- the communities we serve were among the hardest hit by COVID, making it especially important that Long COVID is recognized and that care is accessible when people need it.
To close those gaps, the St. Louis Long COVID Initiative works with community-based organizations like IHN across three goals: expanding access to care, improving the care experience, and strengthening primary care teams. Annual patient and clinician surveys help identify how people are living with Long COVID and where additional clinical support is needed, so resources can be shaped around those needs. Specialty services now include physical and occupational therapy as well as speech-language pathology. A no-cost, virtual peer support group also meets twice a month, led by a licensed clinical social worker and a community health worker who connect patients to support and resources. To reach people where they already seek care, the Initiative is also developing tools that help primary care teams recognize and manage Long COVID in their own practices.
With another virus season on the horizon, we’re not waiting for Long COVID to be noticed. We’re building care that recognizes it sooner, treats it close to home, and reaches the people most likely to be missed.
Get involved
Need help connecting with a primary care doctor or the WashU Long COVID clinic? Contact IHN’s Long COVID Community Health Worker, Joyce Driver at (314) 571-0874.
Are you a health care provider looking for resources or training on identifying and treating Long COVID? Contact Loire Biggs at lbiggs@stlouisihn.org.
The St. Louis Long COVID Initiative is supported by grant funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
By M. Ryan Barker, Chief Program & Policy Officer and Bill Winfrey, Vice President of Policy & Strategic Initiatives
While Presidential elections are still several years off, the electoral landscape in Missouri has been busy as of late. In August, two significant amendments were soundly defeated. The measures would have increased hurdles to voter-approved initiatives that amend the Missouri constitution (Amendment 4) and would have phased out individual income taxes based on revenue growth for the state until the income tax was eliminated (Amendment 5).
Coming up in November, there are additional health-related measures on the ballot that individuals should be aware of.
At the state level:
- Amendment 3 is revisiting the issue of the right to reproductive freedom in the state. A “yes” vote would repeal the constitutional right approved by voters in 2024, prohibiting abortions except in cases of “medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape, or incest”, and permitting abortions in cases of rape or incest only through 12 weeks of gestation. A “yes” vote would also prohibit gender transition surgeries for minors.
- Amendment 6 proposes changes to further enshrine the constitutional amendment process in the state of Missouri. A “yes” vote would prohibit the state legislature from repealing or amending a citizen petition, unless 80% or more of the House and Senate vote to refer the change to the ballot, and then voters would have to approve the change. A “yes” vote supports preservation of existing signature requirements and institutes additional protections against further hurdles to the existing constitutional amendment process.
- Proposition A is a measure affecting the congressional maps that will be used in Missouri. A “yes” vote would support the congressional maps developed in 2025 and intended to shift a Democratic-held seat in the Kansas City area to Republicans. A “no” vote would repeal the new map and maintain congressional maps put in place in 2022.
At the local level:
- St. Louis County voters will have the opportunity to vote on Proposition S. This proposition would introduce a tax of 5 cents per $100 of assessed property value (translating to a total of a $100 payment on a $200,000 home). The funds collected from this tax would support services that help individuals age 60 and older live independently and thrive in the community, which is estimated to total $15 million annually. St. Louis City has an existing tax levy in place that funds the work of the St. Louis City Senior Fund.
We will continue to monitor discussion around these amendments and encourage all to do their individual homework to prepare for important topics found on this November’s ballots.
IHN RELEASES 2025 IMPACT REPORT
We are excited to share IHN’s 2025 Impact Report, highlighting how our strategy translated into action across the region.
This edition reflects IHN’s work to strengthen the regional safety net through collaboration, community-clinical integration, workforce development, and cross-sector partnerships linking health with housing, justice, and community well-being. It also highlights our role in supporting initiatives like Empowered Thriving Communities and the Home Repair Network.
The report captures IHN’s continued growth, including expanded funding, strengthened partnerships, and programs that connect individuals and families to care and support.
Read the Impact Report:
https://bit.ly/48Ig970
Download the full report:
https://bit.ly/49gvD28
- Free Health Screenings | Every Tuesday, 9:00a.m. – 1:00p.m. | BJK People’s Health Centers
- 314 Oasis Healthcare Resources | Wednesdays, 11:00a.m. – 2:00p.m. See Full Schedule | Centennial Church, 4950 Fountain Park | See Grocery Giveaway Schedule
- Healthcare Resources | Mondays, 10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m. | St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63108, No appointment necessary
- Health Insurance Resources | Wednesdays, 1:00p.m. – 3:00p.m. | St. Louis Public Library – Carpenter Branch, 3309 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63118, No appointment necessary
- Healthcare Resources | Fridays, 10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m. | St. Louis Public Library – Central Branch, 1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, No appointment necessary
- Family Fridays | Every Friday, 3:00p.m. – 6:00p.m. | St. Paul AME Church, 1260 Hamilton Ave.
- Breast Fest 2026 | Tuesday, September 29th, 10:00a.m. – 2:00p.m. | Gateway to Hope, 3114 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, MO 63143 | Free community health event featuring the Siteman Cancer Center Mammography Van and local health and service organizations offering resources related to breast health, insurance enrollment, and community wellness. Gateway to Hope Patient Navigators will also provide assistance with accessing affordable breast healthcare, financial assistance, transportation, and more. | More info: https://gthmo.org/event/breastfest26/
- Fresh Start Community Resource Fair! | November 18th, 5:00p.m. – 7:00p.m. | Beyond Housing Headquarters, 6506 Wright Way, St. Louis, MO 63121