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<p style="font-weight:bold; display: inline; line-height:150%; font-size: 115%;">1005 W. Worley St. <br />Columbia, MO 65203</p></div>
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<p style="font-size: 150%; font-weight: bold;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</p>
<p style="font-size: 120%; margin-top: -5px; font-weight:bold;">August 12, 2026</p>
<p style="float:right; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom: 25px; font-size: 100%; text-align:right;">CONTACT: Austin Krohn <br />Public Information Specialist <br />573.874.7604 <br />Austin.Krohn@CoMo.gov <br /> <br />Kaye Vandendaele <br />Health Program Coordinator <br />573.874.7285 <br />Kaye.Vandendaele@CoMo.gov</p>
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<div style="font-size: 110%; line-height:150%;"><h1 style="clear:both; margin-top: 75px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 130%;">The 2026 Boone County Maternal Child Health Assessment is now available</h1>
<div class="content"><span style="padding-left: 50px;">(COLUMBIA, MO)</span> - <p style="display:inline;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2026 Boone County Maternal Child Health (MCH) Assessment is now available to the public. The report provides insights into the health of 44% of the population of Boone County, including children up to the age of 18 and women up to the age of 44. For more information, view the </span><a style="white-space:nowrap" href="https://www.como.gov/health/2026-boone-county-maternal-child-health-assessment/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2026 Boone County Maternal Child Health Assessment</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) conducts a county-level MCH assessment every five years to determine which of the </span><a style="white-space:nowrap" href="https://health.mo.gov/families/healthy-families/maternal-child-health"><span style="font-weight: 400;">statewide priorities</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is most important to address.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After analyzing maternal child health indicators, Community and Stakeholder Survey responses and the Community Capacity Assessment, PHHS determined Boone County’s priority maternal child health issue to be: </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Strengths-based services & supports to promote healthy family relationships & functioning, enhance resilience, foster social connections and support children’s social & emotional development.</span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The MCH Assessment helps staff identify the needs of our local maternal and child populations, ensuring that PHHS programming and services are directed toward making the biggest impacts for our community," said Sarah Varvaro, Public Health Planning and Promotion Manager.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The findings of this assessment will be used to guide programming to promote the health of families and children in Boone County over the next five years and beyond.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">PHHS collaborates with community members and partners to build a plan that works at multiple levels (e.g., individual, community, policy, etc.) and prioritizes preventing poor health outcomes before they occur.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">This project is funded in part by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Maternal Child Health (MCH) Services Contract DH220051072, and is supported by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant B04MC52935, Maternal and Child Health Services for $12,742,189, of which $0 is from non-governmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.</span></em></p></div>
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<div class="content"><strong>Location:</strong> <a style="white-space:nowrap" href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/6f3861f1e730435182b939631f4731aa/page/page/#widget_32=search_status:%7B%22searchText%22%3A%221005 W. Worley St.%22%7D" target="_blank">1005 W. Worley St.</a></div>
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