Alex Smith
KMUW
Kansas City, MO, United States
Contact Alex
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Past articles by Alex:
A Kansas man with a rare disorder spent decades advocating for gene therapy. It may never help him
Donavon Decker became, in more ways than one, an ambassador of limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2D, a rare degenerative disorder. But decades after he participated in patient trials and fundraised for research, drug companies are still nowhere close to a cure. → Read More
Missouri Republican leaders tout strong abortion restrictions. Here’s what residents think
More Missourians want to keep abortion legal than make it illegal, a major national research organization found. → Read More
More Black Americans Are Buying Guns. Is It Driving Up Black Suicide Rates?
Gun buying among African Americans has soared in recent years. So have suicide rates among young Black men. Suicide prevention and gun safety efforts need to address race and cultural differences, … → Read More
Thousands of Kansas Citians can’t get Medicaid coverage because Missouri's process is illegally slow
Jackson County should have seen Missouri's largest enrollment in Medicaid expansion, but only a fraction of eligible resident have been signed up. That's partly because it takes almost 100 days for Missouri to approve an application — more than twice the maximum time allowed under federal law. → Read More
More Black Americans are buying guns. Is it driving up Black suicide rates?
Gun buying among African Americans has soared in recent years. So have suicide rates among young black men. Gun safety efforts and suicide prevention need to address race and cultural differences. → Read More
As Climate Worsens, Environmentalists Grapple With the Mental Toll of Activism
After her son’s death by suicide, a mother promotes mental health for environmentalists. It’s part of a larger push to address the burnout and psychological stress that can affect activ… → Read More
Missouri has done little to get the word out about Medicaid expansion, so few people are signing up
Months after a court ordered Missouri to expand Medicaid, the state has been slow to reach out to hundreds of thousands of eligible residents who could benefit from the public health care program. → Read More
As climate worsens, environmentalists also grapple with the mental toll of activism
After her son's death, a mother in the Midwest promotes mental health for environmentalists. It's part of a larger push to address the burnout and psychological stress that can affect activists. → Read More
Missouri Gave Up $370 Million In Highway Construction Funds To Let Passengers Drink Booze
As a penalty for ignoring federal safety laws, Missouri has diverted millions of dollars in road construction funds to safety programs. But critics say the state's open container policies make roads more dangerous. → Read More
As COVID Booster Shots Become Available, Here’s What Kansas Residents Should Know
Biden administration officials announced plans for COVID-19 booster shots to be made widely available starting September 20. But local health departments and experts are scrambling to keep up with the latest guidance and research. → Read More
More Than 10,000 Missouri Residents Have Now Died From COVID-19
New cases and hospitalization in the Kansas City area continue to climb, even as the statewide spike shows signs of slowing. → Read More
Delta Variant Causing More Than 90% Of Missouri's COVID Cases, Highest Rate In U.S.
Younger children, who cannot yet be vaccinated, are among those who may be more susceptible to the more-contagious variant. → Read More
Missouri Now Seeing 2,000 New Coronavirus Cases Every Day, Highest Rate Since January
Vaccinations have increased in Missouri's hardest-hit areas but remain far below levels needed to stop COVID-19 from spreading. → Read More
So Far The Feds Have Sent Only One Person To Help Missouri Fight The Raging Delta Variant
Missouri now has over 1,000 COVID cases per day, an infection level not seen in months. → Read More
For People Developing Dementia, Wash U Doctor Prescribes Simple Lifestyle Changes
Dementia cases are projected to explode in coming decades, but new research shows lifestyle changes can reduce 40% of cases. → Read More
In Missouri And Other States, Flawed Data Makes It Hard To Track Vaccine Equity
Data collection for race and ethnicity vary among states, complicating efforts to distribute COVID-19 shots to all groups. In Missouri, health officials have questioned the data's usefulness. → Read More
In Missouri and Other States, Flawed Data Makes It Hard to Track Vaccine Equity
Racial and ethnic categories for vaccination data vary widely from one state to another, complicating efforts to distribute shots where they are needed most. In Missouri, some red flags in the data… → Read More
In Missouri And Other States, Flawed Data Makes It Hard To Track Vaccine Equity
Data collection for race and ethnicity vary among states, complicating efforts to distribute COVID-19 shots to all groups. In Missouri, health officials have questioned the data's usefulness. → Read More
Missouri Governor Mike Parson Orders State Employees To Return To Offices On May 17
Absent statewide mandates, local communities should continue to use preventive measures to ensure safe working conditions, an expert said. → Read More
Hesitation Toward COVID Vaccine Remains Strong Among Many Missouri Residents, New Poll Finds
Polling suggests that attitudes and misunderstandings among political conservatives and people with limited health care coverage may pose the biggest challenges to mass vaccination. → Read More