State Emergency Management Agency Archives

Mass vaccination clinics are scheduled for Monday in four Missouri towns

February 28, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Four mass vaccination clinics are planned across Missouri on Monday.

The Missouri National Guard directs traffic at a mass vaccination clinic in northern Missouri’s Unionville on February 27, 2021 (photo courtesy of the State Emergency Management Agency’s Twitter page)

The Missouri National Guard, state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and local health agencies are conducting the clinics.

Monday’s mass vaccination clinics are taking place in eastern Missouri’s Arnold, which is south of St. Louis. They’re also taking place in southeast Missouri’s Cape Girardeau, mid-Missouri’s Boonville and in southern Missouri’s Cuba, which is northeast of Rolla.

Locations are the First Baptist Church of Arnold, Cape Girardeau’s Show Me Center, the Isle of Capri casino in Boonville and Cuba’s Knights of Columbus hall.

Governor Mike Parson announced Thursday afternoon that more than 66,500 Missourians have received an initial COVID vaccine dose at a mass vaccination event. More than 70 of these clinics have been completed across the state, including an event Saturday in northern Missouri’s Unionville.

Missouri vaccinators have now administered more than 1.2 million doses of the COVID vaccine, which includes first and second doses. DHSS says 13.7 percent of Missourians have received at least one dose.

Missouri pulls plug on this week’s mass vaccination events due to winter weather

February 16, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson says this week’s state-organized COVID-19 mass vaccination events have been canceled. A press release from Parson’s office says extreme winter weather has led to the change.

February 2021 mass vaccination clinic in southeast Missouri. Photo courtesy of Missourinet affiliate KREI in Farmington

“Missouri is experiencing severe winter weather that makes driving dangerous and threatens the health and safety of anyone exposed to the cold. These conditions will also likely delay some vaccine shipments,” says Parson. “We want to protect the safety of everyone involved in the mass vaccination events, from the patients being vaccinated to the volunteers who generously support these events.”

The release says the state is making every effort to reschedule these events, but individuals who were registered are encouraged to reach out to other vaccinators in their region in the meantime. Missourians scheduled to receive a vaccine this week through other providers should check with their vaccinator for any potential schedule changes.

To ensure that no vaccine doses are endangered, Parson says arriving vaccine shipments for this week’s events will remain in each of the nine Missouri State Highway Patrol regions across the state and redistributed to community hospitals with emergency generators. Community hospitals can give vaccinations in compliance with Missouri’s current activated tiers to eligible local health care workers, first responders, and high-risk residents.

This week, the mass vaccination program was also scheduled to administer second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. These events are being postponed, but the state says doses will be retained in the region. Plans are being made to give these doses as soon as possible.

The slight delay will not affect the efficacy of the booster dose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the second dose may be administered as late as six weeks after the first dose.

The Missouri National Guard’s targeted vaccination teams working to vaccinate vulnerable at-risk citizens in St. Louis and Kansas City will focus this week on locations that do not require citizens to travel to be vaccinated, including senior apartments, retirement centers, and similar locations.

“We are extremely appreciative of all the hard work, sacrifices, and rapid adjustments that are being made by our state and local partners to quickly get the vaccine into arms across our state,” says Parson.

For additional information, updates on mass vaccination events, and other vaccinators in your region, visit MOStopsCOVID.com.

This week’s mass vaccination events announced in Missouri

February 15, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

Photo courtesy of Missourinet affiliate KREI in Farmington

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and Gov. Mike Parson have announced this week’s coronavirus vaccination locations in each of the nine regions in the state. This is the fourth consecutive week of state-organized mass vaccination events.

“While weather forecasts indicate Missouri will experience frigid temperatures this week, DHSS, the Missouri National Guard, State Emergency Management Agency, and our local partners remain dedicated to our shared goal of getting vaccines into the arms of every Missourian who wants one as quickly as possible,” Parson says in a press release. “We thank all Missourians for their continued interest in getting the vaccine. Everyone will have an opportunity to receive a vaccine as soon as supply allows.”

Due to potentially dangerous and changing weather conditions, Missourians should visit the website below prior to traveling to confirm their regions mass vaccination event has not been canceled.

For event locations and times, visit MOStopsCovid.com/events.

A press release from Parson’s office says the National Guard, DHSS, and SEMA teams will return to each site after 21 days for Pfizer vaccines and 28 days for Moderna vaccines to give the second doses. Unless otherwise notified of a location change, the state says individuals should plan to return for their second dose at the same site that they received their first dose.

Larger Missouri hospitals and other private providers may hold their own vaccination events, but these events are not hosted by the Missouri National Guard, DHSS, or SEMA. The state is committing about 53% of weekly vaccine allocations to these hospitals and 23% to the regional mass vaccination events. The remaining 24% will go to local public health agencies, federally qualified health centers, and other enrolled community providers.

As of Sunday night, Parson’s office says more than 871,000 total doses have been completed by Missouri providers since last December.

Missourians who would like to register for a vaccination are encouraged to use Missouri’s Vaccine Navigator or to reach out to health centers in their area. A list of vaccinators as well as the latest vaccine updates can be found at MOStopsCOVID.com.

Friday’s vaccination event in southeast Missouri is a go; Poplar Bluff crews work to clear ice

February 11, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

State officials say Friday’s mass vaccination clinic in southeast Missouri’s Poplar Bluff will continue as scheduled, despite a two-day ice storm.

Members of the Missouri National Guard gather in southeast Missouri’s Poplar Bluff for the January 22, 2021 vaccination event (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

About 1,900 people received their first Pfizer COVID vaccinations in Poplar Bluff on January 22. Friday’s event will be for the second COVID shot.

The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Butler County health officials say Friday’s event will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Black River Coliseum (BRC). The BRC is a 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena.

Butler County health officials say Poplar Bluff Police and street crews have been working to clear ice and ensure that sidewalks and the parking lot are safe.

Golf carts from the Poplar Bluff parks department will be used to help those unable to walk from the parking lot to the front door. And the Black River Coliseum’s top drive is open for anyone dropping off or picking up those who will be receiving their COVID vaccination.

Poplar Bluff was hit hard by the ice storm that hit Wednesday and Thursday. Parts of southeast Missouri received about a half-inch of ice during the storm. That half-inch included sleet, which came after freezing rain.

Most schools across southeast Missouri have been closed. The ice storm also caused numerous crashes on I-55 and I-57.

Federal funds to help Missouri school districts dealing with COVID pandemic; lawmakers say resources are needed (AUDIO)

December 7, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

About $76 million in federal money will be heading to Missouri’s k-12 schools, once Governor Mike Parson signs the supplemental budget bill.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks on the House floor in Jefferson City on November 10, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, says the $1.27 billion supplemental budget includes $75.6 million for school nutrition services.

“i.e., paying for meals in k-12 education,” Smith says. “So this is a supplement, an additional federal fund that we’re appropriating for that will go to help compensate schools for the cost of those meals.”

The $75.6 million will reimburse Missouri’s k-12 schools, for feeding students during the COVID pandemic.

Missouri lawmakers approved the supplemental budget with large bipartisan votes in both chambers. The Missouri House approved it by a 133-4 vote in November, and the Senate approved it last week on a 23-1 vote.

Chairman Smith says an additional $266,463 in federal money will also be going to Missouri’s K-12 schools. He notes state lawmakers appropriated federal grant money for the Missouri Healthy School program.

“This is to disseminate the COVID-19 guidance that comes down from the CDC, so that we can help schools administer the guidance as it is issued by the CDC,” says Smith.

The CDC is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is good news to school superintendents across the state, who have been dealing with tight budgets because of the pandemic. Some local superintendents in northeast Missouri reached out to our Quincy affiliate WGEM on Friday, seeking information on when the money will start flowing.

Chairman Smith tells Missourinet the funding is very important to local school districts.

“We know that it’s been a tremendous challenge to try to educate our children in the face of a pandemic, and so all these resources are sorely needed across the state,” Smith says.

The largest part of the $1.27 billion supplemental budget is $764 million for the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), to help the agency respond to the ongoing pandemic. Another $23 million will go toward the community development block grant program, to support local community projects.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, which was recorded on December 4, 2020:

Missouri’s specialized medical team continues helping communities during pandemic

October 26, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

When a disaster strikes in Missouri, the state’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team springs into action when seconds count. The specialized team, known as MO DMAT-1, has been around for many years to serve the public when any community is ripped apart by a natural disaster. According to Planning Section Chief Larry Woods, Missouri is one of the only states in the nation with a statewide team providing such aid during the community’s most dire time.

Missouri’s specialized medical team continues helping communities during pandemic

Team members include advanced clinicians (nurse practitioners/physician assistants), medical officers, registered nurses, certified nurse aides, pharmacists, logistical specialists and administrative specialists.

Since the spring, MO DMAT-1 has been working to help the state get a handle on a different type of disaster – COVID-19. Caty Luebbert with the State Emergency Management Agency says Missouri has hired about 200 team members since the early days of the pandemic. The team currently includes more than 350 members.

Luebbert says the team has completed more than 170 COVID-19 related missions so far.

“Most of that has been assisting with testing efforts or supporting staffing for local communities, whether that be at hospitals, healthcare providers or other long-term care facilities,” she says. “Some of the other stuff that they’ve been involved in has been like medical screenings. So, they’ve been at some of the state facilities providing temperature checks. They’ve also done some delivery of essential personal protective equipment.”

Members are also delivering remdesivir, an experimental COVID-19 drug said to reduce recovery time for seriously ill coronavirus patients in a hospital. Some workers are helping in five of Missouri’s Veterans Homes. The long-term care centers have had at least 71 veterans die from COVID-19 since September 1.

Luebbert says local communities request help from the state and then Missouri can move in to respond to certain needs.

“They’ve been critical to supporting our local communities during the pandemic and to adjust and adapt for missions, especially on a moment’s notice, has really helped these local facilities be able to provide care to their patients,” says Luebbert. “Many of the facilities that they have provided support for staffing or testing have truly expressed their appreciation over the course of COVID-19. That’s why it’s so important for us to continue recruiting team members because we plan to continue providing these critical services for the foreseeable future.”

The state continues to hire for DMAT positions. Click here for more information.

Missouri makes progress on building up its personal protective equipment supply

August 26, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri continues to work on its supply of personal protective equipment to help battle COVID-19. State Department of Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten tells Missourinet the pricing for the gear is better than it used to be.

Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten (Photo courtesy of governor’s Flickr page)

“For example, the N95 masks that you’ve heard a lot of people talk about – in March and April timeframe, those were around $4 to $5 per mask. Now we’re getting them for 67 cents on up to 73 cents. It just varies,” she says.

The equipment, like masks, face shields, gowns and gloves, are used by Missouri’s first responders and healthcare workers.

The state gets daily shipments of the items – allowing Missouri to make regular deliveries to first responders and healthcare workers and to build up a stockpile.

“I feel better with where we are now compared to where we were earlier – at the beginning of this COVID, but we still have got a long way to go to get to the levels we need to have a sustained supply of PPE. I feel better but I wouldn’t say good yet,” Karsten says.

The Office of Administration will soon take over that equipment responsibility from the State Emergency Management Agency.

“It looks like we are going to be positioning ourselves for the next year to year and a half,” she says.

Karsten was at a State Emergency Management Agency warehouse this week in Jefferson City when 400,000 masks were being loaded and delivered to schools in St. Louis and St. Charles Counties.

Missouri woman whose mom died from COVID delivers photo memorial to governor’s office

August 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A St. Louis woman whose mother died from the coronavirus in June is calling on Missouri’s governor and other elected officials to take stronger action to control the spread of the disease.

St. Louis resident Angela Kender briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on August 11, 2020. Kender’s mother died from COVID in June (photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

Angela Kender traveled to Jefferson City on Tuesday to deliver copies of photos of Missourians who’ve died from COVID to the governor’s office. Kender also joined House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, for a Statehouse news conference. Kender says COVID families have had enough.

“Missourians are dying due to terrible leadership, and in this state, lack of policy entirely. The continued deaths are preventable and that is why I am here today. My mother’s life mattered,” Kender says.

Kender supports a statewide mask order, that includes schools. She brought 15 photos of Missourians who have died from COVID.

“I am here today to shine light on these faces that are gone,” says Kender. “Because if you look at these faces and you don’t realize that it could easily be you or your loved one, you are sadly mistaken.”

State health officials say there have been 1,312 COVID deaths in Missouri.

Missourinet contacted the governor’s office to see if they have a response to Kender’s comments. We have not heard back, at this time.

Governor Mike Parson (R) opposes a statewide mask order, telling Missourinet at a July 22 press conference that it’s not the state’s place to mandate everyone to wear a mask.

“I am not anti-mask and I’ll say that clearly again. I wear a mask from time-to-time when I feel that need is there. I am not anti-mask, what I am is anti-mandates,” Parson said that day.

The governor also announced last week that 1.8 million cloth masks have been made available through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and that state officials are developing a plan to distribute them to school districts. Parson also said last week that $7.5 million of Missouri’s Coronavirus Relief Fund has been allocated to a cost-share program with local counties, to help schools cover personal protective equipment (PPE) costs. The money will also help schools with cleaning and medical supplies for school buildings and buses.

Missouri Education Commissioner Dr. Margie Vandeven testified Tuesday before a House committee in Jefferson City. Vandeven says the state has distributed as much federal COVID aid to schools, as it can at this time.

As for Leader Quade, she wants Governor Parson to call a special session about the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the pandemic still spreading throughout Missouri, the governor’s top priority should be on protecting lives,” Quade says. “Instead, the governor wants to talk about anything but COVID-19. However, we will not let the human toll of this disease be forgotten.”

Quade says Missouri’s school districts have not received proper guidance from the Parson administration, about this fall.

Quade and Kender were also joined Tuesday by a Kansas City teacher, who represents a new group called “Missourians for Educational Change.” He expresses safety concerns about school reopening, and says it should be virtual.

Missouri House committee to hear Tuesday testimony from Vandeven and Williams about COVID-19

August 7, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s health director and the education commissioner will both testify Tuesday in Jefferson City before a bipartisan Missouri House Committee that’s related to the coronavirus.

Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Margie Vandeven briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on July 6, 2020 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

The Missouri House Special Committee on Disease Control and Prevention will meet Tuesday morning at 10:30 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City. The committee is chaired by State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, a private practice general surgeon. The committee’s ranking Democrat is State Rep. Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia. Kendrick is the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

The committee will be examining the decision by school districts in reopening buildings to students, and will get an update on Missouri’s use of federal CARES Act funding.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says Missouri now has 57,379 confirmed cases, up from 55,321 on Wednesday.

Chairman Patterson tells Missourinet that DHSS Director Dr. Randall Williams will testify on Tuesday morning, about the trajectory Missouri is on. Dr. Patterson is also interested what will happen if/when a COVID-19 vaccine is developed. Patterson wants to know if DHSS has a plan in place.

Another key part of Tuesday’s hearing will involve Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Margie Vandeven, who will testify about schools.

Chairman Patterson notes that he has a nine-year-old and a six-year-old in public school. He says the number one issue he’s hearing about from constituents is about school plans.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson says his office has worked closely with the State Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and DHSS to address questions about reopening.

Earlier this week, DESE and DHSS released updated schoool reopening guidance, which addresses frequently asked questions. DESE and DHSS recommend that local school leaders require school staff members to wear face coverings, “as the data indicates COVID-19 transmission is more likely from adult to student, than from student to adult.”

Contact tracing is also addressed in the report from DESE and DHSS.

Governor Parson says the state is working to help school districts with personal protective equipment (PPE), noting that 1.8 million cloth masks have been made available through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

The governor says DESE and SEMA are currently working to develop a plan to distribute the masks to Missouri school districts.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, announced the committee’s creation earlier this year. Chairman Patterson notes this will be the committee’s second hearing: they met on March 2 and heard testimony from Dr. Williams.

At that time, Dr. Williams testified there had been no confirmed cases in Missouri. About 100 people had been self-monitoring, according to testimony.

Governor Parson says Missouri is one of the states the White House is concerned about, with increasing COVID-19 cases. The governor told Capitol reporters this week that Vice President Mike Pence called him on Sunday, to offer additional assistance and resources to battle the pandemic.

Two Missouri lawmakers: major PPE donation highlights importance of Missouri State Defense Force (AUDIO)

May 21, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Two state lawmakers from eastern Missouri’s St. Charles County have worked with a former Missouri State Defense Force member to secure 3,000 protective face shields for health care workers across the state.

Missouri State Defense Force members Sgt. Tim Coen (left) and Col. Art Bottorff carry boxes of protective face shields, along with State Rep. Adam Schnelting, R-St. Charles, and Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon (May 2020 photo courtesy of Pro Tem Wiemann’s office)

House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, and State Rep. Adam Schnelting, R-St. Charles, partnered with former Missouri State Defense Force member Col. Art Bottorff. Wiemann says the donation will be distributed by the Missouri Hospital Association, through the State Emergency Management Agency.

“And will go to hospitals that are in the most highest need that have a low supply of face shields,” Wiemann says.

The shields will also go to health care workers in high-need clinics, along with EMS and shelter employees.

Wiemann tells Missourinet he’s grateful for the former members of the State Defense Force, for the donation. Wiemann, Schnelting and Col. Bottorff coordinated the donation, after working with GetMePPENational and its affiliate, Boston Scientific. They also worked with the Purdue University Parents Association.

The face shields were made by Boston Scientific.

Pro Tem Wiemann describes face shields as an extra layer of protection, for workers who wear masks.

“When you’re in a medical environment, there are liquids, there are airborne things that are floating in the air, that someone could cough in your face, and it may not necessarily block them from getting into your eyes or other parts of your body,” says Wiemann.

As for Representative Schnelting, he’s a former member of the Missouri State Defense Force. The freshman Republican is crediting the organization for helping to secure the donation. Schnelting notes the health care employees will be receiving CDC and FDA-certified protective face shields.

Schnelting, who serves on the Missouri House Special Committee on Homeland Security, notes the State Defense Force has a dual mission: homeland security and disaster response.

“So securing items like PPE for those on the front lines in a scenario like this pandemic plays right into the purpose of the State Defense Force,” Schnelting says.

The State Defense Force was a military reserve force in Missouri that was inactivated due to budgetary concerns, on the same day the state received its first case of COVID-19. Col. Bottorff praises the Legislature for restoring funding for the Force, last week. The Colonel also says he hopes Governor Mike Parson “will see the great value of reactivating the State Defense Force.”

Schnelting says the shields will be deployed to health care workers, with the greatest need in the state.

Pro Tem Wiemann credits Bottorff for identifying the face shields, which were being warehoused in another state.

“We knew we needed to move quickly because these face shields are in high demand,” Wiemann says.

Wiemann and Schnelting also praise Missouri’s physicians, nurses, EMS and other first responders who are working around the clock to keep residents safe.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, and State Rep. Adam Schnelting, R-St. Charles. It was recorded on May 18, 2020: