This series spotlights recent conversations we’ve had with individuals and organizations in the St. Louis region. What’s on people’s minds about health, communities, and current events? What strategies are individuals and organizations using to survive or thrive, and how can we work together toward health equity?
Mayor Terry Epps improves Pine Lawn community through collaboration
According to data from the 2020 U.S. census, the City of Pine Lawn, Mo., in north St. Louis County has over 2,700 residents, a median income of just over $23,000, and the median age is 24.5 years. For the past seven years as mayor, Terry Epps has worked to undo Pine Lawn’s history of local […]
Eye Thrive provides wraparound vision services to children, a view of a better future
One out of every four children will have or need glasses by the time they enter kindergarten, according to a 2018 report by the American Optometric Association. The non-profit Eye Thrive helps children in underserved areas who need glasses have them as early as possible through free vision services, including a mobile clinic where kids […]
Nine PBS celebrates Black and Brown kids through its multimedia literacy initiative Drawn In
How do you do community engagement well? You listen to the community, partner with them in the creation process, support their needs, evaluate, and repeat. Local public media station Nine PBS has always focused on early childhood education and being a free and engaging resource for teachers and families. It values the voice of its […]
The Empowerment Network promotes prostate cancer testing and supports survivors
The Empowerment Network (TEN) has provided brotherhood and fellowship to prostate cancer survivors and their loved ones at 6000 West Florissant Ave. in North St. Louis city for nearly 15 years. Although primarily African American men meet there, its virtual reach extends as far as Ireland. TEN exists today because of a promise to God […]
Davorka M. discusses work with refugees, effects of external and internal factors on mental health
Davorka Marovic-Johnson, MEd, NCC, LPC, had a long history of providing mental health services to refugee clients from around the globe before transitioning into private practice. The horrors of war and the stress of adjusting to a new country can have a lasting effect on mental health and physical health. Personal history Davorka came to […]