Rebecca Smith
Health ReporterRebecca Smith is an award-winning reporter and producer for the KBIA Health & Wealth Desk. Born and raised outside of Rolla, Missouri, she has a passion for diving into often overlooked issues that affect the rural populations of her state – especially stories that broaden people’s perception of “rural” life. She created a conversations-based journalism project, Missouri Health Talks, in 2016 that empowers people throughout the state to share their stories of access to healthcare – in their own words.
She has degrees in both Journalism and Chemistry from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and often says health reporting is the perfect marriage of individual’s stories and reporting on science.
You can reach her at smithbecky@missouri.edu or 573-882-4824.
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As the weather shifts from summer into fall, there are some natural indicators. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith reports crickets can be a tool in measuring the temperature. -
Sarah Mosteller is a lesbian in her early 20s. She spoke about how she came out somewhat unexpectedly in her teens, and about how her church community reacted. -
The rollout of this year’s updated COVID-19 vaccine has been confusing, to say the least. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith has more on who’s eligible for this year’s booster and what steps may be needed to get it. -
The sixth annual Pettis County Pride Picnic is happening tomorrow/Saturday – despite recent legislative efforts targeting LGBTQ+ Missourians and the pride fest in nearby Marshall being canceled due to safety concerns. -
Cynthia Martin grew up and still lives in very rural Missouri. She’s a transgender woman that began transitioning later in life – as she approached 40. She spoke about some of the challenges she’s faced and about her hopes for her future. -
PFLAG Sedalia is a community group focused on serving LGBTQ+ folks and their families throughout western Missouri and beyond.
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Husbands Jeff Terry and Travis Griffin live in Jefferson City. They spoke about their long and sometimes complicated relationships with God and about the joys of finding a supportive faith community. -
Jessi Frencken and Carmen Rathert are the co-owners of The Pediatric Place, an interdisciplinary therapy clinic in Clinton and Knob Noster that offer services, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, ABA [applied behavior analysis] therapy and more. -
New Growth Transit is based in El Dorado Springs, and it serves it’s community as a sort of neighbor-to-neighbor ride share – where community-member volunteers are reimbursed to drive folks to the doctor, work or to get groceries. -
There’s been a lot of confusion since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the updated COVID-19 vaccine formula late last month. Nathan Koffarnus with Missouri's Bureau of Communicable Disease spoke about the current level of COVID-19 in the state and what changes to vaccine guidelines could mean for Missourians.
