Reach

Expanding the reach of health information into vulnerable populations and communities. 

Connections

Making connections that link people to the health services they need. 

Effectiveness

Increasing the effectiveness of health information by putting it in context of people’s lives.

Featured

At Washington University’s 2021 Founders Day event, the HCRL’s Matthew Kreuter was honored with the Distinguished Faculty Award.

 

According to Pew Research Center, 21% of U.S. adults do not intend to get vaccinated and are “pretty certain” more information will not change their mind. Washington University public health professor Matthew Kreuter discussed the public health messaging necessary to get everyone on board.

Click here to listen to St. Louis on the Air podcast

 

Addressing the Individual Social Needs of Patients with Diabetes


On the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)’s Diabetes Discoveries and Practice Blog, professor Matthew Kreuter, PhD, MPH, explains how health care professionals can address the individual social needs of patients who have diabetes.

Click here for blog post

News

Dance Battles and Stories to Boost COVID-19 Vaccinations

Dance battles might not look much like labs, but that’s where researchers from Washington University go seeking insights into how young African Americans in North St. Louis think about COVID-19. It’s essential knowledge for those working to increase the rate of vaccination in this underserved Missouri community. Since July, Matthew Kreuter, Ph.D., professor of public […]
One of these things is not like the others: COVID needs in St. Louis

One of these things is not like the others: COVID needs in St. Louis

COVID needs are drawing a more diverse set of callers to St. Louis’ top helpline. We mapped 94,661 requests to the 211 helpline for housing, food, utilities, and COVID-19 assistance from 63 ZIP codes in St. Louis City and County between March 12, 2020 and April 28, 2021. The patterns of community need were strikingly […]
COVID requests greatest in CT, IA, MA

COVID requests greatest in CT, IA, MA

When States turn to 211 to provide COVID helpline services, it shows. States partnering with 211s to respond to COVID-19 calls report a larger share of 211 requests are related to COVID-19 information, testing, and vaccination than 211s in other states. We examined 11.2 million phone requests received by 211s in 33 states between March 12, 2020 and April 18, 2021 and compared across states […]
What 211s and crisis hotlines tell us about community needs

What 211s and crisis hotlines tell us about community needs

When people need help feeding their families, they may be less likely to prioritize other needs such as mental health. We tracked requests for both needs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that when requests for food assistance increase, mental health requests decline. We examined 140,754 phone requests for food and 365,146 phone […]
Feeding Tennessee

Feeding Tennessee

Food needs nearly doubled in the first year of COVID-19 across the U.S., but not in Tennessee. Why? The difference could be due to local efforts that began almost immediately when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.