Protecting life and health

For more than four years, I've had the responsibility - and the distinct pleasure - of overseeing the federal government's health and social services operations in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. I've seen up close the kind of impact that government programs have on local communities.

I saw the aftermath of the tornado that ripped through Joplin, Mo., and I marveled at the resilience of people who quickly set about to rebuild a devastated community. I've seen the quiet efforts of our environmental health staff to reduce the levels of lead in the bloodstreams of children in Iola, Kan.

And I met a St. Louis woman whose breast cancer was discovered just five months after she was able to obtain health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

In each of these emergencies - both public and private - employees and programs of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were there to help people recover.

As the Obama administration draws to a close on Jan. 20, I'll be stepping down as HHS regional director. I'll be leaving behind an often-unheralded staff of nearly 500 people in 10 agencies who serve the people of this region in myriad ways both large and small.

Occasionally, their work is big news, such as helping communities recover in the wake of floods or tornadoes. More often, they work with little fanfare to assess threats to public health, fund services for the disabled and confront hunger and homelessness. They work to ensure that seniors have the services and care they need to age with dignity and grace.

The department's impact in this region is immense. It funds state and local governments, hires a wide range of small businesses and provides grants to hundreds of nonprofit agencies to improve the quality of life throughout the region.

In 2015 and 2016, HHS provided $33.35 billion in grants to organizations in this region: $16.4 billion was spent in Missouri and $5.6 billion in Kansas. Iowa organizations received nearly $8 billion, while Nebraska agencies took in $3.4 billion.

These funds make possible programs like Head Start, which gets children in disadvantaged families ready for school. These funds pay for domestic violence shelters, nutrition programs for seniors, winter heating assistance and disease prevention.

The biggest strides during my tenure with HHS have come in access to health care and health insurance. In this region, 56 community health clinics have opened since 2012, boosting the number from 345 to 401.

In Iowa, just one person in 20 lacked health insurance in 2015, a dramatic drop of nearly half since 2010. Uninsured rates in surrounding states also fell. In Nebraska, the rate was just 8.2 percent. In Kansas, the rate fell to 9.1 percent. Even Missouri's rate came in below 10 percent.

The progress in this region is impressive. But as I travel around the region these days, I hear the same concerns expressed in small towns and big cities: What is going to happen to my Social Security? My Medicare? Will my local clinic lose its funding? What will happen to my health insurance?

Recent political rhetoric questioning the future of many programs has triggered concerns about what the future holds.

A new Congress and a new president will face a choice: Build on the progress that has been made, or take back the protections and advancements on which people depend.

Especially in regard to health insurance, residents of this region should not let the present political uncertainty discourage them from getting covered. Financial help for people of modest incomes still is in place. The law still requires insurance to cover a wide range of preventive care. And you can still keep your kids on your insurance plan until age 26.

All the programs that I've mentioned are part of the fabric of our nation, and until the laws are changed, they will continue to help millions of people.

As Winston Churchill said, 'The future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope.”

' Stephene Moore is regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.