{"id":9081,"date":"2026-04-03T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T08:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T13:00:08","slug":"missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
\n

Republican state Rep. Holly Jones of Eureka presents her “Food is Medicine” bill in the House this week (Tim Bommel\/Missouri House Communications).<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Missouri House gave bipartisan approval Thursday to legislation that would help Medicaid recipients get healthy, locally grown food if they have been diagnosed with chronic diet-related illnesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

One <\/span>bill<\/span><\/a>, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Holly Jones of Eureka, passed 121 to 18. Most of its provisions are also included in a wide-ranging <\/span>bill<\/span><\/a> sponsored by Republican state Rep. Tara Peters of Rolla, which passed the House Thursday 129 to 20.<\/span><\/p>\n

The legislation would require the Missouri Department of Social Services to seek federal approval for a \u201cFood is Medicine\u201d program through MO HealthNet, the state\u2019s Medicaid program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dietitians and other health care professionals would be allowed to prescribe medically tailored meals or groceries to prevent or manage chronic disease and nutrition counseling to help people develop healthy habits. They could also prescribe fresh produce using vouchers redeemable at local farmers markets, grocery stores or mobile markets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones said her bill is \u201cnot about telling people what to eat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about giving people the tools, access and support to make choices that lead to longer, healthier lives,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 bill encountered resistance over an amendment last week that added vitamins and \u201cprescription micronutrient therapy\u201d to the treatments it would cover.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democratic state Rep. Gregg Bush of Columbia, a registered nurse, said he could not vote for the bill because the vitamin industry is \u201cunregulated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>U.S. Food and Drug Administration<\/span><\/a> doesn\u2019t have legal authority to test the effectiveness or safety of vitamins or supplements before they go on the market, though agency regulations require dietary supplement labels to list all ingredients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bush, who described himself as a \u201cbig supporter\u201d of the unamended bill, said the state shouldn\u2019t use Medicaid funding for products that might not make people healthier.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many great provisions in this bill, but at the end of the day, MO HealthNet is our taxpayer dollars,\u201d Bush said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vitamins and supplements are not covered in Peters\u2019 bill, which also includes provisions to monitor the spread of <\/span>alpha-gal syndrome<\/span><\/a>, increase access to doula services and allow the sale of ivermectin over the counter.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Prescription produce<\/h4>\n

\t<\/p>\n

The legislation, which directs the department to coordinate with Missouri farmers and nonprofits to implement the program, was met with enthusiastic support during a public hearing in February.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amanda Berry, food security policy manager for the anti-poverty organization Empower Missouri, described how the higher cost of nutritious food incentivizes Missourians to choose meals that are cheap, filling \u2014 and highly processed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a young single mother, I could have gone and spent $7 on one bag of grapes for my three children to have as a snack,\u201d Berry said. \u201cOr I could go buy a bag of hot dogs, a $1 bag of buns and a 99 cent box of powdered mac and cheese, and they\u2019re going to feel like they had a meal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to providing \u201cmeaningful relief\u201d for families, Berry said, the program could save the state money.<\/span><\/p>\n

By one estimate from the Tufts University Food is Medicine Institute, providing <\/span>produce prescriptions<\/span><\/a> to Missourians with diabetes could save the state $101 million over 10 years, while <\/span>medically tailored meals<\/span><\/a> for Missourians with diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer could save $2,562 per patient per year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The program would be part of a larger movement across the country to integrate healthy food directly into clinical care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Twelve states have secured federal approval for waivers that provide nutrition support, including Arkansas, Illinois and Colorado, according to <\/span>KFF<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrina Smith, executive director of the Columbia Farmers Market, told lawmakers that the market already has systems in place to process electronic benefits and pay farmers for eligible purchases made through a produce prescription program in partnership with Compass Health and Boone County Children\u2019s Services.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, these efforts increase purchasing power for fruits and vegetables, while also strengthening Missouri agriculture,\u201d Smith said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The produce prescription program served 111 families and dispensed food worth $85,140 in 2025, according to the market\u2019s <\/span>annual report<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Billy Polansky, executive director of the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, emphasized that \u201cFood is Medicine\u201d programs can take various forms to respond to community needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

He reported successes from a program that teaches Columbia residents to garden at home, creating a source of healthy food on their porch or in their backyard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople spend less money on food,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re losing weight. They\u2019re spending less on their medical bills.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He said community organizations\u2019 involvement would be crucial to improving long-term health outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s going to be the key to supporting folks when they\u2019re not in that hospital or medical environment,\u201d Polansky said. \u201cWhen they go back home and they\u2019re living their life in their community, how can these community organizations support them?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Double dipping?<\/h4>\n

\t<\/p>\n

Some lawmakers initially expressed concern that the bill could encourage \u201cdouble dipping\u201d when combined with existing safety net programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the bill\u2019s <\/span>fiscal note<\/span><\/a>, officials from the department and MO HealthNet estimated that it could cost $3.2 million \u2013 $3.4 million per year once the program is implemented for 4,182 individuals. But they indicated that estimate doesn\u2019t reflect potential long-term savings, which \u201cwould likely occur over a lifetime.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Republican state Rep. George Hruza of Huntleigh, who voted yes on the bill, said in February that he was concerned about establishing \u201canother entitlement\u201d on top of the state\u2019s existing food safety net programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn individual gets SNAP benefits,\u201d Hruza said. \u201cNow they also get a prescription for food. So are they using the SNAP benefits for that food, or are they using these benefits for other stuff?\u2026 Some people call it double dipping.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones said her bill wouldn\u2019t duplicate SNAP because it pairs dietary advice from a health care professional with tools to follow those recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n

During House debate, Democratic state Rep. Jo Doll of St. Louis said she wasn\u2019t concerned about double dipping in the context of healthy eating.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re double dipping on fruits and vegetables,\u201d Doll said, \u201cyou go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a form of double dipping I\u2019ll allow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Republican state Rep. Holly Jones of Eureka presents her “Food is Medicine” bill in the House this week (Tim Bommel\/Missouri House Communications). The Missouri House gave bipartisan approval Thursday to legislation that would help Medicaid recipients get healthy, locally grown food if they have been diagnosed with chronic diet-related illnesses. One bill, sponsored by Republican…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMissouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients - WestplexNews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients - WestplexNews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Republican state Rep. Holly Jones of Eureka presents her “Food is Medicine” bill in the House this week (Tim Bommel\/Missouri House Communications). The Missouri House gave bipartisan approval Thursday to legislation that would help Medicaid recipients get healthy, locally grown food if they have been diagnosed with chronic diet-related illnesses. One bill, sponsored by Republican...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WestplexNews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-03T13:00:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brad Hildebrand\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brad Hildebrand\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Brad Hildebrand\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/86ac6e2a917ca881b22f6d55d1b955f0\"},\"headline\":\"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-03T13:00:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/\"},\"wordCount\":1044,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682-qGtbRQ.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/\",\"name\":\"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients - WestplexNews.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682-qGtbRQ.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-03T13:00:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682-qGtbRQ.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682-qGtbRQ.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/\",\"name\":\"WestplexNews.com\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"WestplexNews.com\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cropped-Westplex-News-MASTER-PNG-CLEAR-CROP-690-X-242.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cropped-Westplex-News-MASTER-PNG-CLEAR-CROP-690-X-242.png\",\"width\":690,\"height\":242,\"caption\":\"WestplexNews.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/86ac6e2a917ca881b22f6d55d1b955f0\",\"name\":\"Brad Hildebrand\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc2f8931c569b15114c958f40a15bda5a2ae504b7f31d3ecf1c2227aa19e0071?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc2f8931c569b15114c958f40a15bda5a2ae504b7f31d3ecf1c2227aa19e0071?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brad Hildebrand\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/Westplexnews.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/author\/bradh\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients - WestplexNews.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients - WestplexNews.com","og_description":"Republican state Rep. Holly Jones of Eureka presents her “Food is Medicine” bill in the House this week (Tim Bommel\/Missouri House Communications). The Missouri House gave bipartisan approval Thursday to legislation that would help Medicaid recipients get healthy, locally grown food if they have been diagnosed with chronic diet-related illnesses. One bill, sponsored by Republican...","og_url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/","og_site_name":"WestplexNews.com","article_published_time":"2026-04-03T13:00:08+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Brad Hildebrand","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brad Hildebrand","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/"},"author":{"name":"Brad Hildebrand","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/86ac6e2a917ca881b22f6d55d1b955f0"},"headline":"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients","datePublished":"2026-04-03T13:00:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/"},"wordCount":1044,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682-qGtbRQ.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/","name":"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients - WestplexNews.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682-qGtbRQ.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-03T13:00:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682-qGtbRQ.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/032526-1523-2-1024x682-qGtbRQ.jpg","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/missouri-house-approves-food-is-medicine-bill-aiding-medicaid-patients\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Missouri House approves \u2018Food is Medicine\u2019 bill aiding Medicaid patients"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/","name":"WestplexNews.com","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization","name":"WestplexNews.com","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cropped-Westplex-News-MASTER-PNG-CLEAR-CROP-690-X-242.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cropped-Westplex-News-MASTER-PNG-CLEAR-CROP-690-X-242.png","width":690,"height":242,"caption":"WestplexNews.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/86ac6e2a917ca881b22f6d55d1b955f0","name":"Brad Hildebrand","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc2f8931c569b15114c958f40a15bda5a2ae504b7f31d3ecf1c2227aa19e0071?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc2f8931c569b15114c958f40a15bda5a2ae504b7f31d3ecf1c2227aa19e0071?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brad Hildebrand"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/Westplexnews.com"],"url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/author\/bradh\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}