Springfieldian appointed to Missouri Foundation for Health board

The St. Louis-based Missouri Foundation for Health Board of Directors has a new Springfield member.

Francine Pratt, a local community leader and businessperson, was appointed to a 2023-25 term on the board, according to a news release. She's one of six new board members starting this year for the organization, which has 16 directors listed on its website.

“I continue to be grateful for the knowledge and dedication of our new and continuing board members,” said Dwayne Proctor, MFH president and CEO, in the release. “Their work and lived experience buttress our efforts to achieve health equity across Missouri.”

Pratt, director of the Prosper Springfield poverty reduction initiative and co-owner of Queen City Soul Kitchen, joins two other locals on the MFH board: Kyler James Sherman-Wilkins, an assistant professor at Missouri State University, and Ashanti Tate, regional director for the Heartland Center for Behavioral Change.

The MFH is a statewide health advocacy organization with a mission to "eliminate underlying causes of health inequities, transform systems and enable individuals and communities to thrive," according to its website.