50 years after Roe v. Wade, many abortion providers are changing how they do business
Since the Dobbs decision in June, clinics providing abortions in what are now restrictive states have had to reinvent what they do. Shannon Brewer, pictured here in 2019 at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, now runs a clinic in Las Cruces, N.M., where abortion is legal. Rogelio V. Solis/AP The 50th anniversary of the Roe […]
Minnesota’s COVID hospital admissions lowest since May
Hospitals are still operating at or near capacity throughout the state, but pressures from COVID-19, as well as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), have decreased. Weekly flu hospitalizations peaked at just under 600 in early December and are now fewer than 100. RSV hospitalizations peaked at just under 200 in mid-November and are now […]
Minnesota House passes right to abortion bill as supporters and opponents gather
Updated 7:30 p.m. The Minnesota House of Representatives late Thursday approved a proposal to enshrine in state law the right to an abortion – and access to other reproductive health care. After hours of passionate debate, the House voted 69-65 to pass the bill. The Senate is expected to debate it next week. Gov. Tim […]
MN health officials ‘cautiously optimistic’ we’ve seen the worst of flu
Minnesota health officials are not seeing signs of more flu cases at a time when we usually get sick. The preliminary data from the weekly Influenza and Respiratory Illness Activity Report looking at Jan. 8-14 shows a decline in new hospitalizations for both influenza and the respiratory virus RSV. Outbreaks of respiratory disease in schools […]
Is it time for a reality check on rapid COVID tests?
Rapid antigen tests are ubiquitous, but some Americans have learned the hard way that a negative test result isn’t necessarily the final word. Mahmoud Illean/AP As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its fourth year, a negative result on a little plastic at-home test feels a bit less comforting than it once did. Still, you dutifully swab […]
Therapy by chatbot? The promise and challenges in using AI for mental health
Ariel Davis for NPR Just a year ago, Chukurah Ali had fulfilled a dream of owning her own bakery — Coco’s Desserts in St. Louis, Mo. — which specialized in the sort of custom-made ornate wedding cakes often featured in baking show competitions. Ali, a single mom, supported her daughter and mother by baking recipes […]
Duluth-based podcast invites survivors to host, tell their stories
CATHY WURZER: Perhaps this figure rings true for you– 70% of adults in the US have experienced at least one traumatic incident in their lives. Now, the CDC defines a traumatic event is something that’s marked by a sense of horror, helplessness, serious injury, or the threat of serious injury or death. Some adults who […]
Amid opioid epidemic, Phoenix nursery pioneers care for babies in withdrawal
This story comes from Call to Mind, American Public Media’s initiative to foster conversations about mental health. In line with the rise of the opioid epidemic, over the last decade or so there has been a dramatic increase in the number of babies who were exposed to opiates in the womb. The parents of those children […]
With less access to paid leave, rural workers face hard choices about health, family
With limited paid family leave offered by her job, Ruby B. Sutton, an environmental engineer at a mining site in northeastern Nevada, decided to stay home with her new baby full time. Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez/KHN When Ruby B. Sutton found out she was pregnant in late 2021, it was hard to envision how her full-time […]
Can you get COVID and the flu at the same time?
With COVID, flu and cold viruses spreading widely this winter, researchers looked into whether you can get infected with more than one at once. Nathan Howard/AP If you’re like most Americans, someone in your family or social circle is sick right now with COVID, flu, a cold or RSV. With the rolling waves of sickness […]