Over-the-counter birth control is coming. Here’s what to know about cost and coverage
Opill, the first daily oral contraceptive that will be available for sale over the counter in stores as well as online, was approved by the FDA last week. Perrigo Co. Last week, the FDA approved Opill, the first daily oral contraceptive that will be available for sale over the counter in stores as well as […]
Five cases of Legionnaires’ disease confirmed in Grand Rapids, Minn.
The state Department of Health is investigating five confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease, clustered in Northern Minnesota. Legionnaires’ disease is caused by exposure to the bacteria Legionella, typically spread through aerosolized water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It isn’t generally spread through person-to-person contact, or through drinking contaminated water. Exposure can […]
Duluth city councilors to introduce ban on smoking marijuana in outdoor public spaces
Updated: 4:16 p.m. Three Duluth city councilors announced Wednesday they plan to introduce an ordinance to ban smoking marijuana in public outdoor spaces. The proposed ordinance would prohibit smoking or vaping of marijuana in all public parks, as well as on streets, sidewalks, easements, publicly owned property and publicly owned or operated parking lots or […]
New campaign to ‘accept, prevent, treat’ mental health concerns of Minnesota first responders
Trauma can be cumulative throughout a career in law enforcement. While first responders rush to help, they’re often the last to find help for themselves. The deadly shooting last Friday in Fargo that left a rookie police officer dead, and three other people — including two police officers — injured, comes just as the state […]
Minneapolis behavioral crisis response team says its success is despite lack of support from city
CATHY WURZER: The Minneapolis city council will vote on a new contract this week for the city’s behavioral crisis response team. That’s a team of mental health workers that responds to some 911 mental health crisis calls instead of police. The team received a pat on the back from the federal Department of Justice last […]
Extreme heat and a changing climate: How to protect ourselves
It’s been a record-setting summer for hot temperatures across the world. The Twin Cities ended June as the third-hottest on record and Earth recorded the hottest global temperatures in the first week of July. Last week, excessive heat warnings and advisories blanketed southern and southwestern states from California to Florida — meaning at some point […]
After a historic downturn due to the pandemic, childhood immunizations are improving
A baby receives the DPT vaccine, that can prevent diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, as part of a monthly check-up medical program for children at an integrated services post in Banda Aceh on June 8, 2023. CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP via Getty Images Fewer children around the world missed receiving routine vaccinations in 2022 compared to the year […]
Allina Health announces layoffs affecting around 350 workers
Updated: 4:25 p.m. Allina Health is laying off some 350 workers, according to an announcement from the health system Monday. That includes staff at Mercy and United hospitals, according to internal emails shared with MPR News. In the health system’s statement, Allina said it is facing “unprecedented financial challenges,” and said the jobs involved in […]
Endometriosis, a painful and often overlooked disease, gets attention in a new film
Below the Belt is a documentary about endometriosis. Below the Belt Jenneh Rishe, a registered nurse, is not the type to let a health mystery go unsolved. At age 30 and living in Los Angeles, she was determined to suss out the cause of the abdominal pain that sent her to the ER seven times […]
Startup aims to make lab-grown human eggs, transforming options for creating families
Conception’s chief scientific officer, Pablo Hurtado, examines very early primordial germ cells under a microscope in a company lab in Berkeley, California. Laura Morton for NPR BERKELEY, CALIF. — On a cloudy day on a gritty side street near the shore of San Francisco Bay, a young man answers the door at a low concrete […]