All quiet on Minnesota’s COVID front?
Perhaps the biggest COVID-19 news this week relates to the likely coming federal decision to allow seniors and those at higher risk to obtain a second bivalent booster. Those who received the updated vaccine when it was first made available in late August are well past the initial four months of peak protection. The policy […]
Lawsuit alleges Sherburne County negligent in jail inmate’s death
Sherburne County is facing another lawsuit in the death of a jail inmate who died by suicide. Justice Lee White, 23, hanged himself in the Sherburne County jail on April 10, 2020. He died at a hospital 11 days later. White’s aunt and trustee, Christine Roybal, filed a federal lawsuit against the county and two […]
How reframing mass shootings as suicide could help prevent them
As the nation grapples with another school shooting and media rushes to put it into context, there’s a good chance you’ve heard a statistic compiled right here in Minnesota. The Violence Project in St. Paul is the nonprofit, nonpartisan research center behind what’s believed to be the largest, most comprehensive database of mass shooters. And […]
New health commissioner looks to advance health equity in Minnesota
Dr. Brooke Cunningham was appointed in January as the new commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health, replacing Jan Malcolm. Previously, Cunningham was assistant commissioner of healthy equity. All Things Considered checked in with Cunningham about her vision for the department as it emerges from a public health emergency. Hear the full interview using the […]
Minnesota health systems are dropping masking requirements for patients, staff
Several Minnesota health care systems are relaxing their masking requirements in another move away from policies established at the height of the pandemic three years ago. The latest to announce is Mayo Clinic, which announced in a statement earlier this week that its system would no longer require masks in “most patient care areas on […]
A ‘new normal’: Health officials, poultry farmers brace for likely return of avian flu
Avian influenza showed up in Minnesota this year about 10 days later than last year, and experts say cases across the country are also growing at a slower rate this year. One reason for that might be later than normal snow and ice delaying the early spring migration. “They seem to be kind of held […]
Youth violence may have been provoked by pandemic stresses
Recent high-profile stories about shootings, stabbings and other violence among some juveniles and teens have permeated many recent headlines. Why is this happening? Part of the issue may be that many students are lacking the one-on-one support they need, and it doesn’t help that support staff are already spread thin. The ideal caseload for one […]
Washington state stockpiles thousands of abortion pills
Mifepristone is one of two pills used in medication abortions and is used in the vast majority of such abortions in the United State. Allen G. Breed/AP Washington state officials have stocked up on a key abortion drug in preparation for the possibility that it could become much more difficult to access nationwide, pending the […]
The big squeeze: ACA health insurance has lots of customers, small networks
The Affordable Care Act saw a record number of sign ups this year, but some people are having trouble finding doctors in their health plan networks. Getty Images The Affordable Care Act may be struggling with its own success. Record enrollment over the last two years brought more consumers into the health insurance market. At […]
Doctors are drowning in paperwork. Some companies claim AI can help
Startup companies say that new programs similar to ChatGPT could complete doctors’ paperwork for them. But some experts worry that inherent bias and a tendency to fabricate facts could lead to errors. ER Productions Limited/Getty Images When Dereck Paul was training as a doctor at the University of California San Francisco, he couldn’t believe how […]