GET SCREENED: From UCare via Facebook, VERBATIM: “March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. What better time than now to talk with your healthcare provider about your colon cancer screening options and make a plan to get screened. For more information, UCare members can reach the Health Improvement Hotline at (833)951-3185 or email at outreach@ucare.org” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4biCzuW (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
POLL: Via HealthDay, VERBATIM: “COVID-19 and influenza burned through the U.S. during this year’s cold and flu season, and deadly measles outbreaks have sickened people in 19 states. So what does it take to get people vaccinated against these preventable diseases? Essentially, an outbreak within a person’s own community appears to be one of the most potent influences on Americans’ vaccination decisions, according to a new HealthDay/Harris Poll. Two-thirds of people (67%) said local outbreaks and new variants of vaccine-preventable diseases influence their decision to get a shot, poll results show.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EbeutW
BIRD FLU: Via Public News Service, VERBATIM: “In January, H5N1 avian influenza struck more than 400,000 birds in Missouri, making it the second-highest state for affected flocks at the time and a recent poll showed nearly 90% of Americans are more concerned about bird flu driving up food prices than its effects on health.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iQioHJ
SCIENTISTS: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “More than three-quarters of scientists in the U.S are weighing leaving the country and are looking at Europe and Canada as their top relocation spots, according to a survey released Thursday. The scientific journal Nature poll found that 75.3 percent of scientists are considering leaving the U.S. after the administration cut funding for research. Nearly a quarter of respondents, 24.7 percent, disagreed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3R1ukKF
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
PHARMACIES: Minneapolis councilmember Latrisha Vetaw talked with Vineeta Sawkar on WCCO-Radio’s The Morning News about pharmacy deserts, including Ward 4 which Vetaw represents. VETAW: “We had two pharmacies close down in the past, maybe, four years or so. We have a lot of seniors in this community who need prescriptions and families.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3E6lZCv
FUNDING: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Health received some tough news last week: The feds were cutting $226 million in federal health care funds to the department, grants the state was awarded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was just the latest in a flurry of funding cuts coming out of the new Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress that will affect Minnesota programs in a variety of ways.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42dRa6O
OVERDOSES: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “North Memorial Health is making overdose prevention more accessible with a new offering at its hospitals’ security desks. Both North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale and the Maple Grove Hospital will have naloxone and fentanyl test strips available for anyone who needs it, free of change. That’s thanks to a partnership with the Steve Rummler HOPE Network, a Minnesota nonprofit that addresses the opioid crisis.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4ldaDxg
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
THIS MONTH: From St. Paul-based The Emily Program via Business Wire, VERBATIM: “In recognition of April being Alcohol Awareness Month, The Emily Program, a nationally recognized leader in eating disorder specialty care and behavioral health services, today calls attention to the severely underrecognized overlap of the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment of people struggling with alcoholism and eating disorders. Alcoholism, a disease under the umbrella of substance use disorder (SUD), sees millions of diagnosed patients and silent sufferers each year, and the overlap of SUD with eating disorders is considerable. 35% of individuals diagnosed with SUD also having an eating disorder – a rate 11 times higher than the general population.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iThp9W
UNITEDHEALTH: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Tuesday that she would seek the death penalty of Luigi Mangione, who was charged with murdering the UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in front of a hotel in midtown Manhattan last December. Ms. Bondi said her decision came after ‘careful consideration’ and was in line with President Trump’s executive order directing the Justice Department to renew use of the death penalty requests after President Biden declared a moratorium on capital punishment for most federal offenders in 2021.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XH14MX
LAYOFFS: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Employees across the massive U.S. Health and Human Services Department began receiving notices of dismissal Tuesday in an overhaul ultimately expected to lay off up to 10,000 people. The cuts include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff and senior leaders, leaving the federal government without many of the key experts who have long guided U.S. decisions on medical research, drug approvals and other issues.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3E1Lfd7
MORE: Via CBS News, VERBATIM: “At least two-thirds of the staff at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, are expected to be laid off as part of a restructuring ordered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., multiple federal health officials tell CBS News. Around 873 staff are expected to be cut from NIOSH, multiple leaders within the agency were told in recent days, out of the 10,000 workers that are slated to be laid off from across the Department of Health and Human Services this year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cipWAL
WARNING: From former New York Times environment reporter Andy Revkin via Substack, VERBATIM: “There’ve been heaps of warnings since the start of the final term of President Trump . . . about the short- and long-term damage to American welfare and security from the Doge-led demolition of funding for research and budgets of relevant agencies and programs. But two of the most recent alerts stand out. One is today’s open Letter to the American People from nearly 2,000 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The signatories describe their statement as an S.O.S. and their main plea is for American institutions and citizens to join in defense of science.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41VlFzC LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/41UmHMl
ESSENTIA HEALTH INVESTS IN TWIN PORTS NURSES: Total payroll for Essentia Health Duluth-Superior nurses is $164 million, with $53 million paid in salary increases over the past 3 years. Essentia Health has also increased clinical support staff by 10% over the past 3 years, providing additional support for those nurses. Over half of Duluth area nurses have been with us for over 5 years and enjoy exceptional work-life balance. To join our team at Essentia Health, search for openings HERE: https://fluence-media.co/3FzLe0i (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
From morning take…
FENTANYL: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Aitkin County Assistant Attorney Sebastian Mesa [is pushing] the Minnesota Legislature to change the law so people face tougher penalties for exposing children to fentanyl. … He said he came across a gap in part of the law. One statute made it a felony-level offense to knowingly expose children or vulnerable adults to methamphetamine — but methamphetamine only. Fentanyl was not included. Legislation drafted after he called his state senator to inform him of the loophole would make an identical prohibition for fentanyl. It has bipartisan support.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4cdrJqx
From lunch take…
AURORA: Via Minnesota Aurora, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Aurora announced today a multi-year partnership with Allina Health to sponsor the front of the jersey for Aurora and also become the Official Health System Partner for the team.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43B2rRg
Sign up for more takes… https://fluence-media.co/TheDailyAgenda
TRANSPLANTS: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Liver transplants are becoming a new treatment option for certain colorectal cancer patients whose cancer has spread to their liver and are ineligible for other surgical options. This innovative approach is providing hope to colorectal cancer patients who otherwise are often faced with a grim prognosis. ‘Colorectal cancer is the fourth-most-common cancer in the United States, but it's also the second-deadliest cancer. At the time of diagnosis, about 1 in 5 patients will have metastatic disease, meaning the cancer has spread outside of the colon. The most common place we see metastasis is in the liver,’ says Denise Harnois, D.O., a Mayo Clinic transplant hepatologist.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QUg8TI
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
MED RECORDS: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “The changes to medical records hit federal systems first. In February, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services removed sexual orientation and gender identity questions from enrollment forms for Medicare beneficiaries, and the U.S. DOGE Service said it had removed gender identity from the personal information pages of Veterans Health Administration patients. Now, the Trump administration’s efforts to strip these demographics from patient forms have reached the private sector.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FSWFR1
LIST: 438 doctors made MplsStPaul’s Rising Stars list. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4iVSTVC
TICKS: From MDH via X, VERBATIM: “Warmer weather means more outdoor fun – but don’t let ticks ruin it! Protect yourself by pre-treating your clothing and gear with permethrin. It’s easy to use, odorless, and lasts through several washes.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4cbEl1r
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
AIR POLLUTION: From Barcelona Institute for Global Health via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, has found that children exposed to higher levels of air pollution in early and mid childhood have weaker connections between key brain regions. The findings, published in Environment International, highlight the potential impact of early exposure to air pollution on brain development. The research showed reduced functional connectivity within and between certain cortical and subcortical brain networks. These networks are systems of interconnected brain structures that work together to perform different cognitive functions, such as thinking, perceiving and controlling movement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43G7PCF
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