ORBIE AWARDS: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “Congratulations to this year’s National ORBIE Awards 2025 Finalists including UCare’s own EVP/CIO Darin McDonald, nominated in the Health Care sector. Last year he WON the Large Enterprise ORBIE. We’re so proud of you Darin.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4gMALf3 (SPONSORED: UCare)
DRINKING: Via Morning Consult, VERBATIM: “The culture of drinking in the U.S. is undergoing a significant transformation. While the adult beverage category has expanded with an explosion of global influences and innovative products and flavor profiles, fewer Americans are consuming alcohol overall. At the same time, the low- and non-alcoholic beverage market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by consumers, particularly younger generations, seeking less-boozy alternatives.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hXkLYx
CUTS: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “About two-thirds of Americans say the U.S. government is spending ‘too little’ on Social Security and education, according to a January AP-NORC poll. Another 6 in 10, roughly, say too little money is going to assistance to the poor. A similar share say spending is too low for Medicare, the national health care insurance program for seniors, and most also say Medicaid is under-funded by the federal government. About half say border security is not receiving enough funding.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EKajFt
ISSUES: Via YouGov, VERBATIM: “A new YouGov survey explored which of 20 issues Americans are most likely to say they trust Donald Trump to handle as president, and which of 20 descriptors they think apply to him.”
SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3XazveD
COSMETIC PROCEDURES: Via University of Michigan, VERBATIM: “Overall, 39% of parents say they know someone who has had a non-surgical cosmetic procedure, including teeth whitening or veneers (24%), hair removal (24%), fillers (15%), or laser skin treatment (11%). However, few parents say their teen girl (7%) or teen boy (1%) has asked about non-surgical cosmetic procedures. In describing their beliefs about non-surgical cosmetic procedures, 51% of parents say teens should be allowed to get them only for valid reasons, 31% think teens should be prohibited from them under any circumstances, and 18% believe teens should be allowed to get them for any reason, as long as they have parental approval.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b8Z3yM
WORK: Via News Medical, VERBATIM: “In the recently published National Poll on Healthy Aging, researchers asked older Americans (those aged 50 and over) about their perspectives on working, including what motivates them, what holds them back, and how they feel work has impacted their quality of life. Their findings show that even though health-related barriers can hold older people back from working, those who continue to work, particularly those over 65, overwhelmingly say that it has a positive effect on their overall physical and mental well-being.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b4FPu2
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
CUTS: Via Fierce Healthcare, VERBATIM: “The firings began at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, before extending throughout virtually all of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) divisions by the end of the weekend, reported numerous media outlets. Impacted workers took to social media to confirm the news. Eight former HHS subagency leaders in the Biden administration condemned the decision to unceremoniously fire workers across HHS in a statement released Feb. 17. Among the signees was the former heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hFBKyY
MORE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “President Trump’s plan to shrink the size of the federal work force dealt blows to thousands of civil servants in the past few days. But the cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services — coming on the heels of the coronavirus pandemic, the worst public health crisis in a century — have been especially jarring. Experts say the firings threaten to leave the country exposed to further shortages of health workers, putting Americans at risk if another crisis erupts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QoUg2w
MORE: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “But as criticism grew on Friday over the Trump administration’s dismissal of thousands of workers across the federal government, the officials stressed that employees in key areas — namely politically sensitive staffers such as CDC and FDA scientists, frontline health care workers and Medicare employees — had been exempted. At HHS, administration officials excluded roughly 4,000 employees who were determined to work in critical areas, the officials said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41732XK
OPIOIDS: From Mary Divine via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Jake Lanhart started smoking marijuana when he was 11 or 12 years old. His parents had no idea. When he was 13, he brought a backpack full of pills from his parents’ medicine chest — Benadryl, Tylenol, prescription painkillers — to Burnsville Middle School to trade for pot. His parents found out when they got a call from the principal . . . Pam Lanhart, a certified family recovery consultant, was convinced there had to be other effective approaches ‘that didn’t propagate the stigma that addiction is a sin or some sort of moral failure,’ she said. In 2016, Lanhart founded Thrive Family Recovery Resources. Instead of tough love, Thrive helps families focus on empathy, compassion and collaborative care. The Burnsville-based organization recently received one of Washington County’s first grants from its settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies that made and sold opioid painkillers; the money must be used to combat the opioid crisis, including detailed programs and strategies focused on treatment, prevention and harm reduction.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k0bcd7
NUWAY: From Jessie Van Berkel via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Thousands of Minnesotans a year rely on NUWAY’s program that pairs addiction treatment with a monthly housing subsidy, but it might not be around much longer. The state Department of Human Services plans to halt Medicaid payments for the service on Friday, citing a ‘credible allegation of fraud’ amid a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the nonprofit. NUWAY recently sued DHS and is seeking an injunction to block the state from stopping payments, which it says would result in the ‘swift demise’ of the state’s largest outpatient substance use disorder treatment program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3CRQv2t
FLU: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The worst flu season in 15 years has left hundreds of thousands of Americans hospitalized while straining physicians' offices and emergency departments. Why it matters: The virus is causing more severe complications and hitting young children especially hard.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41lu1Ao
SCHOOLS: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “President Trump ordered on Friday that federal funding be withheld from schools and universities that require students to be vaccinated against Covid, White House officials said, another step in the administration’s campaign against coronavirus vaccine requirements. It was not clear how widely impactful the order would be. No states require K-12 students to be vaccinated against Covid. Only 15 colleges still required Covid vaccines for students as of late last year, according to No College Mandates, an advocacy group.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ETscBD
BEAUTY PRODUCTS: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “For Black women, beauty is more than skin deep—it’s a form of self-expression, a cultural statement, and often, a necessity in professional and social settings. Yet, the products marketed specifically to them may be doing more harm than good. A new report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has revealed that nearly 80% of beauty and personal care products designed for Black women contain hazardous chemicals, some of which are linked to serious health risks. Despite years of advocacy pushing for cleaner, safer alternatives, the report highlights persistent disparities between the safety of products marketed to Black consumers versus those sold to the general public.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EGvt7r
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.-Elect Kari Rehauer
Rep.-Elect Wayne Johnson
Rep. Elect Julie Greene
Rep. Elect Keith Allen
Rep. Elect Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
From morning take…
CAREGIVERS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants and refugees has some members of the caregiving industry, and those who rely on it, on high alert. … The direct support workforce relies heavily on immigrants and refugees to serve Minnesotans who need assistance [and] is already failing to meet a growing demand. … [Workers] generally need valid immigration paperwork to meet background check requirements, experts in the field said, but they added that’s not always the case for workers' family members, who could be swept up in mass deportations. They are also worried about the president’s suspension of refugee resettlement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40VONFc
MED DEBT: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison, Senator Liz Boldon, and Representative Liz Reyer announced the Minnesota Medical Debt Reset Act (SF 1347), legislation which makes a one-time, $5 million appropriation to buy and forgive the medical debt of hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans through a partnership with Undue Medical Debt, a national medical debt-forgiveness nonprofit. Undue Medical Debt estimates that $5 million could relieve approximately $500 million in medical debt from roughly 250,000 – 400,000 Minnesotans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EEOA1I BILL: https://fluence-media.co/4hH4Lu0
Sign up for morning take…
HIGHER ED: Via Minnesota State, VERBATIM: “Minnesota State has partnered with Mantra Health to introduce a free 24/7 mental health resource to students. This new online tool, available to any student taking at least one credit at a Minnesota State college or university, expands existing support by offering a platform accessible for students at any time and any place. Research by the Healthy Minds Network shows that more than four out of 10 college students are living with anxiety or depression. And, according to a recent Gallup-Lumina survey, 76 percent of students considered stopping their coursework due to emotional stress.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D8jleV
FALLS: From Eden Prairie-based Starkey via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “Starkey continues to be at the forefront of technology and innovation and is committed to collaborating with global researchers and innovators. A recent peer-reviewed article, published in Otology & Neurotology, highlights the collaborative research between Starkey and Stanford to validate Starkey's Balance Assessment feature available with Edge AI. Falls are a leading cause of injury for older adults, and Starkey is addressing this issue with hearing technology that does more than just improve hearing. Starkey's Balance Assessment feature uses advanced motion sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) to measure factors related to fall risk.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EKgWYo
FAINTING: From Sharon Theimer via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “You may have heard that people who feel faint should sit with their heads between their knees, but is that true? And how can you tell whether you or someone else who has fainted should go to the emergency department or perhaps even see a cardiologist? Elijah Behr, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, explains five things it is important to know about fainting.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EM9EDG
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
LANGUAGE: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Why did humans start speaking? Scientists suggest genetics played a big role — and they say the evolution of this singular ability was key to our survival. A new study links a particular gene to the ancient origins of spoken language, proposing that a protein variant found only in humans may have helped us communicate in a novel way.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42Zr1L6
BRAIN: From Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “In the parable of the blind men and the elephant, several blind men each describe a different part of an elephant they are touching -- a sharp tusk, a flexible trunk, or a broad leg -- and disagree about the animal's true nature. The story illustrates the problem of understanding an unseen, or latent object based on incomplete individual perceptions. Likewise, when researchers study brain dynamics based on recordings of a limited number of neurons, they must infer the latent patterns of brain dynamics that generate these recordings.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hCqCmi
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