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POLLING
TRUST: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “A poll published Thursday found that Americans have lost trust in federal health institutions and are more likely to say they trust independent, professional medical organizations when it comes to advice on topics like vaccination. The February survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania found that public trust in agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had fallen by 5 to 7 percentage points in the past year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dalEO6
MORE: Via APPC, from the poll:
SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4smp8BC
FREEDOM: Via Public Health Policy Journal, VERBATIM: “A new national poll conducted by Zogby Strategies on February 26-27, 2026, shows overwhelming public support for health and medical freedom, with supermajorities of registered voters (often 80-88%) affirming core rights to refuse medical treatments, make personal health choices, and protect doctors from censorship.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4crrbzL
GLP-1: Via CBC, VERBATIM: “A new survey suggests about three million Canadian adults are currently taking GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic or Mounjaro and that many more would like to, but cost is a barrier. The poll conducted by Leger Healthcare says more than half of the people surveyed who are taking the medications reported decreased appetite and 40 per cent said they have fewer food cravings. Leger Healthcare said those effects are reshaping how GLP-1 users are spending their money, with about 30 per cent going to restaurants or getting takeout food less often.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/408QIq5
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
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)
MN HEALTH HEADLINES
DHS: Via email from the Senate Republican Caucus, VERBATIM: “Today the Senate received the appointment of Shireen Gandhi as Commissioner for DHS. Sen. Rasmusson moved that the appointment be placed immediately on the confirmation calendar. After serving in this role on a temporary basis since Feb 3, 2025, there is no reason to delay Gandhi’s confirmation. Sen. Wiklund was unable to commit to a confirmation hearing for Gandhi in the Health and Human Services Committee within one week. The motion failed on a party-line vote as Democrats continue to stall meaningful action to address Minnesota’s fraud problem.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4rUiCCv
IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota crackdown revealed the sweep of the surveillance and capture system the Trump administration is using to uproot immigrant communities in the United States, and the effect of its powerful brake on the medical system. Similar health crises surfaced wherever immigration officers massed in the past year. In Dallas, public health clinics administered about 6,000 vaccinations to Latinos last August, half as many as during a similar program a year earlier. In Chicago, doctors rerouted patients daily from clinic to clinic depending on ICE activity. Across the country, crackdowns suppressed immigrants’ health care visits.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3N0eOQU
MPD: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara is urging City Council members to move quickly on approval for a new position titled Director of Police Heath and Wellness within the department, citing growing concern about the toll recent operations have taken on officers. MPD says this position would oversee a newly created Health and Wellness Division, and would create a shift from being reactive to proactive when it comes to officer health, mainly mental health.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3OPI6SJ
DIGGINS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Jessie Diggins, who grew up in Stillwater, is the most decorated cross-country skier in U.S. history. The reigning two-time world champion and four-time Olympic medalist is preparing to retire at the end of the year. She’s perhaps best known for her legendary ability to dig deep into what she calls the ‘pain cave,’ extracting every ounce of energy before literally collapsing at the end of a race. She’s also become well-known as a mental health advocate who has been very open about her journey recovering from and managing a serious eating disorder. Diggins was interviewed this week by Jillian Lampert of The Emily Program, a Minnesota-based organization that provides eating disorder support and treatment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rN9C1P
FLU: In its weekly update, the Minnesota Department of Health reports 4,913 flu-related hospitalizations, 182 adult deaths and 2 pediatric deaths. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3Y10bib
METHODIST: Via SEIU Local 26, VERBATIM: “In-house HealthPartners security officers at Methodist Hospital in St Louis Park MN announced today their push to unionize with SEIU Local 26. Workers were joined by healthcare workers who are members of MNA (Minnesota Nurses Association) and SEIU Healthcare MN & IA who expressed their support for these (approximately 30) essential workers having a union like other workers in the facility.”
CHILDREN’S MN: Via Children’s Minnesota, VERBATIM: “Children’s Minnesota is pleased to announce a $2.5 million, state-of-the-art biplane neuroangiography suite—the region’s only facility dedicated to pediatric neurointerventional procedures. This advanced imaging technology brings new treatment options for children with a variety of cerebrovascular diseases, further expanding Children’s Minnesota’s neurosurgical capabilities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b9PZKi
STARTUPS: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate has announced its latest cohort, welcoming 18 national and international healthcare technology companies that are creating cutting-edge digital solutions to advance health innovation. Through the Accelerate program, these companies will participate in an immersive, 30-week program that offers access to expert mentors, industry-leading technologies and millions of de-identified, longitudinal clinical records to develop and validate artificial intelligence (AI)-driven healthcare solutions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sjEuGU
340B HOSPITAL MARKUPS HURT PATIENTS: Minnesota’s latest 340B report shows covered entities generated $1.34 billion IN PROFIT in 2024, including an estimated $261 million from Medicaid prescriptions. Independent research finds the program raises costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers statewide. Minnesota should sunset the 340B mandate and Congress should fix the federal 340B program, so it actually helps patients. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/46Bh9IA (SPONSORED: PhRMA)
DC + HEALTH
ICE DETENTION: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that officials were reviewing a contract for Camp East Montana, a detention center in El Paso that is facing growing scrutiny over its living conditions and is grappling with a measles outbreak. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said officials were examining the center and that the department conducts rigorous inspections of facilities to ‘ensure they are meeting our high standards.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cvOAjE
DEATH: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “A Haitian man confined at an Arizona immigration detention center for months died at a hospital Monday after a tooth infection was left untreated, the man’s brother said Wednesday. Emmanuel Damas, 56, told medical personnel at the Florence Correctional Center that he had a toothache in mid-February, but he was not sent to a dentist, said Damas’ brother, Presly Nelson.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rhNH1R
FOOD SAFETY: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said Dunkin’ and other companies will need to prove that their ingredients are safe, prompting Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) on Wednesday to reply back, ‘Come and take it.’ Kennedy, while at a rally at Brazos Hall last week in Austin, Texas, said, ‘We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it.’’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4l8CaAi
TRUMPRX: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “President Trump heralded his signature drug discount platform, TrumpRx, as ‘one of the most transformative health care initiatives of all time.’ But a month after its launch, few drugs are available, data about how much the site is being used remains unknown, and the private deals underlying TrumpRx are still being worked out.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47gjd93
Support rural health care by strengthening 340B: Policymakers have an opportunity to support rural care providers by strengthening the 340B Drug Pricing Program – a program designed to support health care facilities that provide a high level of services to low-income, underserved communities. Savings from those discounts are used to reinvest in care and stretch limited resources further for patients. To prevent these savings from moving to drug manufacturers’ bottom lines, we need to extend and strengthen the 340B program. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4s0oGc4 (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
YOUTH SPORTS: Via Minneapolis-based American Academy of Neurology, VERBATIM: “Youth football accounts for the largest share of sports‑related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children and young adults, nearly one in every five TBIs, according to a preliminary study released March 4, 2026, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology‘s 78th Annual Meeting taking place April 18-22, 2026, in Chicago and online. Youth sports and activities included in the study, in addition to football, were soccer, basketball, cycling, skiing, snowboarding, running, baseball, hiking, roller skating, skateboarding, wrestling, cheerleading, ice hockey, lacrosse, field hockey and volleyball.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cpgJsu
KIDNEYS: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a drug-and-supplement combination therapy that is capable of reducing the harmful effects of senescent cells – also known as ‘zombie cells’ – in diabetic kidney disease. In eBioMedicine, a publication of The Lancet, the team reported that the combination of the cancer drug dasatanib and a naturally occurring substance known as quercetin decreased inflammation and boosted protective factors in the kidney.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/408ULmh
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
MALARIA: Via University of Nottingham, VERBATIM: “Scientists have uncovered a crucial weakness in the malaria parasite that could open the door to new treatments. Researchers identified a protein called Aurora-related kinase 1 (ARK1) that acts like a traffic controller during the parasite’s unusual cell division process, ensuring its genetic material is properly separated as it multiplies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cuaZhd
GLP-1: Via University of Bristol, VERBATIM: “Popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro may do more than help people shed pounds. New research suggests these GLP-1 medications could also help protect the heart after a heart attack by restoring blood flow in tiny blood vessels that often remain blocked even after doctors reopen a major artery.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sykroB
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