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POLLING
SOCIAL MEDIA: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Most Americans back stronger social media oversight, according to a new survey. In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 61 percent of respondents said that additional government oversight is needed for social media companies, 27 percent were against additional government oversight, and 17 percent did not respond or were unsure.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3S41UUf
INDEPENDENT VOTERS: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “Progressive Democratic proposals including ‘Medicare for all’ and new taxes on billionaires have powered insurgent candidates including Abdul El-Sayed to primary victories this year, shaking the party establishment and leading it to worry about how Democrats will perform in November’s midterm elections. But a Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded early this week found those ideas -- though by no means all of the progressive agenda -- are supported by independent voters who could be decisive in determining whether President Donald Trump‘s Republican Party maintains its congressional majorities for the next two years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4zbkBWN
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)
KIDS + VACCINES
VACCINES: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order calling for revamped childhood vaccine recommendations that promote his long-held but discredited theory that childhood shots should be spaced out into separate medical visits. The order advocates separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different single-disease shots and administering all childhood immunizations at separate appointments whenever possible. It also directs the nation’s health department to improve research on vaccines, which are already extensively studied, and present a plan to offer separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines for children, since that is not currently an option in the United States.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Sus1nA
FACT CHECK: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “Trump again floated the idea that vaccines cause autism, though that notion has been thoroughly debunked by extensive research in multiple countries. He again baselessly impugned the safety of the combination vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, which has for decades proven highly safe and highly effective. He again wildly overstated the size of the vaccine doses children receive, which are nowhere near ‘the size of a bottle of soda.’ He again wildly understated the prevalence of autism 20 years ago. And he again exaggerated the number of injections children have been required to receive.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UsrbZ2
RESPONSE: Via American Academy of Pediatrics, from president Andrew D. Racine, MD, PhD, FAAP, QUOTE: “As measles cases reach a 35-year high in the U.S. and with cold and flu season quickly approaching, today’s executive order on vaccines is not only disheartening but dangerous. Instead of ensuring every family can access life-saving vaccines for measles, influenza, RSV and more, federal leaders are once again spreading misleading claims. Today’s executive order is not based on ‘gold-standard science.’ There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4zh8cRq
RESPONSE: Via American Medical Association, from president Willie Underwood, III, MD, MSc, MPH, QUOTE: “Vaccines are among the most thoroughly studied, effective tools we have to protect children from serious vaccine-preventable diseases. Decisions about how and when vaccines are used should be driven by rigorous scientific evidence, patient safety, and independent medical and public health expertise. Altering a proven vaccination schedule without credible evidence risks weakening public confidence and putting children’s health at risk.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fTbxhY
MEASLES: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Measles are on the rise across the U.S. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more cases have been reported in the United States so far this year than all of 2025. And that comes just a few years after it had been nearly eradicated in the U.S. Ben Christensen a senior epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, and explains why there has been a resurgence in cases in recent years.” QUOTE: “The main reason being that we’ve seen a decline in the number of people getting the MMR vaccine, the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine,” Christensen explains. “We’ve seen a similar declining trend in our school-age population in Minnesota since the COVID pandemic.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4hoCMC4
HEALTHCARE: Strong communities depend on sustainable nonprofit healthcare. By planning to join leading nonprofit healthcare system Sutter Health, Allina Health will be better positioned to expand access to high-quality, innovative care in Minnesota and western Wisconsin — supporting patients, caregivers, and communities for generations to come. Learn more about the Allina-Sutter partnership online. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/AllinaHealth (SPONSORED: Allina Health)
HEALTH HEADLINES
ABORTION: Via Stateline, VERBATIM: “A group of leading anti-abortion organizations sent a letter to newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche urging him to review the U.S. Department of Justice’s authority to use a 150-year-old anti-obscenity law to prevent people from obtaining abortion medication or other related materials through the mail. Advancing American Freedom, a conservative advocacy group founded by former Republican Vice President Mike Pence, authored the Aug. 7 letter.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4zdwE5W
FOOD ADDITIVES: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “The Department of Health and Human Services on Monday announced a new effort to catalog the many additives in the U.S. food supply, most of which entered with little oversight. Companies looking to add a new substance to human or animal foods will need to notify the Food and Drug Administration, and provide details on how they deemed the additive ‘generally recognized as safe,’ or GRAS. Manufacturers with GRAS substances already on the market would need to let the FDA know for the first time how the additive is used — information that would be made public in a database, HHS officials said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bF8aIT
AI: Via Marketplace, VERBATIM: “Remember those grainy old baby monitors? So passé. Today, the modern nursery can be equipped with HD cameras and biometric sensors — all analyzed with artificial intelligence. The technology can detect hazardous position changes or a blanket covering a baby’s face, but also tracks less critical metrics that purport to help optimize infant sleep and health. Sapna Maheshwari, business reporter at The New York Times, recently wrote about this. She’s been an avid user of the Nanit Smart Baby Monitor System with both of her children.” LINKS: MARKETPLACE INTERVIEW | NYTIMES ARTICLE
RURAL: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “Two of the nation’s most powerful health officials predict artificial intelligence will play a key role in solving rural America’s health challenges. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a panel of U.S. senators that AI nurses can provide ‘concierge care’ to rural patients. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has said ‘the best way to help some of these communities is going to be AI-based avatars’ that connect rural patients to mental health services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wkkPbG
THERAPY: Via Newsweek, VERBATIM: “For all the mental health challenges confronting our society and the myriad ways to treat them, there is one factor that matters above all else: the deeply intimate bond between a therapist and their client . . . With the emergence of AI chatbots, not even that relationship is sacred.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qdlaeM
FARMERS: Via KAAL-TV, VERBATIM: “The most recent recipient of Farmfest’s Woman Farmer of the Year is increasing visibility for female farmers and the mental health struggles faced by all farmers. Award-winner Meg Moynihan Stuedemann has been an influential presence with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wOogby
ESSENTIA HEALTH SUPPORTS FREE CLINIC IN VIRGINIA, SERVING INCREASED NUMBER OF UNINSURED MINNESOTANS: Every Thursday night, physicians and care team members from Essentia Health-Virginia volunteer at the Project Care Free Clinic, providing treatment, screenings, and preventive care to patients who are uninsured or may be struggling to afford health care premiums. Essentia also provides lab and X-ray services at no cost to the clinic or its patients. Essentia is proud to support the clinic, ensuring everyone in the community can get the care they need. READ MORE: By volunteering at a free clinic, Essentia providers in Virginia ensure access to care for all | Essentia Health (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
INNOVATION + RESEARCH
WORKFORCE: Via Marketplace, VERBATIM: “Without a car, Brittany Harris had to leave her house two hours before work to catch the bus to get to her job as a technician at the University of Maryland Medical System . . . Harris got her car through the hospital’s Road to Relief program, which offers zero-interest loans to employees for used cars. The program is part of a career academy that the University of Maryland Medical System and many hospitals across the country are using to address severe recruitment and retention issues. Hospitals around the nation are struggling to recruit and retain employees who perform direct care tasks. Those include nursing assistants, who check vital signs, and technicians, who do lab work.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4wjFtII
ROCHESTER: Via KAAL-TV, VERBATIM: “A healthcare simulation hub at the Winona State-Rochester campus aims to help students build clinical skills before starting nursing careers. People got a hands-on look at the technology Thursday afternoon, including multiple exam rooms, a mannequin programmed to replicate a patient experiencing an asthma attack and a mannequin head that allows users to look inside its ears.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4wPwxfr
POT: Via UC-San Diego, VERBATIM: “Teens who start using cannabis may experience slower growth in memory, attention, language, and processing speed. Their abilities often developed normally at first, then began leveling off while nonusers continued improving. THC appeared to be the most likely driver, especially for worsening memory.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g11FRR
STUDY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “An international study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has identified interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor blockers as a promising option for preventing relapses in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). MOGAD is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that can cause vision loss, paralysis and other serious neurological complications.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fWaZqa
CANCER TREATMENTS: Via Nagoya University, VERBATIM: “A protein that evolved long before the human circulatory system may help unlock stronger cancer treatments. When C3 is produced inside tumors, it blocks immune-suppressing cells and gives immunotherapy a better chance to work. Researchers were even able to recreate this effect in resistant tumors, significantly improving survival in mice.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wr2Pw5
AWARDS: Via Allina, VERBATIM: “Allina Health Brain and Spine Institute has received the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines achievement awards for demonstrating a commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, helping save lives, support recovery and reduce hospital readmissions. Eleven Allina Health hospitals received recognition.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wpgqnR
(DISCLOSURE: Allina is a Fluence sponsor)
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CAREGIVERS: Via University of Michigan, VERBATIM: “The [University of Michigan] poll has repeatedly found that older adults and their caregivers need more information about or connections to programs in their area. ‘After nine years of polling people age 50 and over, we’ve noticed a pattern: many people just don’t know what’s out there to help older adults and their caregivers,’ said Erica Solway, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H., the poll’s deputy director and a specialist in aging-related social services. ‘With the federal Older Americans Act that funds many of these services up for reauthorization, and aging- and caregiver-related policies being discussed at the state and federal levels, making up-to-date and trustworthy information easy to find is critical.’ She and her colleagues put together these key tips, together with some new data from recent polls.” TIPS: https://fluence-media.co/4hnSf5n
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