MOMS & BABIES: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “A healthy Minnesota begins with healthy starts for new moms and babies. Thank you to the Minnesota Council of Health Plans for highlighting our work with Hennepin Healthcare.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3Hf43XC MORE: https://fluence-media.co/43j755L (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
POLL: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “More Americans say President Trump has been transparent about his health compared to former President Biden, according to a new poll. The YouGov/Economist poll published Tuesday shows 42 percent of U.S. adults said they believe Trump has been open about his health, while 31 percent said the same of Biden.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kyGmrw
MORE: Via Newsweek, VERBATIM: “The findings highlight a critical challenge for the president as he seeks to maintain public trust and transparency amid questions about his health. At 78 years and seven months, Trump was the oldest person to be sworn in as president of the United States, and his inauguration followed an election where concerns about the health and age of presidential candidates were at the forefront. There have been ongoing concerns about Trump's physical and mental health, as dementia has been reported to run in his family.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3T28R52
VACCINES: Via YouGov, from the same poll, VERBATIM: “Most Americans (54%) believe that people of all ages should be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines; 11% think only adults should be age-eligible, 6% think only adults 65 and older should be, and 13% think no one should be”
“Among Americans who wouldn't want to receive a new COVID-19 vaccine, the most common reasons why, among those included in the survey, are concerns about side effects (59%), safety concerns (49%), distrust of pharmaceutical companies (40%), and distrust of the government (36%)” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4kEX0G2
HEALTH CARE: From Morning Consult’s tracking poll, QUOTE: “About 3 in 5 voters (62%) said they had recently seen, read or heard at least something about health care, the largest share recorded since Trump took office this year. Notably, 40% of voters said that information was negative, up 6 percentage points from the prior week following House passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is targeting Medicaid spending.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mB0fjF
SURVEY: Via news release from questhealth.com, VERBATIM: “questhealth.com, the consumer-initiated testing platform from Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), one of the nation's leading providers of diagnostic information services, today revealed the results of its second ‘Know Your Health’ survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll among nearly 2,100 U.S. adults . . . In today's world of constant connectivity, it's surprising how often our own health stats fall by the wayside. In fact, the survey revealed that 2 in 5 Americans (40%) know their streaming platform passwords by heart, while only 19% know their cholesterol score.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kgZJ8I
LONELY: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “Younger men in the U.S. are more likely than other Americans — and their peers in other wealthy nations — to report feeling lonely. Based on aggregated data from 2023 and 2024, 25% of U.S. men aged 15 to 34 said they felt lonely a lot of the previous day, significantly higher than the national average of 18% and the total for young women (also 18%).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Fvq6ss
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
UNITEDHEALTH: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “More than two dozen Democrats in Congress, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, are asking a federal judge to let a whistleblower lawsuit move forward that alleges profiteering through the unlawful use of medical coding data by Eden Prairie-based UnitedHealth Group. The lawmakers argue in their May 15 court filing that a jury should be allowed to pass judgment on company practices the U.S. Department of Justice alleges have wrongfully inflated corporate earnings from the Medicare Advantage program at taxpayer expense. A special master who examined the evidence recommended earlier this year that the long-running whistleblower lawsuit should be terminated via summary judgment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FtnkUF
MAYO: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic’s Business Development team, consistently recognized as one of the top commercialization operations among academic medical centers, is expanding its capabilities through a new initiative: the Mayo Venture Partner (MVP) program. In response to the dynamic and evolving healthcare landscape, Mayo Clinic is enlisting industry veterans to create groundbreaking technologies, co-invest in aligned companies and build new ventures from the ground up.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43QN5Yj
BIRD FLU: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “The federal government announced Wednesday that it is cancelling a contract to develop a vaccine to protect people against flu viruses that could cause pandemics, including the bird flu virus that's been spreading among dairy cows in the U.S., citing concerns about the safety of the mRNA technology being used. The Department of Health and Human Services said it is terminating a $766 million contract with the vaccine company Moderna to develop an mRNA vaccine to protect people against flu strains with pandemic potential, including the H5N1 bird flu virus that's been raising fears.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dChD3n
Want more agriculture news? Read ag take at TheDailyAgenda and sign up to receive it in your inbox. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3DAikww
E. COLI: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “Colton George felt sick. The 9-year-old Indiana boy told his parents his stomach hurt. He kept running to the bathroom and felt too ill to finish a basketball game. Days later, he lay in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. He had eaten tainted salad, according to a lawsuit against the lettuce grower filed by his parents on April 17 in federal court for the Southern District of Indiana. The E. coli bacteria that ravaged Colton’s kidneys was a genetic match to the strain that killed one person and sickened nearly 90 people in 15 states last fall. Federal health agencies investigated the cases and linked them to a farm that grew romaine lettuce. But most people have never heard about this outbreak, which a Feb. 11 internal FDA memo linked to a single lettuce processor and ranch as the source of the contamination. In what many experts said was a break with common practice, officials never issued public communications after the investigation or identified the grower who produced the lettuce.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jIhpJD
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)
MEDICAL JOURNALS: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatened to stop government scientists from publishing their work in major medical journals on a podcast Tuesday as part of his escalating war on institutions he says are influenced by pharmaceutical companies. Speaking on the ‘Ultimate Human’ podcast, Kennedy said the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association and The Lancet, three of the most influential medical journals in the world, were ‘corrupt’ and publish studies funded and approved by pharmaceutical companies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jsgEUN
MORE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “The three publications Kennedy named have published original, peer-reviewed research since their respective foundings in the 1800s. They are all consistently ranked as the top medical journals in the world and are critical in sharing scientific information to millions of people across the globe. JAMA alone receives more than 30 million visits to its website a year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mBu3fZ
MORE: Via Inside Higher Ed, VERBATIM: “Publishing papers in the top-tier peer-reviewed journals is an aspiration of many scientists who want to advance in their careers and earn tenure. But Kennedy believes that new journals the government may launch will take their place as ‘pre-eminent journals, because if you get [NIH] funding, it is anointing you as a good, legitimate scientist.’ But since President Donald Trump took office in January, the prestige of NIH funding has already lost its luster for the scores of scientists whose life’s work has been caught in the cross fire of the ideologically driven changes reshaping the agency.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kgDVtX
MEDICAID: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is staking out his spot as a populist defender of Medicaid in opposition to the steep cuts contained in the House-passed megabill to fund President Trump’s domestic agenda. The senior senator from Missouri — who as the state’s attorney general once signed on to a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act — has made his position clear: He will not support a bill that cuts Medicaid benefits. Hawley has long warned his party against Medicaid cuts; the $800 billion question is whether other senators will join him.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43yo6Yu
POT: From UC San Francisco via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “A new study led by UC San Francisco researchers finds that chronic cannabis use -- whether it's smoked or consumed in edible form -- is associated with significant cardiovascular risks. The report, published May 28 in JAMA Cardiology, found that people who regularly used marijuana in either form had reduced blood vessel function that was comparable to tobacco smokers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4l09loD
HEAT: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes Earth to more deadly, fiery and uncomfortable extremes, two of the world’s top weather agencies forecast. There’s an 80% chance the world will break another annual temperature record in the next five years, and it’s even more probable that the world will again exceed the international temperature threshold set 10 years ago, according to a five-year forecast released Wednesday by the World Meteorological Organization and the U.K. Meteorological Office.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SY0LdO
NEXT WEEK: Via KMSP-TV, VERBATIM: “A recently-formed union for doctors at Allina Health has announced its first-ever picket next week. What we know: The informational pickets will be held on Tuesday, June 3 at 6 a.m. at different Allina clinics in Coon Rapids, Maplewood, Bloomington, and West St. Paul . . . When forming the union, doctors said they were driven by concerns over staffing shortages. Since then, doctors say they;ve taken part in 40 bargaining sessions with the health care company.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dD5uv9
MORE: From Doctors Council SeIU via Facebook, the news conference announcing the picket. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/45CgCpQ
NEXTGEN: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “[Anna Almeida] and [Reese Woodward] were part of a group of students from Wayzata’s certified nursing assistant class. Last Friday, they visited the WestHealth Surgery Center in Plymouth to learn about orthopedic surgery. ‘A lot of bright minds are maybe choosing other fields besides medicine,’ said Dr. Bishoy Gad, an orthopedic surgeon with Allina Health. ‘We wanted to introduce students to it early, so that they have an opportunity to learn and have a good experience with us so maybe they decide on choosing medicine as a field to pursue.’ According to Dr. Gad, only 800 orthopedic surgeons are trained nationally every year.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43gV00S
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)
GENDER: Via States Newsroom, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urged health care providers Wednesday to stop several treatments for children with gender dysphoria, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries. The announcement came just a couple hours before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent letters to hospitals throughout the country, promising ‘a comprehensive review of federal payment policies’ and demanding information about how they determine children and adolescents can give their consent.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mGEtes
RESEARCH: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers will present their latest oncology findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, scheduled to be held May 30–June 3 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The event, recognized as one of the largest gatherings in the field of cancer research, will feature 59 Mayo Clinic-authored abstracts highlighting advancements in cancer care.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FtEzVT
WEIGHT LOSS: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “The price of weight loss drugs is falling. Wegovy and Zepbound, which both sell for a list price of more than $1,000 a month, have long been out of reach for people without insurance or whose insurance refused to cover them. Among adults who take the medications, about half say it’s difficult to afford the cost, according to a May 2024 survey by the health policy group KFF. Over the past several months, however, drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have introduced lower-cost options. There are some caveats — people must pay out of pocket, or the medication is sold in a vial rather than a prefilled injector pen — but doctors and patients say the changes are long overdue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jmcq0Z
MORE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “For more than two years, drugs administered under the brand names Ozempic, which treats diabetes, and Wegovy, sold for obesity, were on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of drugs in short supply in the U.S. . . . The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, meanwhile, recently announced it wouldn’t extend Medicare coverage to weight-loss drugs, dropping a proposal made earlier by the Biden administration.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jt8UC3
ADS: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Amid ongoing controversy over pharmaceutical advertising, one lawmaker wants to know how the U.S. government will enforce regulations after the Food and Drug Administration let go numerous employees from the office that oversees prescription drug promotions. In a May 27 letter to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) noted that four key leaders of the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion recently departed the agency, and the entire Division of Promotion Policy, Research, and Operations — a unit within the office that developed guidance on pharmaceutical advertising — also was reportedly laid off.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SnrErt
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)
AWARDS: Via Minnesota Hospital Association, VERBATIM: “71 hospital and health system teams and individuals from across the state were recognized by MHA this week for their efforts to bolster the workforce, tell impactful health care stories, and improve quality and safety in Minnesota’s nonprofit hospitals and health systems. The awards were presented at MHA’s 2025 Spring Innovation Forum.” LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4kqHldJ
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Boston Scientific will eliminate jobs after discontinuing global sales of its Acurate aortic valve replacement systems that treat the heart failure-causing condition aortic stenosis, the medtech company with a large cardiology presence in Minnesota said Wednesday. The company is ending its pursuit of Food and Drug Administration approval for its Acurate family of valves in the United States, a spokesperson said, citing ‘discussions with regulators which resulted in increased clinical and regulatory requirements to maintain approvals in global markets and to obtain approval in new markets.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HuqpUV
MOMS: Via CBS News, VERBATIM: “Only about a fourth of moms in the United States say they have ‘excellent’ physical and mental health, according to a new study. The study, published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine, looked at 198, 417 mothers with children age 17 and under, finding large declines in self-reported maternal mental health and small declines in physical health from 2016 to 2023.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Z7QLSS
WINNEBAGO: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Nestled amongst the trees and rolling fields in rural Winnebago is a newly constructed house that is the only one of its kind in the country. Bravo Zulu House is the first sober living environment in the U.S. exclusively for military veterans in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, who also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. And soon, 12 male veterans will call this place home as they continue their recovery from substance use disorders, while also healing from PTSD.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HhmtXF
DAYCARE: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital (EBCH) has opened a new daycare facility for the children of their staff to help with the region’s childcare crisis and to boost employee retention. CEO of EBCH, Patti Banks, said after noticing some issues with employee retention, she asked staff what could be done to help make them stay with the hospital.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kbp1oM
DOULAS: Via MDH, VERBATIM: “One year after launching a list of doulas, Minnesota’s Help Me Connect website has grown to one of the largest lists of doulas in the state with extensive search features that make it easier than ever to find a doula. In celebration of May being International Doula Month, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is encouraging families to find a doula through the Help Me Connect website and is sending a request to all doulas to sign up for the free service.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43gwEEy
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
HERPES: From University of Michigan via Science Daily, VERBATM: “Recent research points to the potential utility of a familiar sounding foe-herpes virus-in the fight against cancer. The idea: the virus has evolved to commandeer cellular machinery in order activate signaling pathways inside cells and these strategies can be repurposed to bolster immunotherapy against diseases like cancer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Z65de8
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