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POLLING
BIGGEST ISSUE: The Economist reports health care is the third most important issue among Americans – chosen by Democrats more than Republicans.
Inflation/prices and jobs and the economy both ranked higher. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4taTTuu
VACCINES: Via University of Michigan, VERBATIM: “This winter’s brutal flu season isn’t over, and COVID-19 cases have risen recently too. But a new poll taken in recent weeks shows that vaccination against both viruses lags among people 50 and over, and the national survey reveals key reasons why. In all, the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging shows, 42% of people over 50 haven’t gotten either flu or COVID-19 vaccines in the past six months, though 29% have gotten both and 27% have gotten just the updated flu shot.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45P4txp
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)
IMPACTING MINNESOTA HEALTH
IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Each weekday morning, students in St. Paul Public Schools gather with their classmates for a daily meeting. It’s a critical touchpoint for mental well-being, said Juli Montgomery-Riess, the district’s lead middle school counselor . . . For thousands of Minnesota kids, daily consistency has been upended. For some, family members have been detained or deported. For others, parents fear leaving home. Social media has provided a near-constant stream of violent images and videos, and friends are missing from school.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r0NpwT
GENDER CARE: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “State leaders are condemning what they call ‘pressure’ from the federal government as Children’s Hospital pauses its gender-affirming care services. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says that this type of care remains legal under Minnesota’s trans refuge laws, and confirmed that his office is currently litigating against federal declarations aimed at penalizing providers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qfIFlL
SURGERY: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “The American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued a statement on Tuesday recommending surgeons delay gender-related breast or chest, genital and facial surgery until a patient is at least 19 years of age, citing a lack of evidence supporting the procedure’s benefits. The ASPS, which represents more than 11,000 physicians in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, said there is currently insufficient evidence showing a favorable risk-benefit ratio for gender-related surgeries in children and adolescents.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Zhcis3
FLU: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Flu season has a way of fading into the background—until it doesn’t. Come February and March, many people assume the worst is behind us, or that the annual shot matters less if they missed the fall window or heard the vaccine isn’t a “perfect match” this year. But influenza doesn’t follow a neat calendar, and the details of any given season matter more than the headlines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MdjCSk
NUMBERS: The Minnesota Department of Health today reported 144 adult influenza-associated deaths, 4,255 hospitalizations, 220 school outbreaks, and 90 long-term care outbreaks. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3Y10bib
VA: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “It’s been a little more than a week since Border Patrol officers shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Pretti worked at the Minneapolis VA as an ICU nurse. His colleagues there have held vigils to remember him at a few VA facilities across the country. Pretti’s death and the reaction from VA leadership comes after what many VA staff say was a long year.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4khir0N
MAYO: Via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic‘s top executives received pay raises between 13% and 24% in 2024, and the number of million-dollar earners on the Clinic’s payroll has reached 42, according to Mayo Clinic’s annual filings with the IRS.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O9dpHH
DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF RURAL HEALTH CARE, ESSENTIA IS RECOGNIZED FOR PROVIDING TOP CLINICAL CARE: According to the latest report from Minnesota Community Measurement, a statewide resource on health care quality, costs and equity, Essentia ranked as a high performer with 19 of 20 clinical quality metrics scoring above statewide averages. According to Dr. Maria Beaver, chief quality and patient safety officer at Essentia: “This is a testament to the amazing care provided by all our clinical care teams and all our colleagues who support them.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dCxy1D (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
DC + RESEARCH
HEALTH SUBSIDIES: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Top Senate negotiators said an effort to renew expired healthcare subsidies had effectively collapsed, likely ending the hopes of 20 million Americans that the tax-credit expansion could be revived and lower their monthly insurance premiums.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OqXRiA
AUTISM: Via MedPage Today, VERBATIM: “The FDA removed a webpage that warned consumers about potentially dangerous products and therapies marketed as autism treatments. An archived version of the page said the agency had warned or taken action against companies that made improper claims that their products could treat or cure autism or autism-related symptoms.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O7fwfa
STUDY: Via Science Alert, VERBATIM: “Autism has historically been viewed as a condition that affects men and boys more frequently than women and girls. But a massive new study based on data from millions of people suggests this isn’t actually the case, at least in Sweden. While boys are diagnosed with the condition at higher rates during childhood, by adulthood, the ratio is roughly 1:1. This suggests it’s not a case of fewer women having autism: it’s just that they aren’t diagnosed until later in life.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tiZjUr
DIET MEDS: Via MedPage Today, VERBATIM: “Oral semaglutide (Rybelsus) protected against heart failure events in type 2 diabetes patients with a history of heart failure and either atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, or both, according to findings from a randomized trial.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O98aYy
WEGOVY PILLS: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “By Jan. 23 — less than three weeks after it became available — about 50,000 prescriptions were being filled each week, according to the drugmaker. In total, more than 170,000 people are taking the drug. Roughly 9 in 10 of those prescriptions were paid for out of pocket, rather than through insurance.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qWWpTz
ANIMAL RESEARCH: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “The National Institutes of Health wants to transition at least one of seven national primate research centers into an animal sanctuary, aiming to move away from animal testing in favor of alternative methods. The NIH-funded centers, hosted by universities and research institutions, conduct primate research on conditions and diseases that affect human health.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45OILti
CANCER CAUSES: Via Newsweek, VERBATIM: “Nearly four in 10 cancer cases diagnosed around the world in 2022 can be traced back to risks people and societies have the power to change, according to a sweeping new global study. The analysis, published in Nature Medicine, examined 36 cancer types across 185 countries and linked today’s cancer diagnoses to how common certain risk factors were about a decade earlier.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tlFpIf
SMOKE: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Chronic exposure to pollution from wildfires has been linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States, according to a new study. The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, found that from 2006 to 2020, long-term exposure to tiny particulates from wildfire smoke contributed to an average of 24,100 deaths a year in the lower 48 states.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46AGF0n
GOLF: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Almost every golfer has experienced it. You’re lined up on the green for that perfect putt, when an easy tap-in shot is foiled by a mysterious twitch. Golfers refer to it as ‘the yips.’ And researchers at Mayo Clinic believe they’ve found a neurological cause to explain some instances.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4bEgd9A
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CANCER: Wednesday was World Cancer Day. Via Statista, VERBATIM: “Cancer continues to be a major killer in the United States. In 2025 alone, more than two million new cases were diagnosed, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, and an estimated 618,000 people died from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. That’s roughly 1,700 deaths every day. Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with nearly 320,000 new cases estimated last year. The next most widespread forms of the disease were prostate cancer at over 131,000 and lung and bronchus cancer at over 226,000 new cases.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46AAhpV
DIET: Via University of Bristol, VERBATIM: “People who switch to a fully unprocessed diet don’t just eat differently—they eat smarter. Research from the University of Bristol shows that when people avoid ultra-processed foods, they naturally pile their plates with fruits and vegetables, eating over 50% more food by weight while still consuming hundreds fewer calories each day. This happens because whole foods trigger a kind of built-in ‘nutritional intelligence,’ nudging people toward nutrient-rich, lower-calorie options.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kjJuZi
CELLS: Via Vanderbilt University, VERBATIM: “As we age, our cells don’t just wear down—they reorganize. Researchers found that cells actively remodel a key structure called the endoplasmic reticulum, reducing protein-producing regions while preserving fat-related ones. This process, driven by ER-phagy, is tied to lifespan and healthy aging. Because these changes happen early, they could help trigger later disease—or offer a chance to stop it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r7mRu2
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