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POLLING
TWO POLLS: Via UofM CIDRAP, VERBATIM: “Polls from the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease and Research!America find strong support for vaccines and scientific and technologic advancement, regardless of political stripe, with 90% and 91% of Americans saying policymakers must ensure access to vaccines and cement the country’s global leadership in medical progress, respectively.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kwlB13
CDC: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “With HHS recently reducing the number of vaccines universally recommended for children in the U.S., the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds that just under half (47%) of the public now say they trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at least ‘a fair amount’ to provide reliable information about vaccines.”
“This is similar to the share of the public who said the same in September, but down more than 10 percentage points since the beginning of the second Trump administration, and a continuation of declining trust in the CDC since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kz4Xhe
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)
HEALTH IN MINNESOTA
NEXT WEEKEND: Sunday, February 22nd is Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day in Minnesota. PROCLAMATION: https://fluence-media.co/4tzQcP6
FLU: New data out this morning from the Minnesota Department of Health shows 158 adult flu-related deaths, 4,434 hospitalizations, 230 school outbreaks, and 94 long-term care outbreaks. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3Y10bib
2026 SESSION: Via Minnesota Medical Association, VERBATIM: “The state’s largest advocacy group for Minnesota physicians and physicians-in-training will advocate for five key legislative priorities at the Capitol this session, which begins February 17. The group will hold its annual Physicians’ Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 4, bringing together physicians and physicians-in-training from across the state to meet with their elected officials.”
MED FRAUD: Via KARE-TV, Twin Cities resident Janelle “Sky” Hansen was evicted after her Medicaid-funded caregivers, accused of fraud but never charged, stopped paying for her apartment. VERBATIM: “Sky lived in the apartment through a Medicaid-funded program called Integrated Community Supports, designed to help adults with disabilities live independently. … Her caregivers, American Home Health Care LLC, subleased the space to Sky. … Sky was current on her rent to American Home Health Care, so on the day of the eviction, she didn’t understand why she was being forced to leave her home. Court records indicate American Home Health Care had stopped paying rent to the building’s owners. … Despite being issued a payment suspension while under investigation for fraud, no criminal charges have been filed against the company or its owner. … Sky remains homeless.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4rwDBet
ICE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Health care workers have voiced their concerns about patient safety during ‘Operation Metro Surge.’ Many of them are also worried about their own well-being and that of their colleagues. Six hospital employees spoke with MPR News and shared their feelings of anxiety and fear about going to work with [ICE] agents present in their facilities and stationed at patients’ bedsides. … They said that the stress and trauma they experience stems from being targeted based on their immigration status or skin color.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4clSMSH
MNSURE: via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “New data from MNsure shows a record number of Minnesotans sought help navigating healthcare rate increases during 2026 open enrollment, but it appears many couldn’t find a solution. ‘There were clearly some folks who felt priced out of the marketplace,’ said MNsure CEO Libby Caulum. ‘Without enhanced ACA tax credits…we saw an 8% decrease in enrollment.’ … MNSURE also saw an 87% increase in the number of enrollees who switched health insurance plans.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4adrWuF
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “Sister Spokesman’s February event ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It?’ brought the community together for a panel discussion on domestic violence, raising awareness and helping attendees identify warning signs of abuse.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZC84v9
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
CLIMATE CHANGE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “President Trump on Thursday announced he was erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government’s legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet. The action is a key step in removing limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases that scientists say are supercharging heat waves, droughts, wildfires and other extreme weather.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aw3zYb
MEDICAID: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration is reframing the steep Medicaid cuts in Republicans’ tax bill to pit states with large urban centers against those with large rural populations. Last year, Republicans passed Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment, a bill that partially offset $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over a decade with more than $900 billion in cuts to Medicaid. Democrats are using those cuts, along with the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits for people who buy Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, to attack Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45Z5aUY
NURSING HOMES: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Senate Democrats on Thursday are reviving a Biden-era effort to set the first-ever national minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The Trump administration last year rescinded a policy that would have created baseline staffing rules for long-term care settings in response to widespread reports of patient harm due to understaffing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40992z6
WHO: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “The U.S. will participate in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) upcoming meeting on the composition of the influenza vaccine despite officially withdrawing from the global group last month. The WHO will meet on Feb. 26 in Turkey to discuss the composition of the 2026-2027 flu vaccine for the northern hemisphere.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qx3gCc
FDA: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Top Food and Drug Administration official Vinay Prasad overruled the agency’s reviewers when he refused to accept Moderna’s application for a new influenza vaccine, STAT has learned. Three agency officials familiar with the matter told STAT that the team of career scientists was ready to review Moderna’s application, and that David Kaslow, the head of the vaccine office, wrote a detailed memo explaining why the FDA should embark on the review.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OdXlEP
INNOVATION
STUDY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “A new study published by Mayo Clinic researchers suggests that ovarian cancer cells quickly activate a survival response after PARP inhibitor treatment, and blocking this early response may make this class of drugs work better.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rm8tya
DEPRESSION: Via Cambridge, VERBATIM: “Swapping just an hour of TV a day for something more active could significantly lower the risk of developing major depression—especially in middle age. A large Dutch study tracking more than 65,000 adults over four years found that replacing 60 minutes of TV with other activities cut depression risk by 11% overall, and by nearly 19% in middle-aged adults. The more time people reallocated—up to two hours—the greater the benefit, with risk dropping as much as 43% in midlife.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ag7xVY
BRAIN CELLS: Via National University of Singapore, VERBATIM: “A newly identified protein may hold the key to rejuvenating aging brain cells. Researchers found that boosting DMTF1 can restore the ability of neural stem cells to regenerate, even when age-related damage has set in. Without it, these cells struggle to renew and support memory and learning. The findings raise hopes for treatments that could slow or even reverse aspects of brain aging.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kxxyDv
PARTNERSHIP: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Siemens Healthineers and Mayo Clinic are expanding their strategic collaboration to enhance patient care for neurodegenerative disease and the management of prostate cancer and metastatic liver tumors. The two organizations have signed an agreement that will improve care for people with those diseases and expand access to new imaging and interventional technologies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Mmueyy
LEADERS: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “A prestigious honor for two renowned University of Minnesota faculty members. [Doctors] Michael Olsterholm and Emil Lou were named to TIME’s 2026 top 100 list of the World’s Most Influential Leaders in Health.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4riu3Ua
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
THEATER: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “For many theatergoers, the sensory experiences of a live performance can be uncomfortable—or simply too much. ‘Traditional theater environments with dim lighting, startling sounds, long periods of sitting still, or strict behavioral expectations can be overwhelming or inaccessible for many members of the community,’ says Gina Brady, sensory supports and training program manager at Fraser, a Minneapolis-based organization that provides services around autism, mental health, and disabilities. Increasingly, theaters are offerings sensory-friendly performances to remove barriers that have historically excluded many community members from participating fully in the arts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MHADo1
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