ERG: From UCare via Facebook, VERBATIM: “Cassidy Gardenier, Equity & Inclusion Officer at UCare, has an abundance of best practices in her ERG (Employee Resource Group) toolkit. She generously shared some of them during today’s Workforce Wednesday discussion of building & sustaining a winning program.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4hIUygc (SPONSORED: UCare)
POLL: From Tom Hauser via KSTP-TV, results of a new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll. VERBATIM: “When asked to name what they consider to be the most important issue facing Minnesota lawmakers, 25% said ‘lowering taxes,’ making it the single most mentioned top issue in the survey. It was followed by health care at 21% and stopping fraud in government spending at 20%. Further down the list are education, public safety, legalized sports betting and raising taxes.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4aNLQeu
HEALTH CARE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “A survey released this week found that improving the affordability and access to health care is a top priority for Americans, with participants across party lines saying they see the federal government as having a key role in this issue. The survey was conducted by Gallup and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, and participants were asked to rank public health issues in terms of importance. The issues included improving health care access and affordability; ensuring safe water and food; strengthening safety net programs; and reducing chronic diseases.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hlnkUm
MORE: Via Emory University, VERBATIM: “Health care access and affordability was ranked by Americans as the highest public health priority for government leaders to address. One in four selected this issue as their highest priority, and more than half (52%) rated it in their top three priorities. However, the percentage varies across subgroups.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/413j8CV
HEART: Via Cleveland Clinic, VERBATIM: “A new Cleveland Clinic national survey found that many people do not know certain habits can potentially harm their heart health and increase their risk for heart disease. While 74% of Americans are aware that stress can negatively impact heart health, about 40% do not recognize that alcohol consumption and lack of sleep also can have detrimental effects on the heart.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gzvWp8
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
BIRD FLU: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Dairy cows in Nevada have been infected with a new form of bird flu that is distinct from the version that has been spreading through herds over the last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday. The finding indicates that the virus, known as H5N1, has spilled from birds into cows at least twice — leading to these two sets of infections — and that it could continue to do so. It also suggests that the virus may pose a persistent risk to cows and to the people who work closely with them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jNDBD1
MEDICARE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Representatives of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have been working at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where they have gotten access to key payment and contracting systems, according to people familiar with the matter. The DOGE representatives have been on site at the agency’s offices this week, the people said, and they are looking at the systems’ technology as well as the spending that flows through them, with a focus on pinpointing what they consider fraud or waste. DOGE representatives are also examining the agency’s organizational design and how it is staffed, the people added.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/410zdJD
RFK JR: Via Daily Mail, VERBATIM: “Robert F Kennedy Jr appeared to mix a mysterious blue dye in his drink while traveling on an airplane, in footage that has left viewers baffled. The 72-year-old is seen on video administering droplets of the cobalt-blue liquid into what looks like a cup of water. Some social media users joked the liquid was 'liberals' tears', referencing the outcry among many on the Left about RFK Jr's imminent confirmation to head the Department of Health and Human Services under President Trump . . . Some medical experts said the blue liquid was likely methylene blue, a man-made dye that has become popular in alternative medicine circles for its potential health benefits.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WLPe3O
MEDICAID: Via Protect Our Care, VERBATIM: “Protect Our Care is launching two new television and digital ads today as part of its $10 million dollar ‘Hands Off Medicaid’ campaign exposing the choice between protecting Medicaid or giving away new tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. The ads, first reported in Fox News, will run almost exclusively on Fox News targeting Republican congressional offices in Washington, D.C., at the very moment House Republican leaders are writing a budget resolution to pay for tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires by cutting critical programs for working-class Americans, including Medicaid.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4hIEwTB
IMMIGRANTS: From Mohamed Ibrahim via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “As one of the earliest enrollees in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Houa Chea had access to education and a job. But he never saw a doctor growing up. His father, a Cambodian temple sculptor, came to Minnesota on a temporary religious worker visa and the family couldn’t afford out-of-pocket medical care . . . Thanks to a rule finalized by the Biden administration late last year, DACA recipients can now access subsidized health care via the Affordable Care Act (ACA), except in 19 Republican-led states that challenged the rule last summer. The Trump administration is unlikely to defend the Biden rule, so Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with 13 other state attorneys general, stepped in two weeks ago to defend the new provision that expands access to the preventive care that Chea, now 27, was denied growing up.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hMnSCv
USAID: Via CBS News, VERBATIM: “Some health officials in the U.S. fear the shutdown of U.S. Agency for International Development missions may have disastrous results, as the stalling of foreign aid has forced delays in what they said was the ‘chaotic’ early U.S. response to Uganda's swelling Ebola outbreak. The outbreak marks Uganda's eighth from an Ebola virus. The first confirmed case in the outbreak was a nurse at a hospital in the nation's capital, Kampala, who contracted Ebola on Jan. 20 or Jan. 21 and died on Jan. 29.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3CGuqnh
MN BUDGET: From Jessie Van Berkel and James Walsh via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Sumukha Terakanambi’s disability services waiver paid for the lift the Lakeville resident uses to get out of bed and the care that allows him to live in his family’s home. For Steve Reinardy, whose eye disorder keeps him from driving, his waiver covers the transportation he needs to get to his job and doctor’s appointments. Tim Gross has seen his son Ben, who has Down syndrome, develop life skills using waiver-funded training that allows him to remain in his own Duluth apartment. They are among the Minnesotans pushing back against Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed measures to reduce planned increases in state spending on the Medicaid waivers that support tens of thousands of people with disabilities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aNLdl0
NUMBERS: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The mortality rate for Black mothers in the U.S. has not improved, per data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why it matters: The pregnancy-related death rate for Black women is more than three times the rate for mothers of other racial and ethnic groups.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3CJldL1
SCHOOL: From Emily Haugen via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “At Oak View Elementary in Maple Grove, students are getting the tools to pause and breathe. Classroom leaders say its working. Nearly every day in Shirley Merriett’s classroom, her second-grade students stand up and stretch. They’re following instructions from Movemindfully, a Minnesota-based company that focuses on mindfulness exercises. ‘It helps us recenter, refocus so we can show up our best selves in our space together,’ Merriett explained.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3CGsQ4P
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.-Elect Kari Rehauer
Rep.-Elect Wayne Johnson
Rep. Elect Julie Greene
Rep. Elect Keith Allen
Rep. Elect Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
THIS MONTH: Via Medical Alley, VERBATIM: “Attend this upcoming webinar on February 18 to hear from a panel of medical device company leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators working on the latest in implantable medical device technology.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42FTG7S
NURSES: From Vincent Jacobbi via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “A recent Mayo Clinic study highlights how a new debriefing tool is helping to improve the mental well-being of nurses. The tool, which goes by the acronym BONE Break, is a structured approach designed to help address the emotional and psychological distress known as Second Victim Syndrome which can be experienced by people within healthcare teams.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40MaRSM
WATER: From MDH via X, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Department of Health Well Management staff presented and answered well contractor questions at the Minnesota Water Well Association 103rd Annual Convention and Trade Show.” PHOTO: https://fluence-media.co/42RMcP0
SCANNER: From Matthew Freeman via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “Before this past fall, if you lived close to the Bemidji area and your doctor recommended a PET-CT scan, it was a bit of a challenge to get that done. ‘Historically, we’ve had a mobile PET/CT that required our patients to walk outside during all seasons.’ says Chris St. Peter, Sanford Health Vice President of Operations, ‘We quickly realized that from a patient experience standpoint, that was not, an ideal situation.’ It’s also not exactly ideal to drive all the way to North Dakota or down to the Twin Cities to get a PET-CT scan. So, Sanford Health in Bemidji made implementing this technology a priority.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4hsl1il
ACQUISITION: From Waterford Dental via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “Brilliant Dentistry in Eden Prairie is proud to announce its acquisition by Dr. Amith Shetty and Dr. Vasudha Banuru, rebranding as Waterford Dental. With over 25 years of combined experience, this dynamic team is redefining dental care in the community by offering exceptional expertise, advanced dental treatments, and a patient-first approach.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EvbsAH
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
PHONES: Form University of Birmingham via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Students attending schools that ban the use of phones throughout the school day aren't necessarily experiencing better mental health and wellbeing, as the first worldwide study of its kind has found that just banning smartphones is not enough to tackle their negative impacts. In a landmark study published today (Wednesday 5 Feb) in Lancet Regional Health Europe, 1227 students from 30 schools across England provided data about smartphone and social media usage and a range of mental health, wellbeing and other outcomes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EF2MYk
Copyright © 2025 Fluence Media, All rights reserved.
You signed up or are media / a public official interested in health care news from Fluence Media.
Our mailing address is:
Fluence Media
PO Box 270031
Minneapolis, MN 55427