BACK-TO-SCHOOL: From UCare Monday via Instagram, VERBATIM: “It’s the CEAP back-to-school community fair in Brooklyn Center and UCare’s Healthmobile is providing free health screenings. Here’s to a healthy school year!” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4lmOEmk (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
POT: Via Marijuana Moment, VERBATIM: “Opponents of marijuana legalization often suggest—without good evidence—that cannabis is a ‘gateway drug’ to using more dangerous substances such as cocaine and heroin. But a new poll suggests that growing marijuana at home is a ‘gateway crop’ to other kinds of gardening. The new survey of 1,327 home cannabis cultivators found that two-thirds (66 percent) say growing their own marijuana inspired them to start growing tomatoes in their backyard gardens as well.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HvvpsP
SWEENEY: Via YouGov, VERBATIM: “Americans are more likely to view actress Sydney Sweeney favorably than unfavorably according to a new YouGov poll conducted during controversy over an American Eagle jeans ad she appeared in. Few see anything inappropriate in saying that someone has ‘good genes,’ as the ad does of Sweeney. While 53% of Americans have no opinion about Sweeney, 35% have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of her and 13% have an unfavorable opinion. That's a net favorability (the percent who view Sweeney favorably minus the percent who view her unfavorably) of +22 — higher than the -14 net favorability of President Donald Trump, who praised Sweeney this week.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HbOm3T
TRUST: Via U.S. News & World Report, VERBATIM: “From the White House to the courthouse, the emergency room and the classroom, Americans are losing trust in institutions – illuminating a leadership crisis across the United States, according to a new survey by U.S. News and World Report.”
“The leadership void isn’t helped by the fact that most Americans don’t aspire to follow in the leaders’ footsteps. More than 3 in 5 say they don’t see leaders today in any sector whom they aspire to emulate.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mFKcQP
DIET: Via Physicians Committee, VERBATIM: “Up slightly from 16% last year, only 19% of women say a health care provider has discussed with them nutrition’s role in breast cancer risk in a new Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult survey. However, fewer of those same women specifically mention diet this year when asked what steps they’re aware of that women can take to lower their chances of developing breast cancer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ltgOML
VACCINES: Via UofM CIDRAP, VERBATIM: “A survey conducted in emergency departments (EDs) in eight US cities found that 86% of adult respondents were not up to date with recommended vaccines, and half had not even heard of one or more of these vaccines. But the results of the survey, conducted by a team of US researchers and published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also found that nearly half of the respondents said they would be willing to get a missing shot if they were offered one during their ED visit, and most of those participants said they'd be willing to get all of their missing vaccines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m7sG84
TRAVEL: Via MSN, VERBATIM: “For many Americans, a healthier state of mind might just require a passport stamp. According to a new Talker Research poll, people with excellent mental health take twice as many trips each year as those who report feeling poor or very poor. Additionally, they are far more likely to describe travel as a key part of their lifestyle. The survey of 2,000 Americans revealed a striking connection between how people feel and how often they leave home. The average respondent said they feel 67 percent better mentally after a trip, with those who travel frequently more likely to report good or excellent mental health overall.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45ivglW
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
TODAY: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners will vote Tuesday on a resolution to take over management of HCMC, as the county hospital faces a budget shortfall. According to county and hospital officials, the county’s safety-net hospital system — including HCMC in Minneapolis — has seen an operating loss for seven of the past eight years. Hospital and county officials have said the hospital risks closure this year, or could face steep cuts to staff and programs.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Hu9Dps
MRNA VACCINES: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “The head of the National Institutes of Health has offered a new explanation for why the federal government canceled $500 million in contracts to help develop messenger RNA vaccines, saying the platform is not viable because the public doesn’t trust it. The agency’s director, Jay Bhattacharya, made the statement during an appearance on right-wing provocateur Steve Bannon’s podcast, ‘War Room,’ that aired on Saturday. His rationale for the cancellation of the contracts does not align with the explanation offered last week by his boss, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said vaccines made using this platform were not effective and were unsafe.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45xGGkv
COVID: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “This fall, it may not be possible for many parents to have a healthy child under age 5 immunized against Covid. Pfizer’s vaccine has long been available to these children under so-called emergency use authorization. But the Food and Drug Administration is considering discontinuing the authorization for that age group, according to an email sent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to state and local health departments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mCuXrA
CDC: Via Fierce Healthcare, VERBATIM: “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees and other prominent public health figures are calling for leadership to take a stronger stance on vaccine misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric following Friday afternoon’s shooting at the agency’s Atlanta headquarters . . . The suspect, Patrick Joseph White, who died at the scene, was armed with five guns, including at least one long gun, and had reportedly tried to enter the campus but was turned away. The 30-year-old’s father contacted police to identify his son as the possible shooter, telling officials his son was in mental distress and had blamed COVID-19 vaccines for his and others’ illnesses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UX1mxn
CANCER: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “In an early trial, a one-size-fits-all vaccine showed promise in preventing hard-to-treat pancreatic cancers from coming back. Pancreatic cancer is of particular concern. The five-year survival rate is about 13%, and up to 80% of pancreatic cancers may come back.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/45fKnwo
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)
NOV 17-20: Via DEED, VERBATIM: “Join forces with the Minnesota Trade Office to exhibit your company at MEDICA, the largest medical trade show in the world. Whether your goal is to expand internationally, deepen relationships, benchmark competitors, or spot emerging opportunities, MEDICA offers a high-impact, cost-effective platform to grow your business with an exciting new addition to elevate Minnesota's presence.”
HEALTH CARE: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “People thinking about starting a business or retiring early — before they’re old enough for Medicare — may want to wait until November, when they can see just how much their Affordable Care Act health insurance will cost next year. Sharp increases are expected. Premiums for ACA health plans, also known as Obamacare, which many early retirees and small-business owners rely on for coverage, are going up, partly due to policy changes advanced by the Trump administration and Congress. At the same time, more generous tax subsidies that have helped most policyholders pay for coverage are set to expire at the end of December.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fxyYeV
IV: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The nationwide shortage of critical intravenous saline fluid triggered by Hurricane Helene is over, though some other injectable solutions remain in shortage almost a year after the storm, the Food and Drug Administration said. Why it matters: The storm sent shudders through the health supply chain when it ravaged a huge Baxter International plant in North Carolina that makes IV fluids for many U.S. hospitals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/415wKgN
VETERANS: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “Many veterans live hours from VA facilities, or they need health services that aren’t readily available from the VA. In such cases, the department is supposed to provide a referral and pay for private care. Critics say it often hesitates to do so. Republicans controlling Congress aim to streamline the process of obtaining what is known as community care. Two Republican senators have introduced legislation that would make it easier for rural veterans to seek care at local hospitals and clinics. The proposals would build on VA community care programs that started under Democratic President Barack Obama and were expanded in Trump’s first term. Critics worry that steering veterans to private care facilities drains federal money from the VA hospital and clinic system.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fA2MaK
VA STAFFING: Via The Guardian, VERBATIM: “The Department of Veterans Affairs has lost thousands of healthcare professionals deemed ‘core’ to the system’s ability to function and ‘without which mission-critical work cannot be completed’, agency records show. The number of medical staff on hand to treat veterans has fallen every month since Donald Trump took office. The VA has experienced a net loss of 2,000 registered nurses since the start of this fiscal year, the data show, along with approximately 1,300 medical assistants, 1,100 nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses, 800 doctors, 500 social workers and 150 psychologists.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JbC1x1
MARIJUANA: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “President Trump said Monday his administration is ‘looking at’ reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Such a move would continue efforts begun by the Biden administration, which started the process to make marijuana a Schedule III drug in 2024 but did not finish it before former President Biden left office.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Uq9fv2
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)
PARASITE: From American Association of Immunologists via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Scientists have discovered a parasite that can sneak into your skin without you feeling a thing. The worm, Schistosoma mansoni, has evolved a way to switch off the body’s pain and itch signals, letting it invade undetected. By blocking certain nerve pathways, it avoids triggering the immune system’s alarms. This stealth tactic not only helps the worm survive, but could inspire new kinds of pain treatments and even preventative creams to protect people from infection.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fz33dK
RURAL ER: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “Emergency medicine researchers and providers believe ERs, especially in rural areas, increasingly operate with few or no physicians amid a nationwide shortage of doctors. A recent study found that in 2022, at least 7.4% of emergency departments across the U.S. did not have an attending physician on-site 24/7. Like Dahl Memorial, more than 90% were in low-volume or critical access hospitals — a federal designation for small, rural hospitals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41AUQjz
DOCS: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “America's doctors are working harder and getting paid less. And that could soon translate into less access for some patients. The big picture: A new report from consultancy Kaufman Hall shows primary care physicians and specialists are delivering more services since the pandemic. But they're not making more money because of stagnant reimbursements from public and private insurers and inflation. The data helps explain why medical practice bankruptcies hit a six-year high last year — and why some providers are shifting to pricey procedures for cash-paying customers to boost their bottom lines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oEdzVA
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)
MERGER: Via news release from ClinicMind, VERBATIM: “Plymouth Psych Group (PPG) today announced the acquisition of Psychology Consultation Specialist (PCS), an outpatient mental health practice established in 2008.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mBpTnp
ORGAN DONORS: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month. It's a time of celebrating organ donation and educating people about transplantation by encouraging donor registration and promoting healthy living. Dr. Shennen Mao, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, says having a diverse pool of organ donors will help serve a growing wait list of those in need.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3UqBlX6
GROCERIES: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Relying on dollar stores for the bulk of grocery purchases might not be harming American diets, despite the comparative lack of healthy products, a new study has found. As families look to free up funds on costly shopping lists, they are increasingly turning to their locals dollar stores to buy staple food items, according to the study, published Monday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Hyd7Hx
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
VEGAN EGGS: From University of Illinois via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “A study finds that people are more open to plant-based eggs when they’re part of familiar foods, like pancakes, rather than served plain. While taste and appearance still favor regular eggs, vegan eggs score higher on environmental and ethical benefits. Familiarity is the key to getting people to try them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lqKXfo
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