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POLLING
HEAT: Via AP-NORC, VERBATIM: “Adults are increasingly likely to say extreme heat in the past year has impacted their electricity bills, outdoor plans, and other routines. At the same time, the public has become slightly less inclined to believe that climate change is happening. About half of adults say extreme heat has had a major impact on their electricity bills, while 3 in 10 say the same about their outdoor activities. Fewer report major impacts on their exercise routines, sleep, pets, travel or vacation plans, the timing of events like weddings or reunions, or their job or commute.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fRkcS5
MORE: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Much of that shift was among people who live in the West or Midwest. Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to say that extreme heat has had a ‘major’ impact on each item asked about.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fQ7ba0
ISSUES: Medicare, health care, and abortion policy were among the issues listed as most important by Americans responding to a new Marquette Law School poll – though economic issues and the war with Iran ranked higher. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4hSzHdF
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)
MN + HEALTH
PREGNANCY BP: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Rates of high blood pressure during pregnancy have soared in Minnesota and across the country, according to new CDC data. Why it matters: High blood pressure is associated with serious complications for mom and baby.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3U0jWaB
MORE: Via CDC:
CDC REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4fWoPJ4
CRISIS NURSERIES: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Crisis nurseries like STAR House and the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery aim to help families by providing free, short-term childcare during crises – when a parent needs to seek emergency medical care, for example, or to flee domestic violence. Similar nurseries are scattered across Minnesota, including in Mankato, Wright County and St. Cloud. But Ramsey County hadn’t had one for more than 40 years until STAR House opened its doors in November 2024, said executive director Sarah Ellefson.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g0AG97
HEALTHCARE: Strong communities depend on sustainable nonprofit healthcare. By planning to join leading nonprofit healthcare system Sutter Health, Allina Health will be better positioned to expand access to high-quality, innovative care in Minnesota and western Wisconsin — supporting patients, caregivers, and communities for generations to come. Learn more about the Allina-Sutter partnership online. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/AllinaHealth (SPONSORED: Allina Health)
DC + HEALTH
FAUCI: Via Yahoo! News, VERBATIM: “A Senate committee led by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky investigating the origins of COVID-19 voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer any questions at a contentious hearing last week. Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who helped lead the country’s pandemic response, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times in his appearance before the panel, accusing Paul in an opening statement of having an ‘unhinged obsession’ with him.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wFtMx5
CDC: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Erica Schwartz was confirmed Wednesday as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making her the second permanent leader of the agency since the second Trump administration took office. Her confirmation, approved by the Senate in a 51-44 vote, also ends a nearly yearlong vacancy for the CDC’s top job after health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Schwartz’s predecessor last year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ggh16n
MORE: Via The 19th, VERBATIM: “Dr. Erica Schwartz will be the first Black woman to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, promising that she will show ‘radical transparency and unwavering scientific integrity’ in the role. But she faces political headwinds and practical challenges as she starts the job. Schwartz . . . is expected to balance a public commitment to evidence-based policy and how that might clash with the requests of her new boss, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Ugqpyg
FLU VACCINE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first mRNA flu vaccine, enabling use of a technology that will make it easier to rapidly target a widely prevalent or particularly virulent strain of the virus. The approval of the vaccine, called mFLUSIVA, which is manufactured by Moderna, follows a series of blows to mRNA research directed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including the cancellation of 22 projects meant to develop vaccines with mRNA technology through the government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UhVn9a
EBOLA: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “The world’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to fight it, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday during a visit to Congo where some health workers are striking over a lack of pay. Nearly three months into the outbreak, new cases are doubling in some hot spots, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X after meeting with officials in the capital, Kinshasa. It was the second visit by the WHO director-general to the Central African country since the outbreak was declared in mid-May.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g0Hd3D
AI: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Federal health officials held closed-door conversations with prominent technology companies last month as the health department and its subagencies aim to safely boost adoption of clinical artificial intelligence. During a ‘clinical AI demo day’ on July 8 at the Food and Drug Administration’s White Oak headquarters, officials from the FDA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hosted leaders from 10 companies, according to an agenda for the event reviewed by STAT.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fIXueN
HEALTHCARE: Via Marketplace, VERBATIM: “Most employers, two-thirds, pay their own healthcare bills. They just hire insurers to do the logistics. They expect insurers to check claims to find mistakes and overpayments. But it’s not their money, and there’s no incentive to closely monitor the dollars. That’s where so-called payment integrity companies come in. The mistakes they find are saving employers anywhere from 5% to 15% of their annual health care spend. It’s a well-accepted fact that many medical bills have errors, and employers expect that the insurers they pay to run their health plan would catch them. Turns out that’s a bad assumption, said Joanne Hinton. She ran health benefits for the 12,000 Fort Worth employees, family members and retirees in Texas until April.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4q13z9D
ESSENTIA HEALTH SUPPORTS FREE CLINIC IN VIRGINIA, SERVING INCREASED NUMBER OF UNINSURED MINNESOTANS: Every Thursday night, physicians and care team members from Essentia Health-Virginia volunteer at the Project Care Free Clinic, providing treatment, screenings, and preventive care to patients who are uninsured or may be struggling to afford health care premiums. Essentia also provides lab and X-ray services at no cost to the clinic or its patients. Essentia is proud to support the clinic, ensuring everyone in the community can get the care they need. READ MORE: By volunteering at a free clinic, Essentia providers in Virginia ensure access to care for all | Essentia Health (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
INDUSTRY + INNOVATION
BIZ SPLIT: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Solventum, which spun off from 3M in 2024, is divesting a division with $1.4 billion in annual sales. Under activist pressure, the Eagan-based company said Wednesday the divestiture of its Health Information Systems (HIS) unit will allow it to focus on its dental segment and its MedSurg unit, which sells medical products and surgical devices. Company officials said they have not decided whether to spin off or sell the unit, but they anticipate the process will take 12 to 18 months.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TCJhaE
STUDY: Via Minnetonka-based AngioInsight, VERBATIM: “AngioInsight Inc., a company advancing AI-powered cardiovascular diagnostics, today announced the enrollment of the first patient in the SMARTFLOW clinical study, marking a significant milestone in the clinical evaluation of AngioAI+, the company’s investigational software platform designed to assess coronary physiology from routine coronary angiographic images.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xpQtFI
STUDY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “An international study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has identified interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor blockers as a promising option for preventing relapses in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). MOGAD is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that can cause vision loss, paralysis and other serious neurological complications.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fWaZqa
CLOQUET: Via Essentia, VERBATIM: “Essentia Health is excited to announce it will purchase therapy practice of Park Avenue Therapies, a longtime community pillar in Cloquet. Park Avenue founder and owner Rhonda Johnson approached Essentia earlier this year to gauge the health system’s interest in acquiring the therapy practice. Both parties signed a purchase agreement in early July, and the transition is expected to be complete on Oct. 1. Johnson and her team of physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, athletic trainers and support staff will become Essentia employees.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4z1a9B7
(DISCLOSURE: Essentia is a Fluence sponsor)
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BOMB CELLS: Via Stanford University, VERBATIM: “Stanford researchers discovered immune cells in flatworms that explode within minutes, killing nearby bacteria and foreign cells before vanishing completely. Their unusually fast and localized attack could offer clues for developing targeted treatments against infections and cancer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xjSrXV
DEMENTIA: Via Lund University, VERBATIM: “A long-term brain study found that common risks such as smoking, high blood pressure, heart disease, and high blood lipids were strongly linked to damage associated with vascular dementia. The findings suggest that healthier lifestyle choices could help delay dementia by reducing several harmful brain changes at once.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ghDIqI
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