COMPASSION: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “If you’re looking for compassion in action, look no further than UCare‘s UCan Employee Resource Group (ERG) dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities. The other day the team got to together to pack 450 (!) hygiene kits to support disability organizations in the community. The volunteers were treated to popcorn from Highland Popcorn, a local non-profit business that employs people with disabilities.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4qhCZZT (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
POLL: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “About 6 in 10 Americans are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ concerned about their health costs going up in the next year, the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds — a worry that extends across age groups and includes people with and without health insurance. Many Americans have other health care anxieties, too. The poll found that about 4 in 10 Americans are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ concerned about not being able to pay for health care or medications they need, not being able to access health care when they need it, or losing or not having health insurance.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42RRj1b
MORE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “The concern extended across age groups and includes people with and without health insurance, the AP noted, but the poll found women were more likely than men to be ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ concerned about rising health care costs: at 63 percent and 51 percent, respectively.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KXqFhf
MORE: Via AP NORC, from the poll:
SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4qrrmja
PLAY: Via news release from the University of Michigan, VERBATIM: “The physical and mental health benefits of outdoor play are well established, but one in 10 parents of preschoolers and toddlers say their child plays outside just once a week or less. Screen time is also increasingly part of the play routine, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health: Nearly a third of parents say their child engages in media play, such as video games, while three in five say their child watches TV or videos daily.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hscddk
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
SHUTDOWN: Via Stateline, VERBATIM: “As the federal shutdown continues, states have been forced to fall back on their own resources to spot disease outbreaks — just as respiratory illness season begins. The shutdown has halted dashboards and expert analysis from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors indicators such as wastewater to provide early warnings of the spread of COVID-19, influenza, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and other infectious diseases. The pause leaves states with less early warning on disease outbreaks, potentially endangering lives even as child vaccination rates drop amid increased exemptions and hesitancy fed by misinformation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WPjpXe
CDC: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “CDC researchers are being forced to skip a pivotal conference on infectious disease this week due to the government shutdown, missing out on high-level discussions not long after surges in measles and whooping cough hit the U.S. IDWeek, the largest annual meeting of infectious disease experts in the nation, is the leading venue for experts to trade information about diagnosing, treating and preventing threats including bird flu, superbugs and HIV, among many other topics. The CDC typically sends scores of researchers and outbreak investigators.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48GdyLd
CUTS: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “Nationwide, states are racing to win their share of a new $50 billion rural health fund. But helping rural hospitals, as originally envisioned, is quickly becoming a quaint idea. Rather, states should submit applications that ‘rebuild and reshape’ how health care is delivered in rural communities, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official Abe Sutton said late last month during a daylong meeting at Washington, D.C.’s Watergate Hotel. Simply changing the way government pays hospitals has been tried and has failed, Sutton told the audience of more than 40 governors’ office staffers and state health agency leaders — some from as far away as Hawaii.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47nUxuI
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)
HERO: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Amanda Fricke always knew she wanted to be a nurse. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Fricke chose the profession, which requires both compassion and empathy. She just never realized she’d win an award for her work. ‘It feels incredible,’ said Fricke. ‘I didn’t really know how many people were in my corner and supporting me until I went through this process.’ Fricke, who works at Allina Health Surgery Center in Brooklyn Park, was nominated by her colleagues for the HeroesFIRST award, an annual nationwide contest put on by ImageFIRST.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hiFN4C
BP: From University of Exeter via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Scientists from the University of Exeter has developed a precise method to interpret ankle blood pressure readings—an innovation that could transform care for people unable to have their arm blood pressure measured. By analyzing data from over 33,000 participants, researchers created an algorithm and online calculator that improves accuracy and could prevent thousands of misdiagnoses worldwide.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42Q3DyO
STUDY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Treatments such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy have had limited success against advanced prostate cancer due to the tumor’s ability to rewire and survive. But hope is on the horizon, thanks to a new Mayo Clinic study that uncovers how prostate cancer exploits a protein in order to resist targeted therapies and evade the immune system.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hhQjZW
ADDICTION: Via ThreeSixty Journalism, VERBATIM: “The NCDAS reports that more than 3% of all 12- to 17-year-olds in Minnesota meet the criteria for illicit drug use disorder. Because of the amount of youth addiction, there is an overwhelming need for recovery facilities that offer treatment. Inpatient programs are an important part of recovery for many; they provide a place where those with a drug use disorder can stay and receive 24-hour treatment, often for a month. ‘The inpatient or residential environment can really be quite important for a young person, because it helps structure the recovery process,’ said [Ken Winters, University of Minnesota adolescent health and cannabis use researcher]. Health professionals like Winters say that there is a need for more inpatient facilities available to youth.” WINTERS: “On average, they say only 10%, maybe 15% of young people that need treatment services for a substance use problem receive it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Jmdm9y
HEALTHCARE: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Sticker shock is expected to spread fast this open enrollment season. The big picture: After eating rising costs for everything from eggs to electricity in recent years, many Minnesotans are bracing for another price jump they can’t avoid: their health insurance rates. What’s happening: Minnesotans buying insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act individual marketplace, called MnSure, starting next month will see an average premium increase of 22%, per the state Department of Commerce.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4na1tkN
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)
LOBBYING: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “Mary Catherine Johnson is a retired small-business owner from outside Rochester, New York. She voted for Donald Trump three times. Lexy Mealing, who used to work in a physician’s office, is from Long Island. She’s a Democrat. But the women share a common bond. They both survived breast cancer. And when the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network organized its annual citizen lobby day in Washington last month, Johnson and Mealing were among the more than 500 volunteers pushing Congress to keep cancer research and support for cancer patients at the top of the nation’s health care agenda.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oxsmR0
ICE: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration is expanding its ranks of health care providers who work in immigration detention centers around the country as deaths in custody mount and federal oversight is weakened by layoffs. The push by the Department of Homeland Security to hire more than 40 doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, pharmacists and health administrators follows the revelation that nearly as many immigrants have died in custody so far this year than over the course of the Biden administration, according to government records.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nf3snS
MORE: Via The 19th, VERBATIM: “A Biden-era policy restricts ICE from arresting or detaining immigrants who are pregnant, postpartum or nursing, except in extreme circumstances. While President Donald Trump has not formally rescinded the policy, it’s clear from lawsuits, news reports and advocates for immigrants who are detained that it’s not being followed. Quantifying the exact number of pregnant, postpartum or nursing immigrants in custody has become impossible: This March, Congress let lapse a requirement that the administration report twice a year on how many of these immigrants are being held in immigration facilities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47cT4IV
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)
PEANUTS: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Food allergies in children dropped sharply in the years after new guidelines encouraged parents to introduce infants to peanuts, a study has found. For decades, as food allergy rates climbed, experts recommended that parents avoid exposing their infants to common allergens. But a landmark trial in 2015 found that feeding peanuts to babies could cut their chances of developing an allergy by over 80 percent. In 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases formally recommended the early-introduction approach and issued national guidelines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48YOa3x
FATS: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “U.S. dietary guidelines could soon undergo another overhaul under the Trump administration’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative, and the proposal has already drawn criticism. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to unveil new guidance encouraging the consumption of more foods previously considered unhealthy, including those high in saturated fats.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o2xtbO
MAYO: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “The American Heart Association and the Minnesota Department of Health recently recognized Mayo Clinic in Rochester as a Heart Safe business. This honor reflects the commitment of Mayo’s teams to prepare for cardiac emergencies, provide exceptional care and lead by example in the community.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/499nNYp
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
MOLE-RATS: From AAAS via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Naked mole-rats seem to have found nature’s cheat code for longevity. Scientists discovered that small tweaks in one of their proteins make it better at fixing DNA damage, helping the animals resist aging. Even fruit flies with the same changes lived longer, hinting at a universal way life can extend its own clock. It’s a glimpse into how evolution fine-tunes biology to fight time itself.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47kGExp
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