FOOD BANK: From Channel One via Facebook, VERBATIM: “#ChannelOneMN is the recipient of a UCare grant, which will help us increase the number of people reached and helping eliminate barriers to access through prepared meals in local communities through our Kitchen Coalition program! Not everyone facing hunger has the home, health, or ability to use groceries a food bank offers, including students, seniors, and people experiencing homelessness. Kitchen Coalition addresses these barriers by partnering with other organizations to serve up culturally connected, freshly prepared meals.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3P2Pwia (SPONSORED: UCare)
RFK JR: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “The kids seen by Dolores Mejia around suburban Phoenix have been growing heavier in recent years. Their parents, too, she says. Mejia, a 75-year-old retiree, says she’s also had her own weight struggles on the scale. That’s why Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s pledge to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ as he campaigned alongside Donald Trump caught her attention . . . Republicans such as Mejia have embraced Kennedy, whose alliance with the president-elect could make the prominent environmentalist and vaccine skeptic the nation’s top health official next year. Republicans hold an overwhelmingly positive view of Kennedy, with most approving of Trump’s decision to put him in his administration, according to recent polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters in the 2024 presidential election.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BLbXFC
GUNS: Via Newsweek, VERBATIM: “A leading gun safety group gave 22 states a grade of F in its yearly analysis of laws and firearm-related deaths. Giffords Law released its 2024 scorecard Tuesday, showing Massachusetts with the lowest death rate per 100,000 people while Mississippi had the highest. California, New Jersey and Connecticut were among the states with the strictest gun laws.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3P0QawS
MORE: Via Giffords Law, from the report that gives Minnesota a “B” grade:
REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4iK6ZJR
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
TRANSPLANTS: From Heather Carlson Kehren via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic surgeons recently performed 10 organ transplants within 24 hours, setting a record for both the hospital and the state of Arizona. On Nov. 19, Mayo Clinic teams worked around the clock to complete seven kidney transplants and three liver transplants. Transplant center colleagues rose to the challenge with one goal in mind: Saving as many lives as possible, says Bashar Aqel, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic Transplant Center in Arizona.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZILMYo
OPIOIDS: From Justine Jones and Tim Evans via Eater Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “[Sarah Webster Norton] is a longtime Twin Cities server, bartender, and manager, and the executive director of the nonprofit Serving Those Serving. Much of her work has centered on mental health care access for restaurant and bar workers, but these days, she’s tackling another issue impacting the industry: As fentanyl continues to drive the American opioid crisis, workers face a heightened chance of having to respond to overdose incidents on the job. ‘We’re first responders whether we want to be or not,’ Webster Norton says. She’s made it her mission to get naloxone, or Narcan, the brand-name nasal spray version of the medicine, stocked behind the bar at as many restaurants and bars as she can, as well as fentanyl test strips.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49LOC3c
HEALTH SPENDING: Via MedPage Today, VERBATIM: “Health spending in the U.S. rose by 7.5% in 2023, to $4.9 trillion, compared with an increase of 4.6% in 2022, according to figures released Wednesday by CMS.” QUOTE: "Much of the growth came from faster growth and spending [by] private health insurance, which increased 11.5%, and Medicare, which increased 8.1%," Anne Martin, of the CMS Office of the Actuary, said during a briefing sponsored by Health Affairs. "For Medicaid, although spending and enrollment continue to increase, the rates of growth were lower in 2023 compared with 2022 -- Medicaid spending grew by 7.9% in 2023 compared with 9.7% growth in 2022." READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BtEfEK
MORE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “The 7.5% rise represented a much faster pace of growth than the 4.6% increase in 2022. It came as pandemic federal funding for the healthcare sector expired and private health insurance enrollment increased. More people with insurance led to increased demand for medical procedures, and spending on hospital care grew at the fastest pace since 1990. Spending on drugs also rose, including for medications to treat diabetes and obesity.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gnpdzw
MORE: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “U.S spending on hospital care grew at its fastest clip in more than three decades last year, according to a new federal analysis of health expenditures. The big picture: Higher demand for medical procedures, including more Medicare patients receiving outpatient care, helped drive a 10.4% year-over-year spending surge on hospitals while prices for services remained relatively stable.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BM9739
FLUORIDE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Few of us have spent a lot of time thinking about fluoride—until recently. Now it has become a lightning rod of controversy. Public-health officials are sparring over conflicting studies weighing the benefits and risks of fluoride, especially for young children. Most everyone agrees it is important for our dental health. The question is how much fluoride we need to protect our teeth without risking possible cognitive harm. Recent analyses suggest some evidence that high levels of fluoride might harm the brains of children and developing fetuses. Other studies have found no such evidence. And there is no indication that fluoride hurts adult cognition.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49KupuM
ABORTION: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, pledged to support efforts to reimpose restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone if Trump wants to. Hawley told reporters Wednesday he suggested to Kennedy during a Tuesday meeting that “it would be a wise idea to return to the rule under the last Trump administration, which required in-person dispensing” of the drug.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZCJfPi
GENDER POLICY: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “During the transition period between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, there has been at least some coordination on West Wing affairs. But not when it comes to Biden’s Gender Policy Council, which has worked to defend reproductive health care in the face of growing restrictions. The first-of-its kind office was an effort to drive policy that would make life better for women and girls in the U.S. and in the world. Over the past four years, it has sought to advance reproductive freedom, make pay more equitable and increase participation by women in the workforce. It was formed through an executive order by Biden in September 2021, and members of his Cabinet have representatives on the council.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3P5kfv3
ACA: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “New enrollments under the Affordable Care Act are on pace to trail last year’s record numbers by as many as a million as the outgoing Biden administration confronts upheavals in the program. Donald Trump’s election to a second term has cast uncertainty around the future of the health law. In addition, the Biden administration implemented cumbersome policies to reduce fraudulent enrollment and is combating a lawsuit that aims to block immigrants who lack legal residency from buying insurance under the program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49Itw5T
GIFTS: From MDH via X, VERBATIM: “Holidays can be a fun time for gift giving, but remember to check product labels to help make sure that the gifts you buy this holiday season are #ToxicFree.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4iNo99x MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3ZKAEKn
HOLIDAY HEART: From Jason Howland via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “The holiday season is a time of celebration and excess, but Mayo Clinic experts say too much salt, caffeine and alcohol can lead to a little-known condition called ‘holiday heart’ that can have significant consequences. Dr. Amy Pollak, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, explains how ‘holiday heart’ can put too much stress on the heart.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3ZO0NYK
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 in January. Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
BIRD FLU: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “A person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with bird flu — the country’s first severe human H5N1 infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . . . The CDC said the patient was likely exposed to the virus from a backyard flock, which would mark the first time such a flock has been associated with a bird flu infection in a U.S. resident.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41K3ugC
EMS: From Madisan Green via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Counties across Minnesota continue to struggle to find EMTs, and as a solution, students from Cook and Lake County high schools are about to take on a new type of responsibility. Lake County Emergency Services has been granted $100,000 in state funds to train high school students. Their training will consist of classroom learning and hands-on skills.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3ZKIUdx
From morning take…
RURAL EMS: via a Sen. Tina Smith press release, VERBATIM: “As access to emergency medical services (EMS) continues to be a top issue for leaders in Minnesota, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) announced federal funding to bolster rural EMS services in the Southwest Metro region and the Arrowhead counties of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis in Northeastern Minnesota. … The Arrowhead EMS Association will receive $5,000,000 to pilot real-time tele-EMS technologies to connect area responders to emergency personnel in areas with high traffic fatalities. Ridgeview Ambulance Service, based in Waconia, [will] receive $170,000 to purchase a highly sophisticated patient care simulator.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gk6Lrg
Sign up for morning take…
HISTOSONICS: From Dan Niepow via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Just about a year ago, Plymouth-based HistoSonics earned federal approval to begin selling technology designed to destroy liver tumors. This week, the medtech startup unveiled plans to use the same technology to conquer pancreatic tumors. On Monday, HistoSonics announced that it has successfully treated patients with pancreatic tumors using the Edison system, technology that uses ultrasound to ‘liquefy’ tumors in the body.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZLGXgN
PRAIRIECARE: From PrairieCare via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “PrairieCare, a leader in specialized, evidence-based psychiatric services for people of all ages, is celebrating its 100,000th patient since opening its hospital in 2011, and a successful 2024 in which nearly 20,000 patients were provided much needed mental health treatment within nine locations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49Iq1wh
ESSENTIA: Via Essentia Health, an announcement of seven new members of its board of directors:
Sister Therese Carson
Dr. Patrick Courneya
Frank Frederickson
LeAnn Littlewolf
David McMillan
Tim Pawlenty
Dr. Sandeep Wadhwa
BIOS: https://fluence-media.co/3DmuaK5
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
FUNGI: From University of Pennsylvania via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “For roughly a century, ever since Alexander Fleming's accidental discovery of penicillin in 1928, fungi have proven to be a goldmine for medicines. They've provided treatments for a wide range of diseases, from infections and high cholesterol to organ rejection and even cancer. However, the process by which fungi synthesize some of their most potent compounds remains opaque. This is especially true of cyclopentachromone, a key building block in fungal products whose derivatives have shown promise in fighting cancer and reducing inflammation, among other medicinal properties.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZNza1W
Copyright © 2024 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