IMMUNIZATIONS: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “The most life-saving vaccines of 2025-26 will probably be the flu and COVID shots. Don't forget to get vaccinated this fall! National Immunization Awareness Month.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3HVEmvO (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
POLL: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the face of the federal government’s health care policies, but a new poll suggests few Americans trust his advice when it comes to their own medical decisions. An Economist/YouGov poll released Wednesday found that 26 percent of respondents said that they at least ‘somewhat’ trust Kennedy’s medical advice, compared to 48 percent who said that they distrust him.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4n88AL8
MORE: Via YouGov, full results from the poll which covered a wide range of topics. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/45PtFEn
VACCINES: Via CBS News, VERBATIM: “Americans tend to believe Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s policies are making vaccines less available rather than more available. But the large majority of Americans feels government policy ought to make vaccines more available if people want them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45NnOiP
COVID: Via Cleveland.com. VERBATIM: “Amid changes in federal vaccine policies, nearly 60% of American adults don’t expect to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot this fall, according to a new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust. In addition, about two-thirds of American adult who plan to get a COVID-19 shot this fall worry it won’t be available to them, the KFF poll found.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VA2d7q
BABIES: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “Even as the U.S. birth rate has fallen to an all-time low of 1.6 births per woman, Americans continue to say that the ideal family size includes an average of 2.7 children.”
“In recent decades, the divergence between the ideal and reality has become especially wide as the fertility rate has dropped below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman needed to maintain the U.S. population size. This suggests that the decline in births may be driven more by practical challenges that make it harder for people to have as many children as they want, rather than by changing attitudes about the ideal family size.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4p8Mo5m
HEALTH CARE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Employees of large and small companies are likely to face higher health care costs, with increases in premiums, bigger deductibles or co-pays, and will possibly lose some benefits next year, according to a large survey of companies nationwide that was released on Thursday. The survey of 1,700 companies, conducted by Mercer, a benefits consultant, indicated that employers are anticipating the sharpest increases in medical costs in about 15 years. Higher drug costs, rising hospital prices and greater demand for care are all contributing factors, experts said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HIBKBD
MORE: Via Mercer, from the news release announcing the results, QUOTE: “With pressure mounting on their healthcare budgets, the 2026 cost spike has been a call to action for many employers. Survey results indicate that while the majority of employers will make changes to reduce cost increases in 2026, many are pursuing longer-term — even disruptive — strategies to slow cost growth.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41yPl55
TRUMP: Via Independent, VERBATIM: “America is split on whether Donald Trump’s health and age are impacting his ability to serve as president, a new poll has found . . . In a YouGov survey conducted Tuesday, 38 percent of Americans said Trump’s health and age ‘severely limit his ability to do the job’ as president, while 21 percent said it had ‘little effect.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47XYurJ
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
EMS: Senator Judy Seeberger (DFL-Afton) and Rep. John Huot (DFL-Rosemount), both EMS veterans, hosted a news conference this morning with Hennepin County paramedics and dispatchers talking about the stresses they’ve faced responding to recent gun violence incidents. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3JKakf7
OPIOIDS: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “The mother of a Twin Cities teenager who died after taking a pill she thought was for pain - but turned out to be fentanyl - is turning her grief into action. ‘My daughter Drue was 17 when she injured herself playing basketball in Cottage Grove.’ Vanessa Marlowe describing how her daughter became addicted to opioids. That included stealing them, and ultimately, addiction. ‘Buying fentanyl off the streets, caused her to not wake up one morning,’ says Marlowe.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4g8wHqP
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)
NEXT WEEK: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Be watching for several local bridges and numerous other landmarks to be lit brightly in red on September 9th. September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Month, with the ninth day designated as International FASD Awareness Day.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gcK7lA
RFK JR: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified during a hearing with the Senate Finance Committee today. The health secretary had several tense exchanges and shouting matches with Democratic senators about his vaccine policies and turmoil at the CDC . . . Several Republicans, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. — a physician and a key vote to confirm Kennedy — also expressed concern about the department’s handling of vaccines. The Health Secretary repeatedly insisted he was not anti-vaccine, though he has appointed several vaccine skeptics to a key advisory committee and walked back the agency's Covid vaccine recommendations.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4nf7xZK
SWEETENERS: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “People who consumed the highest levels of certain artificial sweeteners — equivalent to just one diet soda a day — saw a significant decline in their ability to remember and recall words when compared to people who consumed the lowest levels, a new study found. ‘People who consumed the most low- or no-calorie sweeteners showed a 62% faster global cognitive decline than those who consumed the lowest amount — that’s the equivalent of 1.6 — years of brain aging,’ said lead study author Dr. Claudia Kimie Suemoto, an associate professor of geriatrics and director of the Biobank for Aging Studies at the University of São Paulo’s Medical School in Brazil.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4g9kpOW
IPO: Via news release from Roseville-based Park Dental, VERBATIM: “Park Dental Partners, Inc. announced today that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. All of the shares will be issued and sold by Park Dental Partners, Inc. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mNavF9
GRANTS: The University of Minnesota’s Courtney Matson, PhD is among 15 recipients of grants from the American Skin Association for research of skin cancer and diseases. Via ASA news release, QUOTE: “For thirty-eight years, ASA and its affiliates have funded over $50 million in grants that have advanced this mission serving the more than 100 million Americans afflicted with skin disorders. ASA's primary goal is to enhance treatments and continue working towards cures for melanoma, vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and other skin diseases.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HKPqMp
MAYO: Via news release from SIR, VERBATIM: “The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Foundation is proud to announce that Wendaline M. VanBuren, M.D., a radiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has been awarded the Dr. Scott C. Goodwin Grant for Adenomyosis. Through this award, SIR Foundation will provide funding over two years to support Dr. VanBuren's study, ‘Endo-Deep: An AI-Powered Model for Diagnosis and Treatment Planning in Adenomyosis and Endometriosis.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4geCyLm
BRAIN IMAGING: Via news release from BrainSpec, VERBATIM: “BrainSpec, a company developing next-generation imaging technology, has collaborated with the University of Minnesota's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) to commercialize AutoVOI, a patented pipeline that automates voxel placement in Magnetic Resonance (MR) spectroscopy. Through an exclusive license agreement managed by University of Minnesota Technology Commercialization, BrainSpec aims to simplify MR spectroscopy by reducing the technical complexity and bringing cutting edge technology to a wider audience.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46a6P9v
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)
TOBACCO: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “When Hassan Mohamed, a tobacco use prevention coordinator with African Immigrants Community Services of Minneapolis, talks with Somali youth about the hazards of tobacco, he finds himself facing two main adversaries: vaping and hookahs. Hassan, who has been on the job for six months, and his team hear of those tobacco delivery systems’ popularity during their visits to schools and community centers.” MOHAMED: “A lot of youth [vape] nowadays — high schoolers, college students — and actually fall for advertising for different flavors,” he said. “The Somali community are also doing what’s called hookah, which is a different kind of smoking.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lYclli
ST CLOUD: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Under a big white tent in the parking lot of a busy St. Cloud strip mall last week, nurses in black scrubs strapped blood pressure cuffs and pricked the fingers of waiting patients. To mark the one-year anniversary of Hayat Clinic opening, staff were offering free blood pressure and glucose checks. The clinic’s founder, Dr. Bashir Moallin, chatted in Somali with a smiling man who’d just gotten an all-clear on a pre-diabetes test . . . Moallin opened the clinic with the goal of providing primary care to the community's most underserved residents, including immigrants and refugees.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3HI2Cld
BREAST CANCER: From University of Pennsylvania via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have shown for the first time that it’s possible to detect dormant cancer cells in breast cancer survivors and eliminate them with repurposed drugs, potentially preventing recurrence. In a clinical trial, existing medications cleared these hidden cells in most participants, leading to survival rates above 90%. The findings open a new era of proactive treatment against breast cancer’s lingering threat, offering hope to survivors haunted by the fear of relapse.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Vliayx
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)
ALCOHOL: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic researchers have pinpointed how excessive alcohol consumption contributes to fatty liver disease, a condition that affects more than one in three people in the U.S. Also known as Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, it is a long-lasting disease that can lead to type 2 diabetes and even liver cancer. Excessive alcohol can contribute to this fatty disease as well — and Mayo Clinic researchers recently discovered a reason why.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46jXWey
STROKE CARE: Via news release from Allina, VERBATIM: “Allina Health has received the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital. Eight Allina Health hospitals received recognitions.”
TEETH: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Most days, dentists field many questions along a common theme: Am I too old for cosmetic dentistry? Or is it too early to start? When it comes to creating beautiful smiles, dentists most want you to know that there are treatments appropriate for any age that can help you look and feel your best. The reasons people seek cosmetic dental care most often stem from issues with function or wear. To help, dentists have a full toolbox of treatments to address those root causes while also giving you fresh confidence in your newly remade smile.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47ZQuXa
MORE: Via American Heart Association, more on the organization’s “guidelines” campaign. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3V0Fr8E
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
BRAIN TEST: From University of Bath via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Scientists at the University of Bath have developed a simple three-minute brainwave test called Fastball EEG that can detect memory problems years before Alzheimer’s is typically diagnosed. Unlike traditional memory tests, it passively records brain responses to images and has now been proven effective in people’s homes. With breakthrough Alzheimer’s drugs working best in early stages, this low-cost, accessible tool could transform early detection and treatment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oYGUtM
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