RONDO: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “The historic Rondo Block Party is the place to be on this beautiful Saturday in August. The Rondo neighborhood was a significant cultural, residential, and business hub for the Black community in Saint Paul throughout much of the 20th century. And of course UCare is there to celebrate with the community. We brought our #peoplepower and fun giveaways to support healthy lifestyles!” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4fk1kcg (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
POLL: Via AP-NORC, VERBATIM: “About half of the public consider the cost of groceries to be a major source of stress in their life right now, and 19% of those concerned have used deferred payment services to fund groceries at some point.”
“Overall, 29% of the public have ever used deferred payment services, sometimes called Buy Now Pay Later, for health care, entertainment, groceries, or restaurant meals. Use of these services is higher among adults under age 45 compared with older adults. People experiencing economic stress are much more likely to use these services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UNM65Q
MORE: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Groceries are one of the most far-reaching financial stressors, affecting the young and old alike, the poll finds. While Americans over age 60 are less likely than younger people to feel major financial anxiety about housing, their savings, child care, or credit card debt, they are just as worried about the cost of groceries.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fkkYEW
HEALTH CARE: Via Rasmussen, VERBATIM: “Many voters are discontented with America’s health care system, an issue that favors Democrats. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the nation’s health care system as good or excellent – up from 33% in 2019 – while 34% give the system a fair rating and 24% rate it as poor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UKVjf9
MEDS: Via Healthcare Dive, VERBATIM: “More than half of adults with commercial insurance were informed by their plan that it would no longer cover their medications for a chronic or rare disease, according to a new survey. The poll from healthcare advocacy group the PAN Foundation also found high prevalence of a cost-saving tactic from employers called alternative funding programs, in which plans outsource access to high-cost medications instead of covering them on their own.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45bM9gw
VACCINE: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “As federal vaccine policy changes, most (59%) adults do not expect to get a COVID-19 vaccine this fall, while four in 10 (40%) say that they will ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ get the shot, a new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds. The groups most likely to say they will ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ get the vaccine this fall include older adults (55%) and Democrats (70%). In contrast, most Republicans say they won’t get the shot, including 59% who say they will ‘definitely not’ get the vaccine. Among those who plan to get the shot, two-thirds (66%) say they are concerned the vaccine won’t be available to them, and a similar share of those with insurance (62%) are concerned their insurance won’t cover the cost.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41eTZ8j
HOSPITAL FOOD: Via Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, VERBATIM: “Fast food like cheeseburgers, fried chicken, and pizza shouldn’t be sold in hospitals, say most Americans in a new Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult poll. The poll comes as a new report from the Physicians Committee—a health advocacy nonprofit with 17,000 doctor members—finds that Chick-fil-A is located in at least 20 U.S. hospitals or medical centers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lahTsr
LIST: Minnesota ranks third on WalletHub’s list of the states with the best health care systems. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4mtmFCj
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
MAHA: The Make America Healthy Again campaign came up at Farmfest this morning in Redwood County. At a panel discussion featuring members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation, Representatives Angie Craig and Brad Finstad both argued for more science-based decision-making. FINSTAD: “Are we gonna listen to real science, real research, or is it gonna be political science steeped in emotion and clicks and YouTube likes. And what we’re seeing here, though, is something I think we allhave to pay very strong attention to and that there is this building national conversation about health. Which is great. I think that everyone should be excited about that. But it also goes to my earlier point that we in agriculture really need to up our game and go on offense and talking about the great strides that we’ve made in our industry, the advances that we’ve done on our farms, the health that we provide our neighbors in the great food we produce. And it’s our opportunity to rise to the occasion. And I think what you see here is very strong bipartisan support of us fighting down the political science on this. I mean, what bizarre times we live in when a Kennedy is now being disliked by the Democrats and the Republicans.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4lbHqBC
HCMC: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Some members of the Hennepin Healthcare System board are coming out against a plan for the county to take over HCMC and dissolve their current board. Hennepin Healthcare is facing a $36 million deficit this year and the Hennepin County board, which oversees the healthcare facility, wants to eliminate its governing board to help deal with the crisis.” QUOTE: "We need to shorten the command structure to make sure that there is no delays, there's no hesitancy, on the information that we are going to need to decide how do we set our max property tax levy," Hennepin County Commissioner Jeffrey Lundee says. "How do we talk about the investments that we can and need to make in the hospital." LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mwRiXO
SMOKE: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The wildfire smoke has cleared (for now), ending Minnesota's longest air quality alert on record. State of play: Minnesotans again inhaled some of the crummiest air in the world late last week, as plumes from Canadian wildfires blanketed the skies with haze and triggered six consecutive days of air quality alerts. The drifting smoke has caused the Air Quality Index in the Twin Cites to hit unhealthy levels at least nine times this summer, per MPCA. Threat level: Short-term exposure to the fine particle pollution can make preexisting respiratory and cardiovascular disease worse, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45AMQkZ
MORE: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “As the air quality in Minnesota remains dangerous, experts are giving advice. ‘It's not a one-size-fits-all answer,’ said Dr. Andrew Stiehm, who's a pulmonologist for Allina Health. ‘I just reinforce stay inside, pay attention to the air quality index.’ Steim adds it's OK to be outside, but it's the duration spent and intensity of your outdoor workout that you should be wary of.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/41s7kdh
FISH: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Pollution doesn’t respect boundaries. Hundreds of lakes across the North Woods are contaminated with mercury, including those in protected areas like the Boundary Waters. That contamination is worsening now despite years of efforts to close coal-fired power plants and scrub industrial emissions. Minnesota has reduced the amount of mercury it spews into the atmosphere by nearly two-thirds since 2005. Yet the level of mercury found in walleye and northern pike in many of the state’s lakes has continued to slowly but steadily rise for the past 30 years.” LISTEN/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/4msYcNG
BIRD FLU: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The bird flu virus that has beset dairy farms since early last year may be spreading through the air in so-called milking parlors and through contaminated wastewater, as well as from milking equipment, scientists have found. The Department of Agriculture has said that the virus spreads primarily from milking equipment or is carried by dairy workers and vehicles traveling between farms. But in the new study, scientists found live virus in the air of milking facilities, suggesting that cows and farmworkers might have become infected by inhaling the pathogen. The virus may also spread by water used to clean cattle barns or contaminated with discarded milk.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lczzna
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)
STILLWATER: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “HealthPartners employees in Stillwater voted to authorize an unfair labor practices strike, their union announced Monday. Roughly 80 licensed practical nurses, certified medical assistants and other health care workers in the family medicine, pediatrics and OB-GYN fields voted to authorize the strike with an 84% approval rate. The vote will allow the group to call for a strike after giving their employers a 10-day notice.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mtkY7V
IMMUNIZATION: Via MDH, VERBATIM: “Sheyanga Beecher, director of the Hennepin Healthcare Pediatric Mobile Health Program, has been named Minnesota’s 2025 Immunization Champion by the Association of Immunization Managers and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Beecher is being honored for her dedication, leadership and innovative approach to increasing immunization rates among patients by removing access barriers, building trusted community partnerships and communicating the value and safety of vaccines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UKVoPZ
RFK JR: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Kennedy’s ascent to the country’s top health job is opening a new front in America’s attitudes toward vaccines. Childhood-vaccination rates had been falling even before Kennedy became U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services this year. There are signs that his use of the bully pulpit to emphasize vaccine risks is making it more socially acceptable to question or shun immunizations. The number of kindergarteners with exemptions from vaccine requirements is at its highest level since the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the number in 2011, according to data from the 2024-25 school year, the most recent available.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45mfkxw
POT VS BOOZE: From Society for the Study of Addiction via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “A new study has found that, among women with a high desire to avoid becoming pregnant, those who drank heavily had a 50% higher risk of becoming pregnant than those who drank moderately or not at all. In contrast, participants who used cannabis were no more likely to have an undesired pregnancy than participants who did not use cannabis.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45eS2uZ
MEDICAID: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “When President Donald Trump signed a law adding work requirements for some Medicaid recipients, he may have undercut lawmakers in at least 14 states who were designing their own plans, according to health industry observers. Georgia is the only state with a work requirement in place for Medicaid, but several states have been pursuing such a policy for years, only to be blocked by courts or, most recently, the Biden administration. Some seek state-specific touches to the new rules. Others aim to implement work requirements before the federal law takes effect at the end of 2026.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HiU2ce
HOSPITALS: Via Fierce Healthcare, VERBATIM: “Hundreds of urban hospitals have taken advantage of a 2016 policy change that allows them to be simultaneously classified by Medicare as rural and urban facilities for payment purposes, according to a new study. Compared to three geographically urban hospitals that picked up dual classifications in 2017, 425 existing urban hospitals had obtained both administrative designations in 2023, Johns Hopkins University and Brown University researchers wrote in Health Affairs. About three-quarters of these were nonprofits, and several were large academic medical centers located in metropolitan areas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fpdH74
MEDICARE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Many seniors enjoy the perks that come with Medicare Advantage. But those extras—like dental coverage and free gym memberships—are being scaled back. Insurers are cutting benefits and exiting from unprofitable markets, and Wall Street is cheering them on. Once rewarded by investors for rapid expansion in the lucrative privatized Medicare program, companies are now being applauded for showing restraint amid rising medical costs and lower government payments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lc3dZW
COMMITTEE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he is ‘reviewing’ whether to remove all members of an influential advisory committee that offers guidance about preventive health services. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is composed of medical experts who serve four-year terms on a volunteer basis. They are appointed by the HHS secretary and are supposed to be shielded from political influence.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3J4VSxP
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)
TEEN SUICIDE: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “A new federal report finds that the percentage of adults with suicidal thoughts and attempts remained about the same between 2021 and 2024. But the analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health did offer some good news: Over that same time period, depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in teens declined.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45mU3E3
DIABETES: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Scientific breakthroughs in one disease don't always shed light on treating other diseases. But that's been the surprising journey of one Mayo Clinic research team. After identifying a sugar molecule that cancer cells use on their surfaces to hide from the immune system, the researchers have found the same molecule may eventually help in the treatment of type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Hkhy8M
GUT: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “The gut is often called our second brain—and for good reason. We all know the sensation of an unsettled tummy when feeling anxious, or having a “gut feeling” about something before we can articulate it. Increasingly, science is revealing the physical and biochemical underpinnings of the link between the brain and the gut—and what they mean for neurodevelopment, digestion, immunity, and mental health. It’s a topic of growing urgency, thanks to rising rates of pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism; mental health troubles such as anxiety and depression; and autoimmune conditions ranging from Crohn’s disease to eczema and food allergies. As researchers uncover more about the gut-brain connection, it’s becoming clear that the gut microbiome (the ecosystem of microbes in our intestines) plays a pivotal role in childhood development, behavior, immune health, and emotional regulation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lfK9Kn
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)
CERTIFICATION: Via Minnesota Hospital Association, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) honored eight hospital and health system trustees from around the state for their successful completion of MHA’s trustee certification program. MHA proudly recognizes their dedication to effective health care governance and to the communities they serve.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mn3daq
ACQUISITION: Via news release from New Brighton-based Nystrom, VERBATIM: “Nystrom & Associates, a leading provider of behavioral health services, acquired the Minnesota-based operations of Ellie Mental Health, creating one of the largest behavioral health networks in the region. The combined organization operates 84 locations across five states, including Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40UOxHj
ACQUISITION: Via news release from Mendota Heights-based St. Croix Hospice, VERBATIM: “St. Croix Hospice and Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS) have entered into a definitive agreement for St. Croix Hospice to acquire MCHS's hospice operations in Northwest and Southwest Wisconsin. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close later this quarter. The organizations have been longstanding partners in Midwest care, with St. Croix Hospice serving as a leading agency for hospice patients referred outside MCHS.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fjyZCQ
PELVITAL: Via news release from Eagan-based Pelvital, VERBATIM: “Pelvital, the women's health MedTech company transforming the conservative standard of care for urinary incontinence with its Flyte System device, is pleased to announce the appointment of Shannon Dowler, MD to its Board of Directors. Dr. Dowler brings extensive experience in women's health, clinical leadership, and healthcare innovation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4msOv1A
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
ALZHEIMER’S: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Changes in how brain cells generate energy may drive the development of Alzheimer's disease and influence how patients respond to therapy, according to a new study from Mayo Clinic researchers. The findings, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, spotlight mitochondrial complex I — a critical component of cellular energy production — as both a contributor to disease progression and a promising target for new treatments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47fBRi4
MINI BRAIN: From Johns Hopkins via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Scientists at Johns Hopkins have grown a first-of-its-kind organoid mimicking an entire human brain, complete with rudimentary blood vessels and neural activity. This new ‘multi-region brain organoid’ connects different brain parts, producing electrical signals and simulating early brain development. By watching these mini-brains evolve, researchers hope to uncover how conditions like autism or schizophrenia arise, and even test treatments in ways never before possible with animal models.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45qCJOF
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