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POLLING
HEALTH CARE: Via YouGov, VERBATIM: “About half (52%) of Americans support eliminating private health insurance companies and replacing them with a national health plan in which all Americans get their health insurance from the federal government. Only 30%) oppose such a plan. Such a proposal would draw support from most Democrats (73% vs. 13% who oppose) and a majority of Independents (54% vs. 22%). Republicans are much less likely to support such a proposal, but only a bit more than half would oppose it (30% support vs. 54% who oppose).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v7dnzW
RURAL HEALTH: Via HealthDay, VERBATIM: “People living in rural America are more likely to view cancer as a death sentence, a new survey reports. About 43% of people living in rural areas say a cancer diagnosis means inevitable death, compared to 35% of people in urban or suburban locales, according to the new poll from the Prevent Cancer Foundation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eSIJnR
DRY EYES: Via Optometry Times, VERBATIM: “Bausch + Lomb Corporation released findings from its third annual State of Dry Eye survey, showing that dry eye symptoms affect not only physical comfort but also patients’ emotional wellbeing . . . According to the survey, one in five sufferers reported that dry eye symptoms affect their self-confidence (22%) and emotional wellbeing (20%). About one in three said symptoms affect their stress or anxiety levels (33%), while nearly three in ten reported effects on productivity (29%) and mood (28%).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oZXDNP
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)
HEALTH HEADLINES
OPIOIDS: Via Minnesota Department of Health, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Health, in partnership with Hennepin Healthcare, is helping Minnesotans manage their pain without opioids. NOPAIN MN is a comprehensive, searchable public resource that maps the locations of non-opioid pain management providers across the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b3ez02 MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4aA6LTr
MPLS: Via MPR, the story of . . . VERBATIM: “ . . . an informal but vital overdose response network across north Minneapolis made up largely of healthcare providers, community coalitions, a fire station and neighbors equipped with naloxone. Collectively, advocates say it has helped address the opioid crisis that has gripped the area in the years during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. A data analysis by MPR News found the number of people going to the emergency room with opioid-related illness decreased in north Minneapolis.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eTRyO9
KRATOM: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday took steps to temporarily ban supplements containing a synthetic version of kratom, a plan that had been sought by makers of a rival product with strong ties to the Trump administration. The agency said it plans to classify an addictive psychoactive compound called 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, in the same category as heroin and LSD — drugs that are illegal to buy or sell.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gXYHQ6
HIJABS: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “In most cases when going into surgery, patients are typically given a bouffant cap. However, those caps are typically see-through and do not provide enough coverage for those who practice religious modesty. North Memorial system director Jessi Kingston said a staff member asked if there was a disposable option the hospital could provide, then she got to work.” READ/PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4ygUUnw
RURAL EMS: Via MPR, the story of a farm worker who recently thanked the paramedics who responded to his accident. VERBATIM: “But he might want to thank Minnesota lawmakers, too, because they authorized a pilot program in Grant County that speeds up paramedics’ response times and gets them to the site of emergencies in rural areas more quickly. It’s called the Sprint Medic program — a two-year state funded pilot to test the efficiency of roving paramedics in rural Minnesota. It’s part of a bill that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed in 2024 to aid rural emergency medical services in the midst of long-running workforce shortages.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4vk5IP6
ABORTION: Via States Newsroom, VERBATIM: “Republicans celebrated last year when they barred Medicaid payments from going to Planned Parenthood for one year, predicting the financial impact would hollow out the organization. A year later, with that section of the ‘big, beautiful’ law set to expire July 4, GOP lawmakers are trying to find a way to keep the nationwide prohibition in place, though they won’t be able to accomplish that before the deadline.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44doegO
RADIATION: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “The federal government is proposing to overhaul radiation safety regulations for nuclear power, including by eliminating a long-term principle for nuclear safety. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) this week proposed to get rid of the requirement for nuclear plants to ensure that radiation exposure is ‘as low as is reasonably achievable.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/444OoSZ
LIFE EXPECTANCY: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “New mortality data from the federal government suggests that life expectancy probably hit another record high in 2025, as death rates have continued to fall since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. There were about 689 deaths for every 100,000 people in the US in 2025, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — the lowest rate recorded in more than a century of tracking.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vLj2Np
AMID RURAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, ESSENTIA HEALTH INVESTS IN NEW IRON RANGE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: Essentia Health is investing in a $13 million project to remodel and expand its emergency department in Virginia. With support from the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board and philanthropic partners, the project will improve emergency care and mental health resources through new technology, safety and security measures, and a behavioral health suite. READ MORE: Essentia expands Iron Range emergency room (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
RESEARCH
STUDY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “A new Mayo Clinic study shows that integrating telomere length evaluation and genetic testing into pulmonary care can significantly change how physicians diagnose and treat pulmonary fibrosis — in some cases even redirecting the course of care.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fgeZTi
BRAIN: Via Virginia Tech, VERBATIM: “A surprising discovery is overturning a long-held assumption about how the brain’s movement center works. Researchers found that two key cerebellar cell types—thought to be tightly linked—often don’t behave in predictable ways, even though one directly influences the other. The finding suggests scientists may have been relying on the wrong signals when studying disorders such as dystonia, ataxia, and tremor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4f0aI57
EPILEPSY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic researchers have created a detailed map of the pulvinar, a deep brain region that could help doctors more precisely target brain stimulation therapies for people with drug-resistant epilepsy. The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, reveal that brain regions separated by only a few millimeters connect to entirely different brain networks. The discovery provides a blueprint for placing electrodes more precisely during deep brain stimulation, an emerging treatment for epilepsy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4paG1yP
VITAMIN C: Via PLOS, VERBATIM: “Could something as simple as vitamin C help support a healthier aging brain? In a study of more than 2,000 older adults in Japan, researchers found that people with lower vitamin C levels in their blood also tended to have less gray matter and weaker connections in a key brain network involved in memory, attention, and other cognitive functions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4paFuNl
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RECOVERY: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “On Tuesday, the Brainerd Lakes Area played host to the first ever Northern Minnesota Recovery Summit. Held at the Gichi-ziibi Center, the full-day event brought together individuals in recovery, their loved ones, healthcare officials, and the community.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4eIp9fn
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