Health Care
More than 400 mental health workers announce one-day strike at Allina and M Heath Fairview
Just months after voting to unionize, more than 400 mental health workers at three Twin Cities hospitals say they’re prepared to strike for 24 hours on May 24 if they don’t reach a deal on their first labor agreements. At a news conference announcing the strike on Monday, workers from Allina and M Health Fairview […]
Walz signs bill funneling $300 million from settlement into state opiate response fund
Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday signed a bill funneling $300 million from a multi-state settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors into the state’s opioid response fund. Through the fund, the settlement money will be used for opioid addiction and overdose education, prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across the state. The news comes as the federal […]
Minnesota unaffected if Roe v. Wade struck down, but GOP majority could change that, Walz warns
Minnesota DFL leaders are pledging to preserve abortion rights in the state, repudiating a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion obtained by Politico that would strike down Roe v. Wade. “Not on my watch,” Gov. Tim Walz tweeted Monday night when Politico first published the 98-page opinion written by Associate Justice Samuel Alito. Abortion access in […]
Nine rare cancers tied to burn pit exposure added to VA benefits list
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is adding nine rare respiratory cancers linked to burn pit exposure to the list of illnesses eligible for disability and health benefits. President Joe Biden, who has said his son Beau Biden’s exposure to toxic fumes from the pits could have led to his death, announced the […]
Minnesota’s racial disparities in health care coverage worsened last year, state says
Minnesota’s racial disparities in health care coverage worsened in 2021, according to survey data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health. About 10.2% of Minnesotans of color didn’t have health insurance in 2021 — up from 7.6% in 2019, according to MDH. At the same time, the uninsured rate among non-Latino white people fell from […]
Lawmakers hold Black maternal health roundtable
Brittany Wright told her doctors over and over during her first 20 hours of labor that something felt wrong. They assured Wright that she was fine, telling her that she just didn’t know what labor felt like as a first-time mom. Then, in hour 20, Wright started convulsing. Wright had developed a fever during labor […]
Insulin price cap approved by U.S. House as Georgia’s Warnock pushes for Senate passage
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill on a bipartisan 232-193 vote that would limit the price of insulin, as congressional Democrats met throughout the day with health care advocates to make their case for the proposal. Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Patty Murray of Washington state held a virtual […]
Nurses say bad management, not COVID-19 burnout, to blame for exodus of workers
The union representing thousands of Minnesota nurses says poor hospital management and chronic under-staffing — more than COVID-19 burnout — are causing nurses to leave the job in droves. “I didn’t leave, I escaped,” said Amy Forkner during a Thursday news conference, pointing to the new report published by the Minnesota Nurses Association called “Why […]
Bill would create mental health ‘urgency rooms’ for people under 25
Minnesota lawmakers are considering a bill that would give out grants for medical providers and nonprofits to quickly provide mental health care for young people in crisis for up to 72 hours. The grants would be used to create mental health “urgency rooms” for people under 25.
GOP lawmakers push to join national nurse licensure compact
Republican lawmakers and nurses from Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota held a news conference Monday in support of a bill to make it easier for out-of-state nurses to work in Minnesota. Supporters say becoming the 40th state to join the national Nurse Licensure Compact — which allows nurses to work across state lines […]
Planned Parenthood’s Sarah Stoesz says empathy is key to winning abortion rights fight
After 20 years as CEO of the Planned Parenthood serving Minnesota, Sarah Stoesz plans to step down this fall. The decision comes at a critical time for abortion rights in the country, with a supermajority of conservative Supreme Court justices poised to repeal significant portions of Roe v. Wade, or overturn it completely. That would […]
Abortion bill similar to Texas ban introduced in Minnesota
A bill has been introduced in Minnesota that is similar to one in Texas that bans abortions and allows people to bring civil action against anyone who violates the law, or even intends to do so.