MPR news and documentary programming highlighting medical and political commentary on the changing landscape of American healthcare. Minnesota is not only home to Mayo Clinic, UCare, and Hazelden, it has been at the forefront of the health discussion, from the state’s historic tobacco settlement case to the idea of prepaid health plans (later known as HMOs).
November 10, 1989 - As part of the Mainstreet Radio series “Rural Health Care,” John Biewen reports from Mankato’s Immanuel Saint Joseph's Hospital, a regional hospital that is used as a resource to surrounding rural communities without local hospital specialty options. Biewen also looks at Mankato physicians traveling into rural areas.
October 16, 1991 - Midday’s Bob Potter interviews C. Everett Koop, the former U.S. Surgeon General. Topics of discussion include senate confirmation hearings, abortion, and his book "Koop: The Memoirs of America's Family Doctor." Koop also answers listener questions.
November 1, 1991 - Minnesota Public Radio presents “Choosing Death,” a documentary which examines the issues of doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Documentary includes interviews with patients, doctors, ethicists, and a visit to Holland, the only country in the world where euthanasia is performed openly.
November 7, 1991 - Mainstreet Radio’s Rachel Reabe reports on the foster care of developmentally disabled in Stearns County, Minnesota. Reabe interviews a foster care provider and government officials.
September 10, 1993 - MPR’s Mike Mulcachy interviews a staff member of the University of Minnesota about the enactment of same sex benefits policy for school employees. The initial enrollment of spouse/partner program was eight people.
August 26, 1994 - MPR’s Gary Eichten presents excerpts of Arne Carlson and Alan Quist's appearances on Midday program. The two are vying as Independent Republican candidates for Governor.
June 19, 1995 - MPR’s Karen Louise Boothe visits the Linwood Community Center, as she profiles the unique circumstances that older gay and lesbians face in the senior care setting. Boothe interviews individuals and health officials about the concerns and experiences of elderly gay and lesbians.
October 18, 1996 - MPR’s Lorna Benson profiles Pua Xiong, a first-year resident who works at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul. Xiong describes how her quest for a medical degree has forced her to confront a multitude of cultural barriers.
December 2, 1996 - Healthcare's newest trend is decidedly low tech and low cost. In the past five years, over 300 Minnesotans have been trained as parish nurses...health care professionals working within the church to promote physical and spiritual wellness. Mainstreet Radio’s Rachel Reabe visits Crosslake Lutheran Church in northern Minnesota and looks into the nurse movement.
January 13, 1997 - Governor Carlson's allies today floated the idea of increasing the state's cigarette tax to pay for a new Twins Stadium. Senate Republican leader Dean Johnson says the Governor is interested in adding ten cents to the price of a pack of cigarettes... But as Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports, the idea isn't going over very well at the Capitol: The cigarette tax for the Twins is the very definition of a political trial balloon. Nobody has actually to endorsed the idea, but the Governor's staff says Carlson does find the idea "intriguing," Senate Republican leader Dean Johnson was the one who brought the subject up. He says the Legislature should consider the idea -- although he stopped short of actually proposing it.