July 9, 2001 - About 1,700 bikers pedaled out of St. Paul this morning, on their way to Chicago, and to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for AIDS related charities. The sixth annual Heartland AIDS ride will cover 530 miles in six days. Dan Pallotta is the founder of Pallotta teamworks, the company that produces the Heartland Aids ride and six others around the world. He says participation in some of the rides has slipped recently because people think new AIDS treatments have solved the problem.
July 11, 2001 - Patients with congestive heart faliure may be interested in news that a kind of treatment has been developed by Fridley-based Medtronic. The device, which has receive preliminary FDA approval, is about the size of half a dollar, and it's surgically implanted in patients, much in the same manner as a pacemaker. Dr. Jay Cohn, at the U of M Medical School, says the device, called In-Sync, appears to be a big step forward for patients who have congestive heart faliure.
July 18, 2001 - According to a newspaper report, the Minnesota Attorney General's office is calling on Allina Health System to split into two companies. The Star Tribune reports that in a confidential report to Allina's board of directors, the Attorney General called on the state's largest non-profit health care organization to separate the one million members in its HMO from its 19 hospitals and health clinics. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
July 20, 2001 - We expect to hear from Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch a bit later in the half hour. We asked two local Health Care experts to speculate on what split of Allina will mean for the roughly one million Medica members in Minnesota. Dave Durenberger is Senior Health Policy Fellow at the University of St Thomas. He says hes disappointed by the news:
July 20, 2001 -
July 20, 2001 - Attorney General Mike Hatch's audit and investigation of Allina Health System has prompted some concern by other non-profit health care organizations in the state and non-profit organizations overall. Under Minnesota law, the attorney general has the right to investigate any charities or non-profits that operate in the state. Legal experts say such investigations are rare, but many non-profits say Hatch's audit of Allina may change the way they do business. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports:
July 20, 2001 - Attorney General Mike Hatch's audit of Allina Health System has prompted some concern by other non-profit health care organizations in the state and non-profit organizations overall. Allina announced yesterday it will split off it's Medica HMO from its hospitals and clinics. Under Minnesota law, the attorney general has the right to investigate any charities or non-profits that operate in the state. Legal experts say such investigations are rare, but many non-profits say Hatch's audit of Allina may change the way they do business. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
July 25, 2001 - Last week's announcement that Allina Health System will split its health plan, Medica, from its hospitals and clinics has some state officials calling for a closer look at the state's health care system. In the early nineties, the government began encouraging consolidation of health care services. Some observers say it is time to revive that policy discussion. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
July 25, 2001 - This week in Duluth, local government officials, university extension agents, and others working on development in rural areas of the world have been meeting and exchanging ideas. This afternoon they heard from Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
July 26, 2001 -