February 15, 2001 - AIDS Activists spent the day at the Capitol today (thursday) lobbying the state legislature to increase funding for HIV and AIDS prevention. Officials with the Minnesota AIDS Project want the state to spend an additional 2 million dollars to improve education efforts regarding HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The group says it's disappointed with Governor Ventura's budget because it cuts HIV prevention spending for the first time since the epidemic began. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
February 1, 2001 - Governor Jesse Ventura is defending the health care plan he proposed in his two-year budget. State lawmakers and health advocacy groups have criticized Ventura for not spending enough money on long-term care, the University of Minnesota's Academic Health Center and health insurance for children. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
January 24, 2001 - The Commissioner of the state Health Department says Governor Jesse Ventura's budget is the most comprehensive health agenda in years. Ventura has allocated 14 million dollars for eliminating racial health disparities in the state and 22 million to discourage teen pregnancies. But some health advocates are disappointed Ventura didn't go farther in providing greater benefits for long term care and children's health insurance. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
January 18, 2001 - Minnesota's Long-Term Care Task Force says the state should spend 113 million dollars to change the way the state cares for the elderly. The report proposes a shift away from the traditional nursing home structure to a system that includes homecare and assisted living facilities. The panel says the state has to make these changes before the baby boom population starts to retire and needs long-term care. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
January 10, 2001 - Researchers at the Hennepin County Medical Center are reporting an increase in overdoses from GHB and related substances. GHB is also known as liquid ecstasy and has been banned. But HCMC researchers published a report in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine says the ban isn't stopping fitness buffs and teenagers from obtaining the substance. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
January 9, 2001 - A Mayo Clinic study published in the latest issue of Neurology has found that people with diabetes and high blood pressure are more likely to experience a decline in mental ability than people who DON'T suffer from these conditions. The nationwide study backs up earlier claims that diabetes and high blood pressure can impact a person's mental acuity late in life. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
December 26, 2000 - In this era of low unemployment, employers are having a difficult time hiring and retaining skilled workers. In the health care sector, where lives are at stake, the hiring crunch is even more severe. Hospital administrators say the nursing shortage comes at a time when the population is growing older and the need for care is growing. Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Doctor's Offices all say the biggest workforce shortage is on the frontlines of medicine: Nurses. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
December 26, 2000 - During this legislative session tax cuts, education and redistricting will be the main focus for lawmakers. But anti-abortion legislation will also come up again this year. Both chambers in the Minnesota legislature are controlled by legislators opposed to abortion. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
December 8, 2000 - The recent E coli outbreak in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa has renewed calls by some food safety experts for improved ways of protecting the food supply. One proposal gaining support in some quarters is the creation of a single federal agency to oversee food safety. The idea is to replace the plethora of federal and state agencies now charged with the responsibility. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
December 5, 2000 - Minnesota's state epidemiologist and other food safety experts are calling on a Wisconsin based beef processor to extend its recall of potentially E coli tainted beef. The company is already recalling approximately 1 point 1 million pounds of ground beef from more than a dozen states after 22 Minnesotans were diagnosed with the food borne illness. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...