@MDH has no opinion on #MNhealth

About two years ago, Mark David Hurty received a tweet that did not make sense. Then he got another, and another. They kept coming.

He found that he was being cited as an authority about flu deaths, and E. coli, and policy issues around the Affordable Care Act. None of those was his area of expertise.

Had outstanding info meeting w @mannymr today re ACA public policy issues. Glad he's one of our guys fighting good fight at @MDH Thx Manny!

— Jeremiah C. Whitten (@jeremiahwhitten) December 27, 2013

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Mark Hurty
California resident Mark David Hurty uses his initials as his Twitter handle. MDH is short and easy to remember, but lots of folks think those letters stand for Minnesota Department of Health.
Courtesy Mark Hurty | Twitter

Whenever he goes online, Hurty stumbles upon messages like these, directed at him. He finds the tweets no longer confusing, but entertaining.

Hurty lives in California and builds software for a nonprofit educational organization. He created his Twitter account in 2007, while working for a music publishing website in Illinois.

He has a Twitter username that's short and easy to remember. But here's the catch: His initials, and his Twitter handle, are MDH, for Mark David Hurty. Many people think those letters stand for Minnesota Department of Health.

@StribJO provides more info. about @mdh #Ebola monitoring program for recent travelers of W. Africa via @StarTribune http://t.co/M2YSSJqqKM

— Katie G. Nelson (@KatieGNelsonMN) October 27, 2014

When people confuse him with the Health Department, Hurty responds with a lighthearted note. Sometimes he uses smiley faces. He tells people he's not releasing a new report and he doesn't have the "tools or data to create weekly flu reports." He tells them that they should credit the Minnesota Department of Health for its services to the community.

In late June, a WCCO journalist tweeted that a colleague would have "a look at problems with @mdh marijuana program." Hurty received a notification on his phone.

"I assure you, there's nothing wrong with my marijuana program," he replied.

People who send him Twitter messages are mostly researchers, nurses, journalists or patients. Sometimes, when users discover their mistake, they stick around. They follow Hurty out of curiosity.

Hurty said the Health Department has not reached out to him to see if he would change his Twitter handle. He said he won't hand it over, even if MDH asks him to.

"It's kind of nice to have a short three-letter Twitter account," Hurty said. "I'm kind of attached to mine."

@Fivehrenergy I wish I had taken control, but it was probably @MNHealth. They seem to do lots of good things.

— mark hurty (@mdh) May 11, 2015

@MDH hired Michelle Larson as to head Office of Medical Cannabis. She is a former deputy director of another MDH division.

— Matt Hudson (@mhudsonDIL) July 23, 2014

@ActionGroupMN That's not a report from me. You probably meant @MNHealth. (They know health care. I'm more focused on education.)

— mark hurty (@mdh) February 27, 2015

@jeremiahwhitten I'm sure @mnhealth is fighting the good fight. I, however am busy drinking Glogg. @mannymr

— mark hurty (@mdh) December 27, 2013

@JMConstible I appreciate the mention, but I'm not an expert on Minnesota health issues. You probably meant to credit @MNHealth.

— mark hurty (@mdh) October 16, 2014