Health

Health
Friendships: Making them, keeping them and letting them go
Life changes — and so do our friendships. MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about why making friends gets harder as we get older, and why quality may matter more than quantity.
Minnesota K-12 health standards’ future unclear after administrative judge objects
Officials expected to phase in the state’s first-ever statewide school benchmarks on topics from nutrition and first aid to sex abuse prevention through 2028. That timeline is in jeopardy now after an administrative law judge ripped the state’s process to implement the standards.
Minnesota's ‘sprint medic' pilot program aims to get paramedics to rural emergencies faster
In an effort to reduce long ambulance response times in rural parts of the state, three Minnesota counties are testing a new program that aims to get paramedics to the scene of emergency injuries or illnesses faster. The sprint medic program puts paramedics centrally located in their coverage area in pickup trucks packed with advanced life support gear.
Across north Minneapolis, neighbors help neighbors survive the opioid crisis
An overdose response network of healthcare providers, community coalitions, a fire station and neighbors equipped with naloxone saw opioid-related emergency room visits decline in north Minneapolis in recent years. An MPR News data analysis finds reasons for hope and concern.
Rural Fosston moves forward in its quest to regain control of local hospital from Essentia Health
A northwestern Minnesota community is seeking to regain local control of its hospital, arguing Essentia Health has failed to meet local health care needs. A recent court ruling allows Fosston to take its case to arbitration.
Mosquitoes in Minnesota test positive for West Nile virus for the first time this summer
West Nile virus, a disease spread to humans by mosquitoes, is back once again this summer in Minnesota. Experts advise older adults and the immunocompromised take extra precautions, including using insect repellents and covering exposed skin when outdoors.