Health

Health
Doctors and clinicians at Allina Health announce Nov. 5 strike
Doctors Council SEIU union members, and Allina Health have been negotiating their first contract for nearly two years. The one-day strike involving 61 clinics could be averted if the parties find resolution during upcoming bargaining sessions.  
Fergus Falls leaning into homey day care ‘pods’
Plans are afoot in Fergus Falls to build out a series of adjacent day care pods, which require less overhead than center-based facilities while offering some of the comforts associated with home-based care. 
Minnesota’s 2 cannabis, hemp testing facilities gear up for boom in recreational market
St. Paul-based Legend Technical Services and ChRi Laboratories, Minnesota’s two testing facilities, are preparing for new testing rules to go into effect and the state’s recreational-cannabis market to take off.
Rising costs and fewer options for 2026 Minnesota Medicare plans
A combination of rising costs and fewer Medicare Advantage insurers is prompting an unprecedented number of Minnesotans to review their options for 2026. 
Why Minnesota bird flu cases are spiking
Bird flu cases are on the rise nationwide. Minnesota alone has seen outbreaks affecting nearly 600,000 birds in commercially farmed flocks. Here’s what that means.
Blue Earth hospital offers hope amid nationwide rural maternity ward closures
Hospital labor and delivery units are closing all across the country, most notably in rural areas where care providers are already few and far between. But a couple of rural hospitals in Minnesota are doing the opposite: they're expanding.
Reversing peanut advice prevented tens of thousands of allergy cases, researchers say
A decade ago, research said giving young children peanut products can prevent allergies. A new study says that, 10 years later, tens of thousands of U.S. children have avoided allergies as a result.
Life after the kids move out: How to cope with the emotional challenges of an empty nest
MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about the emotional mix of pride, grief, and rediscovery that comes with an empty nest — and how to find balance and meaning in this new stage of life.
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century
More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year.