Health

Health
Ramsey County benefits recipients struggle amid application backlog
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, applications for public assistance — like SNAP and Medicaid — have gone up in Minnesota. In Ramsey County, that’s led to a backlog, leaving clients with questions and without coverage while they try to find help.
Merger with the U and Essentia? Fairview says ‘no’
Fairview Health Services says it is not interested in a merger with the University of Minnesota and Essentia Health. The U and Essentia back a plan that would create a nonprofit entity and had invited Fairview to be part of the discussion.
Wellness Wednesday mental health highlights
Talking about mental health can be difficult but it can help us understand some of the challenges and possible treatments. MPR News host Angela Davis shares some of her memorable conversations about mental health.
As measles cases rise, a new book warns parents not to underestimate the disease
As childhood vaccination rates drop in the U.S., outbreaks of measles are rising. In his new book, Booster Shots, Dr. Adam Ratner makes the case that this is a bad sign for public health.
NIH announces new funding policy that rattles medical researchers
The National Institutes of Health has dramatically changed its grant-making terms by limiting how much it will disperse for costs such as equipment and administration.
Minnesota joins lawsuit against Trump’s move to restrict gender-affirming care 
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with attorneys general from Washington and Oregon and three unnamed doctors, filed a federal lawsuit Friday calling for a halt on a presidential executive order that would end federal funding to medical institutions that provide gender-affirming care. 
It's like 'dead birds flying': How bird flu is spreading in the wild
That's the way one scientist puts it — referring to how infected wild birds survive long enough to spread it to birds and mammals around the world. And that's a serious risk for human health.
New behavioral health clinic focusing on rural communities opens doors in Mankato
Staff, public officials and MSU Mankato students gathered to celebrate the opening of the new Rural Behavioral Health Clinic in Mankato this week. Designed to serve Minnesota’s south central region, it will provide counseling and case management services, while also offering training to students at the school.