Minnesota plays a unique role in the arena of health, with impactful political/cultural moments, and important contributions from institutions such as Mayo Clinic, Hazelden, UCare, among others. Over the decades, MPR News and American RadioWorks have produced a breadth of reports and programming specifically dedicated to the subject of health. This collection includes interviews, debates, speeches, and documentaries that provide greater detail to the many facets of healthcare, from both a local and national perspective.
December 18, 1979 - MPR’s Brigid Shea interviews Robert Spaeth, vice-president for sales and marketing for the Corn Products Council (CPC International), who discusses the bright future for corn and sugar products.
June 4, 1980 - A Minnesota health department official comments on Swedish potato sausage that was mistakenly prepared with extreme amounts of sodium nitrate and that ingestion may create health risks.
August 23, 1980 - Dr. Ack speaking at the annual luncheon of the Mental Health Association of Minnesota held at St. Thomas College in Saint Paul. Ack, a champion of children's rights, addressed several child related issues in his talk, including child abuse, and what he believes are the negative effects of day care.
December 1, 1980 - Rich Dietman, reporter.
December 23, 1980 - MPR’s Rich Dietman reports on immigrants use of traditional folk medicine. Inside the International Clinic at St. Paul Ramsey Hospital, western medical professionals are trying to better understand the different medical approaches and treatments.
January 6, 1981 - Dr. Sol Gordon, professor of child and family studies and director of the Institute for Family Research and Education at Syracuse University in New York, speaking at North Dakota State University. Gordon’s address is titled, "Ten Heavy Facts about Sex that College Students Don't Know." Gordon is well-known as an author and public speaker and has lectured widely on topics concerning the family.
January 12, 1981 - Roger Ledding, Minnesota state patrol chief, discusses the speed limit, safety on the road, the work of state troopers, and other issues. Ledding also answers listener questions.
May 5, 1981 - Mark Dayton in studio, will be announcing this morning for Senate, on Democratic ticket, against Durenberger. Still has to get party endorsement. Talks about his background, why he wants to run, campaign and fundraising.
May 29, 1981 - James Gustave Speth, senior fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute, speaking at the Humphrey Institute about measures to alleviate the increase of CO2. Speth’s address is titled "Carbon Dioxide Buildup: The Case for Limited Action.” Speth is former chairman of the president's Council on Environmental Quality during the Carter administration.
July 18, 1981 - On this Weekend program, MPR’s Bob Potter talks with Joyce Bichler, a survivor of DES cancer and author of the book "DES Daughter: The Joyce Bichler Story,” about Diethylstilbestrol (DES), what it was prescribed for, and the effects on children whose mothers used the drug during pregnancy. Bichler also answers listener questions. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic form of the hormone estrogen that was prescribed to pregnant women between 1940 and 1971 to prevent miscarriage, premature labor, and related complications of pregnancy.