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.
January 29, 1992 - Minnesota U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger talks with MPR’s Gary Eichten about the national health insurance debate.
March 6, 1992 - All Things Considered’s Gary Eichten talks with Dr. Betty Jerome about teen moms. Dr. Jerome is director of the Teenage Medical Center at Minneapolis Children's Hospital.
March 9, 1992 - MPR’s Mike Mulcahy presents a report on Healthright, a state health insurance plan being strategized at the State Capitol. The plan would assist the uninsured working poor.
March 10, 1992 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews Paul Ogren, House representative for District 14A, about the health care bill running through the State Capitol. The bill would open up insurance options to the working poor through state dollars and caps on the health industry charges.
March 18, 1992 - Midday program presents two documentaries: "Shared Visions: Art, Music and Literature", reflections on cultural continuity by Native American artists, writers, dancers, and musicians; and "Traditional Caring: Non-traditional Health Issues," a look at how Native Americans confront contemporary health concerns such as diabetes, alcoholism and AIDS with traditional healing practices.
April 8, 1992 - MPR’s reporter Joe Kelly presents the documentary “AIDS Lives Here.” The report looks at five Minnesota women who carry HIV. Kelly interviews the women, health officials, and advocates.
May 12, 1992 - As part of a "The Roots of Violence" seminar held in the Minnesota Senate Chamber, Susan Hadley, the founder and executive director of WomanKind, Inc, speaks on the issues and myths of family abuse. WomanKind, Inc. is a program of services for battered women, based at Fairview-Southdale and Fairview-Ridges Hospitals. The seminar was sponsored by Tom Neuville, Republican senator of Northfield and Rice County public defender; and Jane Ranum, Democratic senator of Minneapolis and assistant Hennepin County attorney.
May 12, 1992 - As part of a "The Roots of Violence" seminar held in the Minnesota Senate Chamber, James Brink, the training director at the Domestic Abuse Project in Minneapolis, speaks on the issues and myths of family abuse. James Brink is a therapist and the former executive director of Youth Emergency Services in Minneapolis. The seminar was sponsored by Tom Neuville, Republican senator of Northfield and Rice County public defender; and Jane Ranum, Democratic senator of Minneapolis and assistant Hennepin County attorney.
May 12, 1992 - As part of a "The Roots of Violence" seminar held in the Minnesota Senate Chamber, three adult speakers describe how they were victims of violence in their childhoods. The seminar was sponsored by Tom Neuville, Republican senator of Northfield and Rice County public defender; and Jane Ranum, Democratic senator of Minneapolis and assistant Hennepin County attorney.
July 1, 1992 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews clinical professor Rick Kingston on the health concerns revolving around the train derailment in Duluth-Superior, in which benzine and other chemicals spilled into the Nemadji River and created a toxic gas cloud.