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 14, 1997 - A new report by the state Department of Economic Security sheds a positive light on job prospects for welfare Recipients who'll SOON be required to seek work. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports: The report says Minnesota's favorable economy will benefit those on A-F-D-C, because as they move from welfare to WORK under new guidelines of federal reform, they'll find more OPEN doors than closed ones. The report says the influx of some 15 thousand welfare recipients into the job market this year ALONE, will have minimal affect on the job opportunities for other job seekers or on the level of COMPETITION for jobs.
January 15, 1997 - Saint Paul loses another small community hospital today (WEDNESDAY). After 70 years, Midway Hospital is shutting down. HealthEast, which owns Midway, decided to close it and open a new facility in a more populated suburban area. The decision came as no surprise to many employees who knew Midway Hospital was financially vulnerable. But as they told Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson, the Midway closing could signal the end of a unique era in hospital care.
January 16, 1997 - Governor Arne Carlson delivered his annual "state of the state address" to a joint convention of the legislature. As Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports, the Governor made his first DIRECT pitch for funding a new baseball stadium and hammered familiar themes of his administration's policies: The annual State of the State Address is a Governor's time to take center stage and be his or her persuasive BEST. THIS year, the governor had reason to sound fairly upbeat. The state is enjoying a projected surplus of 1.4-BILLION dollars, unemployment is low and job creation is ahead of the national average. Another factor leading to the Governor's optimism is the promise by state lawmakers to work harder than ever to be bi-partisan and civil when it comes to doing the state's business.
January 21, 1997 - A welfare program geared at putting people to work has received early high marks. A state audit of the Minnesota Family Investment Program indicates that families in the program are escaping poverty faster than those who rely on A-F-D-C. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports from the capitol.
January 22, 1997 - A welfare program geared at putting people to work has received early high marks. A state audit of the Minnesota Family Investment Program indicates that families in the program are escaping poverty faster than those who rely on A-F-D-C. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports from the capitol.
January 22, 1997 - MPR's Lorna Benson reports that founders of a new Center for Cross-Cultural Health are hoping to minimize medical anxieties by better preparing Minnesota health care workers trying to deal with a cultural curveball.
January 29, 1997 - The ANTI-smoking lobby at the state capitol believes THIS is the year to get the support needed to pass a bill designed to help keep cigarettes out of the hands of children. The bill gets a hearing tomorrow (today-thurs) in the House Commerce Committee. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports from the capitol: The bill establishes a system of licensing and compliance checks for retailers who sell tobacco and it provides for PENALITIES for stoes which sell tobacco to minors. The bill ALSO prohibits self-service tobacco displays in places accessible to minors. Under the legislation cities would not be preempted from passing local ordinances that are even MORE restrictive than state law.
January 31, 1997 - Currently about 20-percent of the state's nearly 8,000 physicians are women. But those numbers are expected to more than double in the next few years. That's because women are now attending the U of M Medical School at almost the same rate as men. .And before long, this gender parity in the classroom will begin showing up in the doctor's office. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, some female patients can hardly wait.
February 3, 1997 - Midday looks at the health care system, how it works, and how it can be improved. Studio guests are Michael Scandrett, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans; and Stuart Hanson, a representative of the Minnesota Medical Association. Scandrett and Hanson also answer call-in questions from listeners.
February 3, 1997 - The 1997 legislative session will be relatively low-key when it comes to health care. There are no major health reforms in the works...at least not anything on a scale comparable to the 1992 MinnesotaCare legislation. But, there is at least one health care issue brewing this session that could significantly change the way MinnesotaCare is financed. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports: MinnesotaCare is the state's subsized health care insurance plan for the uninsured. It's funded primarily through a 2-percent tax on providers including medical doctors, chiropractors and dentists.