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.
July 9, 1997 - Midday discusses the lawsuits against tobacco companies with Minnesota Attorney General Skip Humphrey. Listeners call in with questions.
July 10, 1997 - Midday discusses issue over health care and public sector salaries with guests Michael Osterholm, member of the Minnesota Department of Health; and former State Senator Gene Merriam, who is now chief financial officer of ECM Publishers. The two share their views on topic and answer listener call-in questions.
July 23, 1997 - Two food cooperatives in the Twin Cities are teaching young children healthy food choices and organic farming. The project includes classroom instruction about growing food and field trips to organic grain and vegetable farms near the metropolitan area. A group of homeless inner-city children recently toured a small farm in Wright County. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... (Sound) About 30 children from the Learning Center school in Minneapolis explore the fields at River Bend Farm near Delano. They push single-file up and down the rows of radishes and wheat, trying hard to avoid ste
August 8, 1997 - Michael Osterholm, state epidemiologist, answer listener questions about infectious diseases, bacteria and antibiotics, encephalitis, and much more. This was Osterholm’s last appearance on Midday. At end of program, he and Eichten share an appreciation of the other. [Please note program is joined “in progress”, and beginning of hour is not present]
August 22, 1997 - One hundred years ago, the "Minnesota Hospital for Indigent Crippled and Deformed Children" opened in Saint Paul. The hospital was the brainchild of Doctor Arthur Gillette, an orthopaedic surgeon who believed the state had a duty to care for children with disabilities. Today, the hospital is privately owned and has a different name....Gillette Children's Specialty Health Care...but its mission remains the same. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson spoke recently with some people who spent literally years of their lives at Gillette. Their memories of pain, pleasure and personal triumph are still vivid.
August 28, 1997 - Most corporations give money to charities, and many support social service agencies that work in poor, inner-city neighborhoods. But few large companies are *located* in troubled urban areas. Two major employers in Minneapolis have resisted moving to the suburbs, and are stepping up their efforts to save the inner-city neighborhood that surrounds them. Minnesota Public Radio's John Biewen reports.
August 29, 1997 - Most people take reheating their food for granted. But there was a time, 30 years ago, when people were amazed by a new machine's ability to instantly turn cold leftovers into a warm treat. The microwave is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and while more than ninety-percent of American households own one, some questions about it remain unanswered. Minnesota Public Radio's Joe Fryer spoke with visitors at the Science Museum of Minnesota, and got answers from Jay Newlin, the museum's head of Physical Sciences.
September 9, 1997 - University of Minnesota researchers say they have found evidence that non-smokers absorb the carcinogen N-N-K if they live or work in smoke-filled rooms. The study found small amounts of the carcinogen in nine non-smoking hospital workers who cared for patients in a designated smoking area. Mayo Clinic Physician Tom Kottke says even though only eighteen people total were involved in the study -- nine exposed to second-hand smoke and nine who weren't -- it's of immense value.
September 9, 1997 - It may not seem like a news flash, but a study of thousands of U.S. adolescents found those who feel emotionally tied to family or school were less likely to engage in other risky behavior. The report says young people who feel connected to their parents or school were less likely to suffer emotional distress, think about suicide, be violent or smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or smoke marijuana. They also tend to have their first sexual experiences later. Students who had to repeat a grade or appeared older or younger than their classmates were also found to be predisposed to depression, suicidal thoughts, violence, substance abuse, and an earlier age of sexual activity. University of Minnesota researcher Michael Resnick says the study not only points the way toward better health for kids, but eases one of the chief frustrations of raising teenagers.
September 10, 1997 - In an editorial today, the New England Journal of Medicine urges mandatory reporting of HIV infections to state health departments so more people will get early treatment. More than half of all states now require that the names of infected people be reported to confidential registries. But New York and California, the two with the most cases by far, do not. Minnesota was second in the nation to require mandatory reporting. It did so in early 1986, and Doctor Keith Henry, an AIDS specialist at Saint Paul Ramsey Medical Center, says we've been reaping the benefits.