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.
November 13, 1998 - The Minnesota AIDS Project says millions of dollars will be needed to fight an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases. But The state health department says, first, more research is needed to find out the extent of the problem. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson reports... Most people are well aware of the dangers of the most publicized sexually transmitted disease..AIDS. But public health officials say few people are aware of syphilis, chlamydia and the papilloma virus. The centers for disease control says its a national epidemic Jeremy Hanson public policy co-ordinator for the Minnesota
November 17, 1998 - The University of Minnesota and the federal government have reached a thirty-two million dollar settlement of a lawsuit over the organ transplant drug ALG. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo report.
November 18, 1998 - The University of Minneosta has reached an out-of-court settlement with the federal government over charges relating to its ALG drug research program. The university has agreed to pay $32 million dollars in damages to resolve the case. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.
November 23, 1998 - Duluth teachers vote Tuesday whether to accept a new contract. The Independent District 709 board approved the agreement Sunday, but board members worry how to pay for it. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports...
November 24, 1998 - Speaker-designate Steve Sviggum named the 28 new chairmen of the Minnesota House legislative committees today (TUES). The chairmen have a lot of say over which bills get a hearing, and they'll set the new tone for the new Republican majority. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has more.
November 25, 1998 - A group of Twin Cities high school students is launching an advertising campaign designed to convince kids not to smoke. Students from Mounds Park Academy in St. Paul hope their message will get through to young people since it's coming from their peers. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... A dozen or so students developed a poster in twelve different languages, a web site and a P-S-A for TV. In the video, children dressed in career clothes - a doctor, a construction worker, a dancer - are happily playing, until a pack of cigarettes crashes down in their midst... (nat - kids laughing, screech of cig pack, sound of heartbeat)
November 25, 1998 - The most recent Surgeon General's report find Native Americans have the highest adult smoking rates of any ethnic or minority group in the country. The report finds tobacco use among Native Americans has soared more than 40-percent at a time when it has levelled off among other racial groups. As a result, more Native Americans are dying of respiratory cancers than ever before. Health officials are alarmed but as Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, anti-tobacco programs take on new complexities for many Native Americans who've long viewed tobacco as a sacred gift: To get a sense of tobacco's place in indian culture one needs to look no further than a traditional pow wow. (sound of leader talking about of tobacco/creation)
November 30, 1998 - MPR’s Dan Olson reports on the varied opinions on the war on drugs…no where is the difference more striking than on the front lines. There's a rising tide of voices saying we're not winning the war on drugs so we should legalize all or most of them.
November 30, 1998 - The United States Supreme Court has declined to hear a dispute over where to store highly radioactive waste from the nation's nuclear power plants. Spent nuclear fuel is building up at power plants across the nation, including Nothern State's Power's Prairie Island nuclear plant. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. Utilities including NSP had hoped the case would force the Federal Department of Energy to meet a 1998 deadline to accept the spent nuclear fuel. The Supreme Court's decision lets stand a lower court ruling that said the DOE does not have to take the waste until the agency has a place to put it. The DOE's permanent storage site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada won't be ready un
December 2, 1998 - A former giant of the exercise equipment industry passed from local control this week. NordicTrack, which sold millions of dollars-worth of cross country-ski machines since the mid-eighties, has fallen foul of changes in US exercise habits. Minnesota Public Radio Sports Commentator Jay Wiener has this analysis... Minnesota Public Radio Sports Commentator Jay Wiener is on leave from the Star Tribune Newspaper to write a book on the politics of sports stadiums. Sun 28-MAY 07:43:20 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001