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.
June 29, 2000 - Since DFL lawmaker Leslie Schumacher's (SHOE mah cur) 18 year old daughter was arrested late last week on drug charges, she has steadfastly denied any knowledge of her daughter's activities. But today (Thursday) an allegation surfaced came forward that she did in fact know of her daughter's involvement in the production of methanphetamine. Schumacher is up for re-election this fall. What effect her daughter's actions will have on her campaign may depend not only on what she does, but on what her political opponents do. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa (Muh-REE-suh) Helms reports. {DFL Representative Leslie Schumacher was facing a a potentially tough political race in a central Minnesota house district targeted by republicans even BEFORE the arrest of her 18 year old daughter Jeana. The Sherburne County Attorney has charged Jeana Schumacher with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and child endangerment. The charges allegedly stem from activities in a building owned by Representative Schumacher in Santiago.
June 29, 2000 - In the opening scene of STORM RIDERS, the new novel by Craig Leslie, a young girl is missing. Later she is found dead and a young native Amercian boy from Alaska is suspected of drowning her. This scene and others in STORM RIDERS are lifted directly from Craig Leslie's life. STORM RIDERS is the authors semi-fictional account of his 15 years raising a young boy
June 30, 2000 - DNA technology helps solve crimes
July 3, 2000 - The Kenyan-Community-Abroad International Conference wrapped up today at Concordia University in St. Paul. The conference tackled two issues... the current political climate in Kenya and the country's growing AIDS crisis. HIV or full-blown AIDS infects almost 14 percent of the adult Kenyan population... one of the highest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Moses Djenga helped organize the conference. He stresses that it's hard to underestimate the affect the AIDS virus has had on Kenya:
July 4, 2000 - The Fourth of July means fireworks, parades, and - in an election year - politicians. Minnesota candidates worked the crowds at parades around the state today . Many of them could be seen at one of the state's biggest parades in Forest Lake. The primary is ten weeks from today, and although voters may not be paying attention yet, that's not stopping the candidates in Minnesota's U-S Senate race. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
July 4, 2000 - The Independence Day holiday is the beginning of peak swimming season in Minnesota. But already a number of drownings have occurred. In the past two weeks, a 25-year-old St. Paul man drowned in Lake Phalen when he tried to retrieve a frisbee, a 23-year-old man drowned in Carver County's Lake Ann, a woman in her 40s was found submerged in a lagoon on Minneapolis' Lake of the Isles and a 14-year-old boy drowned when he tried to swim across the St. Croix River. Barb Pierce is a Water Safety Specialist with the Minneapolis Red Cross. She thinks the weather has played a role in the drownings.
July 7, 2000 - A federal judge has dismissed Minnesota's lawsuit over disparities in Medicare reimbursement. Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch and the Minnesota Senior Federation sued the federal government, arguing that the formula used to pay HMO's to provide Medicare is unconstitutional, because it results in seniors in some states paying higher premiums and getting fewer benefits than seniors in more populous states. But the judge ruled the formula is a matter for Congress, not the courts, to resolve. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
July 10, 2000 - Congress debates a bill today that will address how to pay for treating the growing numbers of veterans with Hepatitis C. The Centers for Disease Control says Hepatitus C afflicts 2 percent of the American population. But the incidence of Hepatitus C among veterans is at least two times higher. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
July 10, 2000 -
July 11, 2000 - In its 15 years, the Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis has become a vital part of the internationa campaign for human rights. Where it once solely treated torture victims, it now does research, training, and advocates public policy. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.