Recent content from Jeremy Olson
Sexually transmitted diseases in Minnesota are down, but HIV and newborn syphilis cases are up
Rises in HIV cases among Hispanic Minnesotans, and syphilis cases among women, suggest an emerging front in fight against sexually transmitted diseases.
Medical debt shuffle: Allina sells bills to itself to sue patients
Minnesota lawmaker wants to ban the practice of selling medical debt and incentivizing collectors to aggressively pursue patients.
Mahnomen hospital shutters inpatient beds to survive, a first in Minnesota
The northwest Minnesota hospital is converting to a rural emergency center that stabilizes patients but offers no inpatient beds for prolonged care.
Hospitals too busy to train Minnesota paramedic students, exacerbating shortage
Students must observe many patients with emergency or traumatic injuries before they can become paramedics, but a lack of access to hospitals since the pandemic is delaying their progress.
Minnesota pharmacies want permission, funding to administer vaccines
More than a third of Minnesota's standalone independent pharmacies have closed amid financial struggles since 2018, and only 156 remain in business across the state.
Showdown set between Minnesota and drug industry over rising costs
Affordability board is one of the most powerful in the nation, but drug industry says it's not the solution for lowering prescription costs for Minnesotans.
Doctors, nurses speak out against closure of intensive care unit at Unity hospital campus
Providers fear the move will result in delays and longer ambulance rides to Mercy's main campus in Coon Rapids.
Fairview clinic responds to post-COVID rise in fatiguing disorder in kids
The immune system's overreaction, common in severe COVID-19 cases, appears to play a role in development of POTS, which often emerges in children.
Lawmakers spent big to keep Minnesota nursing home in private hands. It didn't work.
Legislation proposes more transparent ownership and financial information so Minnesota can be sure its investments in nursing homes actually improved facilities, care.
After losing 60 pounds, Minn. woman wants to shed the meds
Hattie Cronk challenges the theory that popular, costly GLP-1 weight loss drugs must be taken forever to maintain benefits.
Lawmakers should block a planned for-profit rehab hospital in Roseville, state says
Concerns included low staffing ratio, low usage of existing rehab facilities and opening Minnesota to more for-profit hospital care.
Minneapolis VA's custom prosthetic legs for women embrace style and function
VA researchers lead national study of female amputee population to prove that more style and variety in prosthetic designs have clinical benefits.
Workers announce one-day strike at 7 Twin Cities nursing homes over pay, staffing
Almost half of nursing home workers make less than $20 per hour, a rate that union leaders believe is driving understaffing and compromising the care of frail and elderly residents.
First responder's killing an extreme example of growing dangers for Minnesota's paramedics
Deaths rare, but injuries and violent incidents are becoming more common in a profession that is starting to run short of trained first-responders.
U study: Most 'excess deaths' during pandemic were COVID
Results refute theories that pandemic numbers were inflated, highlight problems with the nation's fragmented reporting of causes of death.
Legionnaires outbreak traced to Minnesota city's water supply
Only link among 14 infected people was exposure to drinking water in a small section of Grand Rapids.
Walz: Ban hospitals, clinics from cutting off patients with unpaid medical bills
Legislation would end controversial practice by some medical providers to deny non-emergency care to patients with substantial unpaid bills.
Settlement caps monthly insulin price at $35 for Minnesotans with diabetes
The five-year deal with Eli Lilly seeks to keep insulin prices affordable in Minnesota until federal or marketplace solutions take effect.
New public health insurance could reach 100,000 Minnesotans, state estimates
DFL leaders want a new public option. But Republicans, hospitals and insurers have concerns.
Minnesota hospitals say care backlog becoming a permanent problem
A chronically ill woman said she waited for hours at a Minneapolis emergency room for an inpatient bed that never opened up.
Fosston mayor says city will take back hospital if Essentia halts baby deliveries
Local leaders in the small northwest Minnesota community say they can keep labor and delivery services going.
COVID infections decline despite viral variant in Minnesota
Why the JN.1 variant hasn't been more of a nuisance in Minnesota is a mystery, along with the state's unusually low influenza rate.
Fosston hospital latest in rural Minnesota to stop delivering babies
Rising insurance and staffing costs have fueled the trend among rural Minnesota hospitals, along with competition from larger OB centers.
Minnesota emergency rooms get creative to meet ongoing patient overcrowding
The end of the pandemic has offered no respite for emergency departments.
Smoking deaths increase in Minnesota despite tobacco usage decline
Steady rate of adult tobacco usage maintained number of smoking-related deaths, despite declines among youth.
Minnesota takeover of Red Wing nursing home is latest sign of industry trouble
Three receiverships in two years reflect the financial strains of the state's shrinking nursing home industry, even as demand for care grows.
Bemidji hospital unit closure will further reduce Minnesota's rehab supply
A hearing on Wednesday will give public notice about the hospital change amid the state's growing need for more post-hospital care options.
Allina relents on Mercy Hospital doctor unionization
The ruling against the health system's appeal clears the way for Allina doctors at the north metro hospital to organize.
Be The Match changes name because 'perfect' match no longer as necessary for transplants
The switch to NMDP reflects a future in which partial genetic matches of donors and recipients could dramatically increase blood and bone marrow transplants.
Minnesota seniors seeking vaccines again as COVID-19 lingers
More than 50% of seniors are back to being up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, but progress varies across Minnesota.
Beltrami County restricts Upper Red Lake access after people found themselves stranded on the ice
Two ice fishermen were rescued Friday in Sherburne County after falling into a lake thinly covered with ice.
Metro Transit extends light-rail hours on its New Year's Eve free rides
The agency added later light-rail times after business leaders and others questioned why train service was scheduled to end at or before midnight.
Three fatal accidents reported on Minnesota roads this weekend
The dead included an 18-year-old Rochester man, a 21-year-old man from Madison Lake and and a 37-year-old man from Anchorage, Alaska.
Minnesotans who survive heart attacks are skipping rehab, risking their lives
While outperforming the nation, Minnesota still reports that the majority of eligible patients skip cardiac rehab.
Lawsuit: Minnesota's free training hurt nursing assistant schools
Small providers seek injunction to program that has hurt their enrollment but ushered more than 2,000 nursing assistants into the job market.
Allina will start charging patients $49 for certain doctor emails
Patients have been notified in advance that messages could result in bills if they prompt doctors to treat new medical problems.
COVID hospitalizations in Minnesota rise to last winter's level
Minnesota expert points to viral variants, not seasonality, as driver of post-pandemic wave of illness
Access barriers loom in Minnesota for blockbuster sickle cell therapy
The high cost of therapy could inhibit its use to improve health equity, given the heavier burden of sickle cell disease on Black Minnesotans.
Minnesota reprimands physician assistant for secret use of ivermectin to treat COVID
Practitioner must review established evidence on how to treat the disease and write a paper on what he learned.
Diabetes patients recruited to answer whether blood sugar monitors are worth it
Clinic trial in Minnesota evaluates whether pricy glucose monitors pay off compared with old-school finger-stick tests.
Minnesota expands forms of medical cannabis, but not what it treats
Minnesota's legalization of recreational marijuana this year did not result in more liberal standards for its medical cannabis program.
Minnesota is nation's hot spot in deadly cantaloupe salmonella outbreak
Two Minnesotans have died from an outbreak linked to tainted cantaloupe and fresh-cut fruit medleys.
Insured Minnesotans' health care cost $581 more per person last year
Prescription drugs drove increase, but variations in clinic care and charges played a role as well.
$5 billion redo of Mayo Clinic's campus will reshape skyline of Rochester
The project will demolish existing buildings to make way for five others that will offer seamless care for patients.
ER doctor's dismissal fuels anger in Grand Marais
North Shore Hospital blames a staffing company, but local residents want to hold its leaders and board members accountable.
Pepper spray 2.0 could snuff violence in Minnesota hospitals
Security guards are reluctant to use traditional pepper spray, so Crystal, Minn., company invented an alternative.
Twin Cities Muslim leaders OK donor breast milk for critically ill infants
The religious decree, or fatwa, is designed to guide local families but is drawing interest from Muslims across the globe.
Prominent doctor says Mayo tried to muzzle him. Clinic says he demanded money.
The dispute centers on Dr. Michael Joyner's criticism of federal health authorities over plasma treatment for COVID.
Workplace injuries from hospital violence increase in Minnesota
The problem is compounded as assaulted workers quit, leaving hospitals short-handed to treat complex patients.
Minnesota hospitals barred from debt collection until screening patients for charity care
Law fills notification gap that left some Minnesota families without help to which they were entitled.
U doctor's departure is a setback for kids with rare illness
Families are desperate to maintain treatment for PANS/PANDAS, an infection-derived disease that causes violence and compulsion in children.
One Minnesota clinic transcends a race barrier to good patient care
Small Richfield provider outperforms Minnesota's big groups on cancer screening, diabetes management for Black patients.
Ceremony completes St. Anthony firefighter's COVID comeback
Once near death at HCMC in Minneapolis, firefighter is now bringing patients to the hospital.
Cluster of Minnesota bed-rail deaths reveals elder-care threat
State investigations of three deaths in assisted living facilities find lack of timely assessments for entrapment risks.
COVID decline in Minnesota wastewater an encouraging sign
Levels were low anyway, but recent dip suggests a fall COVID surge is unlikely for now.
Hennepin Healthcare pulls coverage of 'miracle' drug that helped workers lose weight
Without financial help, workers say they can't afford drug and expect weight and related health problems to return.
Minnesota losing obesity battle: One in three adults fits the bill
Optimists point to new drugs, improvements in diet and exercise, and a body positivity movement that is changing perceptions of obesity.
The dilemma of medical debt lawsuits in Minnesota: Too big to pay, too small to fight
Ordinary medical bills are more likely to end up in court than "astronomical" costs of major surgeries and treatments, study shows.
Minnesota doctors seek religious nod for donor breastmilk to feed Muslim newborns
A fatwa by an imam or scholar could offer local clarification of Islamic teachings and ease concerns of Muslim parents.
Diverse group recruited to study how smartwatches can make you healthier
Fairview Frontiers becomes leading national recruiting center for studies of wearable medical and fitness devices.
COVID-19 death toll in Minnesota reaches 15,000
The pace of mortality has slowed as the virus evolves, but it's still claiming two lives every day right now.
Errors in Minn. hospitals caused 21 deaths, 178 serious injuries
The total number of deaths linked to adverse events in the 12 months ending in October was the highest since 2006.
'It's probably not going to be another COVID': U seeks to improve models ahead of next outbreak
Projects funded by a $17 million grant include studying human behavior to pinpoint how it affects an outbreak.
University of Minnesota gets $54 million federal grant to hasten medical treatments to Minnesotans
Grant required a U institute to reorganize research priorities around needs expressed by underserved communities.
Memorial Blood Centers expands LGTBQ donor opportunities
The change is based on federal guidance to consider blood donors by individual behaviors, not broad sexual orientation.
Federal labor ruling backs Mercy doctors' union vote
Doctors say the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic motivated the union drive to gain more control inside the hospital.
Child psychiatric bed shortage eased by PrairieCare expansion in Brooklyn Park
While more beds and services are needed, state leaders commended the investment in a healing space for children and teens.
Walz gets flu shot, promotes use of new COVID-19 booster
The governor said he believes the latest coronavirus vaccine will arrive this week in clinics and pharmacies across the state.
Minnesota seeks world's best cardiac arrest survival rate, and a big new grant could help
M Health Fairview will use the $10 million grant from Helmsley Charitable Trust to expand its heart-lung bypass capacity and broaden mobile outreach.
Pandemic still suppressing blood donations in Minnesota
Corporate and school blood drives have declined 63% when comparing 2019 to 2023, according to St. Paul-based Memorial Blood Centers.
Minnesota promotes tests, boosters to keep COVID levels from rising
Sampling shows less of the strain on which latest vaccines are based, but health officials believe the shots will still offer strong protection.
Record $25 million gift will help upgrade Abbott Northwestern surgery, critical care capabilities
Best Buy founder Richard Schulze is pivoting his foundation away from medical research and funding projects like Abbott that improve health care access.
What Minnesotans should know about the new COVID-19 vaccine
The updated shots could be available within days.
Lawsuit: Minnesota inmate died from COVID-19 because prison doctors didn't act
Complaint alleges that chronically ill grandfather never should have been sent to Faribault amid widespread prison outbreak.