Suburban gun clubs host suicide prevention trainings
A 2020 Stanford University study concluded that ready access to a gun is a major risk factor for suicide.
Andy Steiner
Andy Steiner is a Twin Cities-based writer and editor. Before becoming a full-time freelancer, she worked as senior editor at Utne Reader and editor of the Minnesota Women’s Press. Email her at asteiner@minnpost.com.
ER docs: Medical ‘paradigm shift’ makes opioid use disorder meds more accessible, saves lives
In the past, physicians needed to apply for a special permit called an X-waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. Last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced an end to the X-waiver program.
‘Not sitting this out’: Minnesota Medical Association votes to support decriminalization of illicit drugs
Leaders say they believe the proposal is the first of its kind to be approved by a medical association in the United States.
More harm than good: Book details spanking’s negative impact on children — and parents
An Augsburg University professor who’d grown up in a family where spanking was the norm decided to research the practice after becoming a parent herself.
Researcher: Generation X faces long-term cognitive impact of childhood lead exposure
A recent study by a University of Minnesota researcher found that adults who were exposed to lead in their drinking water as children performed worse on cognitive assessments in their late 50s and early 60s.
Pat Miles discusses the ‘grim fog’ of grief — and preparing for life after a loved one’s death
Rather than having time to grieve and recover, Miles spent the first weeks and months after her husband’s death meeting with probate attorneys and bankers to sort out her financial life. She’s now published a book to help others with that.
Minnesota recovery community organizations struggle through DHS granting bottleneck
Many recovery community organizations that found out about grant awards in July still haven’t received money from the state Department of Human Services.
‘Build that bridge’: Culturally aware approach key to addressing Karen youth addiction crisis
Community bridge building, or tapping the indispensable expertise of people who have lived experience in a specific culture, is one approach that has shown some success in addressing the opioid addiction crisis among Karen youth in the Twin Cities.
Study aims to show impact of ‘Ecosystem’ of support for people with dementia and their caregivers
A $1.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging will help researchers at HealthPartners Institute’s Neuroscience Research Center continue to assess the effectiveness of a promising model for dementia care: Care Ecosystem.
‘This problem is real’: Youth opioid addiction puts Minnesota’s Karen community on high alert
Advocates at the Karen Organization of Minnesota say Karen parents from around the state are increasingly concerned that their children are becoming addicted to opioids.
Minnesota health officials weigh whether to allow medical cannabis for opioid use disorder
The Minnesota Psychiatric Society officially registered its opposition. The health department is set to decide on or before Dec. 1.
Breast Cancer Gaps Project aims to improve outcomes for Black women
Most breast cancers are treatable when detected early, but Black women’s breast cancer fatality rate is 40% higher than it is for white women, according to the American Cancer Society.
Better Beginnings dads group addresses ‘dearth of support’ for new fathers
Though Better Beginnings started with a focus on birth, postpartum and lactation support, creating a dads group felt like a natural extension for the company, which aims to provide holistic care for all members of a family.
Teen mental health concerns build audience for NAMI’s Ending the Silence class
NAMI Minnesota began offering Ending the Silence pre-COVID, but demand for the class is up as rates of mental illness among young people continue to rise.
‘It’s a mess out there’: Experts discuss COVID’s impact on weight, health
Nearly half of Americans reported gaining weight after living through this extended period of stress and isolation. And it’s not just weight gain: For countless others, COVID has changed the way we eat in fundamental ways.
Agency staffing shortages put 3,500 disabled Minnesotans on waiting lists for jobs
Agency leaders and advocates are concerned about people’s mental health and are getting ready to ask state lawmakers to help make nonprofit workers’ wages more competitive.
Hazelden Betty Ford ‘evolves,’ encouraging skills-based approach to family support
Starting this fall, the Center City-based addiction treatment giant will begin to emphasize a program called Community Reinforcement and Family Training that helps family members build skills that move beyond terms like “enabling” and “tough love.”
New WEB device is now Abbott Northwestern’s preferred choice for aneurysm treatment
Rather than inserting a bunch of small coils, the WEB is a single device, a mesh basket that comes out of microsheath in a collapsed state and then opens into an aneurysm like a flower, hugging its walls.
Fidgety Fairy Tales, children’s mental health programs eye expansion thanks to $1M gift
The anonymous donor requested that the Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health spend the money within a year and that about a quarter go to Fidgety Fairy Tales, a musical theater group that performs at schools to help children understand mental illness.
Wrongful death lawsuit questions Brooklyn Center’s use of police on mental health call
Advocates and Kobe Dimock-Heisler’s mother say police escalated the situation that resulted in his death.
