Pandemic-era life at Gustavus Adolphus: ‘The safest place for college students may be on a college campus’
A Q&A with Barb Larson Taylor, coordinator of the college’s COVID-19 Response Team, about how the fall semester is going.
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.
With Jim Ramstad’s death, Minnesota has lost a committed recovery advocate
That commitment led Ramstad to advocate for and ultimately see passage of a groundbreaking federal law that requires insurance companies to pay equally for mental and physical health benefits, including addiction treatment.
New HealthPartners predictor algorithm identifies members at elevated risk for suicide
Their goal is to engage members and work with them to get the treatment they need.
African Mental Health Summit to emphasize the importance of cultural understanding
The conference, titled “Building Mindful Connections: The Invincibility of Mindful Self-Care for Helping Professionals,” will be held virtually on Oct. 31.
Therapist and advocate True Thao focuses on the mental health of Minnesota’s refugee communities
Thao recently received an Outstanding Refugee Award from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
In a new book, former state Rep. Mindy Greiling talks about her son’s schizophrenia — and her mental health advocacy
After her son’s diagnosis, Greiling said, “I started working on mental health legislation wherever I encountered it.”
COVID-19 forced Minnesota’s reluctant mental health providers to try telemedicine. Now there’s no going back.
While some providers and patients may prefer to meet face-to-face, too many have experienced for themselves the convenience of online appointments to ever shut down that option.
U of M research team hopes to develop an implantable device to treat mental illness — thanks to a $6.6 million grant
The device, to be designed and developed by scientists at the U of M Medical School, may be able to help treat mental illnesses like depression and PTSD.
Faced with his wife’s late-onset mental illness, author penned an open, heartfelt memoir
Jeff Zuckerman and his wife, Leah, had been married for 30 years when Leah’s late-onset bipolar disorder upended their ordinary, happy lives.
John Engebreth: Overdose rise is ‘the third wave of the opioid epidemic’
“We saw an 18 percent increase nationwide in overdoses in March, a 29 percent increase in April and a 42 percent increase in May,” said Engebreth, who heads Minnesota Outpatient Services at Hazelden-Betty Ford.
‘There’s just something about being together’: In the age of COVID, Interact Center maintains community for its artists
“We decided to offer a series of virtual online classes,” said founder/Executive Director Jeanne Calvit. “We didn’t want anyone to get bored or feel isolated. We created a Zoom community, and the response from our artists was immediate and enthusiastic.”
Through woman-centered peer support, The Hive aims to make mental health part of the conversation
“I want to show people you can still live a beautiful life even with the greatest challenges,” said Heather Boll, a certified peer support specialist.
Culturally specific treatment programs help people of color achieve, maintain sobriety
Such programs often have higher success rates with members of minority populations, who frequently struggle to reach and maintain sobriety using traditional treatment programs.
Avatar-based suicide-prevention program now available for Minnesota educators
Thanks to funding provided by the Minnesota Legislature, the program is available free of charge to all schools in the state.
Telehealth hubs offer care options for people living on the edge of the virtual world
The idea of the hubs, Dr. Rich Levine explained, is getting care where it is needed to the people who need it.
Andrea Jenkins: ‘Culturally embedded racism impacts every part of your body and mind’
In an extended Q&A, Jenkins talks about her work on the City Council, her hopes for the future and the ways she looks after her own mental health.
Minnesota doctors see worrisome reduction in childhood immunization rates during pandemic
“The message we are trying to get out there is that our offices are safe, that ill and well children are being separated,” said Dr. Sheldon Berkowitz. “We’re taking all the needed precautions: masking, gowning, wearing face shields.”
‘We become their family’: Mission Nursing Home cares for men with nowhere to turn
Mission Nursing Home is a skilled nursing facility in Plymouth for men who have struggled with addiction, alcoholism and mental illness.
Kristi K. Phillips: In small towns, ‘We’re still not comfortable talking about our mental health’
“The stressors of life have had a devastating impact on farmers and farm families,” Philips said. “In rural communities, we’re seeing higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. It’s a disturbing trend.”
With small grants, Pink Cloud Foundation helps recipients take the next step in recovery
The Pink Cloud Foundation is a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that pays sober deposits for people facing financial hardship.
