Addressing dental and maternal health outcomes for Minnesota’s communities of color
Grant seeks to fund new approaches to expand dental access and improve maternal outcomes for Minnesotans of color.
Ava Kian
Ava Kian is the Race and Health Equity fellow for MinnPost. Follow her on Twitter @kian_ava or email her at akian@minnpost.com.
Minneapolis hosts national Accelerating Health Equity Conference
AHA chose Minneapolis for various reasons, including the examples that health care organizations in the city have set.
Minneapolis climate equity action plan: How is the city approaching climate justice?
The plan has several goals, like creating more safe walking distance access to stores, schools and greenspace, reducing the number of people who spend a large percentage of their incomes on utilities and reducing carbon emissions 65% by 2025, among others.
Minnesota House bill could cost pain medication patients up to $200 a month
If passed, it would eliminate a part of a statute, known as the sunset provision, which allowed fees on opioid makers to be reduced once those companies reached above $250 million in settlements with the state.
Somali residents in ‘unsafe’ Phillips apartment say they face racism and mistreatment by management
“I feel like as a minority, nobody cares about us. We don’t have a voice that will talk for us.”
New report shows steady ozone levels, but worsening particle pollution in the Twin Cities
Short-term increases in particle pollution have been linked to increased mortality in infants, increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease and COPD and increased severity of asthma attacks and hospitalization for asthma among children.
What is dental therapy and how is it serving economically challenged communities in Minnesota?
Dental therapists provide preventive and routine restorative care, including filling cavities, placing temporary crowns and extracting diseased or loose teeth.
Medical respite program assisting unhoused populations following hospital stays
“If you’ve ever had to recover from a procedure or something, that’s tough in general. But to do that without the basics of shelter really makes it difficult.”
Food shelves facing greater pressure with the end of additional SNAP benefits
About 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits, according to the USDA. In 2022, it helped 435,900 Minnesotans or 8% of the state’s population.
Disparities in the Minneapolis park system and their health implications on communities of color
From 1910 to 1955, when covenants were used in Minneapolis, 73% of new park areas had at least one racial covenant within a block of the park.
How the Walz administration hopes to address health equity in Minnesota through proposed budget
The Minnesota Department of Health has weighed in on many of the proposed programs, which cover areas from funding patient care to COVID responses, research and increasing access to various health care services.
Coalition of urban Indigenous groups gather at Minnesota Capitol to advocate for investments into organizations
Sixteen organizations are seeking $136.4 million in state funding to construct buildings they say will allow them to do their work more effectively.
Golden Valley’s attempt to close home ownership gap met with questions about equity
Some residents are asking why the city is pursuing affordable housing next to a freeway.
The role of data in achieving health equity in Minnesota
MDH makes recommendations to the governor’s office based on what areas data shows a need. The health commissioner then brings proposals to the governor.
Q&A with Minneapolis’ incoming health director
Damon Chaplin is only the city’s second commissioner in more than 20 years. He said he will be focused on the city’s opioid challenges and health concerns related to homelessness.
Why did the community protest against a new ‘crisis pregnancy center’ in the Phillips area?
Research shows that many CPCs give medically inaccurate information and the risks of that can be tremendous on the health of both the person giving birth and the fetus.
Weekly health screening events seek to improve health care access in Minneapolis’ Phillips neighborhood
Every Thursday for six weeks, the Partners in Prevention Clinic will offer health services like checking blood pressure, going over oral health tips, discussing diabetes management and prevention and offering hand massages – as part of their holistic approach to health.
Addressing (and improving) life expectancies for Black Minnesotans
Black people in the Twin Cities live on average seven years less than their white counterparts, according to the Urban League Twin Cities’ “State of Black Minnesota” 2021 report.
Concerns rise as north Minneapolis loses key grocery, pharmacy stores
What was already a food desert, with four grocery stores for 70,000 people, has been exacerbated.
Black Minnesotans disproportionately affected by environmental pollutants
And nationally, Black people are 42% more likely than whites to have asthma and have a mortality rate from asthma 2.8 times that of white people, according to data from the American Lung Association.
