Health

News coverage and resources related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Staff counts are down 20 percent, 18 homes have closed and violation complaints around resident health and safety have doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Observers warn care quality is in jeopardy with no easy fix.

The loss of classroom instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic fell hardest on low-income families and students of color. MPR News host Angela Davis talks about how intensive tutoring could help Minnesota students catch up, build confidence and close the pandemic gap.

Last year, a record number of Minnesotans died from alcohol-related causes. Coming up at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two longtime alcohol and addiction treatment specialists about addressing excessive alcohol use and how to reduce drinking. 

Dr. Brendesha Tynes is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Southern California who studies the toll digital media takes on young people of color. She spokewith MPR News reporter Catharine Richert about the online lives of Black adolescents and the less-talked about ways it relates to mental health.

There is a lot of information about coronavirus vaccines out there, and some of it seems vague or contradictory. We talked to experts to help answer some of the most common and confusing questions.

The tentative accord includes wage increases. The union’s Fairview unit had postponed a strike as bargaining moved forward. Another group of mental health workers with Allina Health began a three-day strike on Monday.

A New York woman seeking to end a dangerous ectopic pregnancy in a fallopian tube finds the procedure more complicated and expensive than expected — even in a state with liberal abortion laws.

To better treat mental illness in Native American communities, programs in Minnesota and around the region are focused on training more Native providers, and incorporating traditional culture and values into treatment. 

An investigation from the Rochester Post Bulletin found that Rochester’s Mayo Clinic provides significantly less charity care than other top hospitals across the U.S. That means Mayo patients who are eligible for financial assistance may not know it — and are instead going into debt.