Health

December 26, 2019 4:01 AM

1 year after losing its hospital, a rural town is determined to survive

Anger and fear have turned to pragmatic hope in the year since the people of Fort Scott, Kan., lost their hospital to corporate downsizing. A community health center remains. So far, so good.

by Sarah Jane Tribble

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December 25, 2019 6:00 AM

A young Mississippi woman's journey through a pioneering gene-editing experiment

NPR tells the exclusive, behind-the-scenes story of the first person with a genetic disorder to be treated in the United States with the revolutionary gene-editing technique CRISPR.

by Rob Stein

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December 24, 2019 4:00 PM

Her mom was lost in dementia's fog. Singing Christmas carols brought her back

A woman had become barely verbal, an effect of dementia. Her daughter, an opera singer, decided to try singing Christmas songs with her, and they reconnected.

by Patti Neighmond

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December 23, 2019 3:00 PM

As feds raise smoking age, debate isn’t yet over Minnesota

A new federal law raises the minimum purchase age for tobacco products from 18 to 21. Tobacco 21 advocates in Minnesota still see value in having a state law pass, too.

by Brian Bakst

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December 23, 2019 10:28 AM

Why tobacco industry giants backed raising the minimum age of purchase

President Trump has signed off on raising the age of sale from 18 to 21 for cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Health advocates worry it guards the industry from further sweeping regulations.

by Merrit Kennedy

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December 23, 2019 4:00 AM

More and more players find pickleball to their taste

The hybrid sport is attractive to older people, but others enjoy it just as much.

by Peter Cox

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December 20, 2019 11:27 AM

Do you really need a flu shot? Here's how to decide

The internet abounds with myths about the relative risks of flu and flu shots, maybe partly because it's an annual shot and nobody likes needles. Here's the latest on what you might need — and why.

by Tara Haelle

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December 20, 2019 9:53 AM

Holiday bummer: Flu spreads widely in Minnesota just in time for season's gatherings

Winter break is here for schools, but health officials say there will be plenty of other opportunities for the virus to spread at holiday parties and family gatherings.

by Cathy Wurzer and Elizabeth Dunbar

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December 20, 2019 4:19 AM

Nurses urge Fairview Health Services to reveal plans for cuts

Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association fear cuts to two downtown St. Paul hospitals could have implications across the state, as Fairview Health Services considers how to cut costs to deal with an $80 million net loss this year.

by Nina Moini

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December 20, 2019 4:00 AM

In International Falls, the last psychiatrist for 100 miles just retired

The lack of psychiatrists in this town near the Canadian border shows just how tough it is to recruit mental-health care providers to rural or remote areas.

by Alisa Roth

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