Category: Rural Headlines

EXCERPT: “Enterprise Minnesota might have to stop its rural manufacturing programs because of federal cuts. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce told the agency not to start its traditional funds renewal process. ‘We have been told not to apply until further notice,’ said Enterprise Minnesota Vice President Lynn Shelton. ‘We are concerned.’ The ...

EXCERPT: “A group of first-year medical students at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Rochester has been learning directly from Minnesota Farm Bureau members about how to connect with and meet the needs of people living in rural communities. The education around rural healthcare, called the Rural Medicine Initiative, is offered through the medical ...

EXCERPT: “Rural hospital leaders are questioning whether they can continue to afford to do business with Medicare Advantage companies, and some say the only way to maintain services and protect patients is to end their contracts with the private insurers. Medicare is the main federal health insurance program for people 65 or older. Participants can enroll ...

EXCERPT: “Gear up for construction season drivers – the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has announced which projects they’ll be working on this year, including some multi-year construction work which will finally be completed. Early Wednesday morning, the agency said there are roughly 180 road and bridge construction projects planned for the season, as well as ...

EXCERPT: “The Minnesota Pharmacists Association (MPHA) held a legislative day in St. Paul, on March 5, according to Philip Hommerding, owner of Hunt’s Silver Lake Drug Store, part of the purpose was to call attention to the state’s growing pharmacy deserts. According to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), around 400,000 in Greater Minnesota live a ...

EXCERPT: “‘Takin’ It to the Streets’ may have been the title of a Doobie Brothers tune from the 1970s, but such an action is prohibited in Minnesota for drivers of all-terrain vehicles. You can ride those four-wheeled, open-air vehicles on designated trails and private property, but can you take your ATV to town? Not if ...

EXCERPT: “Child care in Minnesota is among the most expensive in the nation, according to data released this month by the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank. The average annual cost of infant care in the state adds up to more than $22,000 annually, or almost $1,900 a month. Only DC and Massachusetts have higher infant ...

EXCERPT: “Dr. Alison Raffman had only arrived in Bemidji two days earlier, with three boxes of stuff and two cats, and already she was hustling around the emergency department at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. The medical resident was treating dizziness in a newly diagnosed cancer patient, an infection in a nervous pregnant woman, and an ...

EXCERPT: “Researchers at UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science are partners on a $15 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to explore the benefits and responsible use of autonomous vehicles in rural communities where transportation services are limited. The six-year project will develop solutions to improve mobility, such as enabling nondrivers to better access health ...