Health

Health
Future of Us: Deprived of social connections during the pandemic, teens learned to prioritize their mental health
What does a pandemic and a racial reckoning mean for the generation that came of age during it? Licensed therapist and author Shani Tran says that, while it has taken a toll on Gen Z’s mental health, it’s also equipped them with the emotional tools they’ll need to thrive.
St. Luke’s plan to merge with Aspirus Health is the latest for Minnesota health care 
Duluth-based St. Luke’s plans to merge with Aspirus Health, a nonprofit health system that operates in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The new system will contain 19 hospitals, 130 outpatient locations and nearly 14,000 staff.
Future of Us: Forced to downsize their funerals, Hmong families returned to their roots
COVID-19 hit Hmong Minnesotans especially hard. Of COVID-related deaths among Asian Minnesotans in 2020, nearly half were Hmong. The loss came in the midst of pandemic restrictions that forced many families to downsize their normally large and lavish funerals. As they did so, Hmong healer Xifu Yaj Ceeb Vaj says some found an opportunity to reground themselves in their culture's spiritual traditions.
Coping with a future of smoky skies and poor air quality
Minnesota has experienced its worst air quality on record this year. MPR News host Angela Davis talks about what creates polluted air, why we may see more with climate change and how to cope with it.
An old drug offers a new way to stop STIs
Taken after sex, the antibiotic doxycycline can ward off some sexually transmitted illnesses. Doctors are already prescribing it and the CDC is expected to share guidance soon for how best to use it.