In the News

“We want to make sure these young people see themselves in any of the spaces that are at Hennepin Healthcare, and we want them to know that we believe they can become what they see,” Hennepin Healthcare Chief Health Equity Officer Dr. Nneka Sederstrom said.

“There is someone that we want to make sure we bring up and acknowledge. Ali, if you’d like to join me up here,” Mattison said. “For all that you do, we want to make sure we acknowledge you and surprise you with two tickets to [an upcoming game].”

Once near death at HCMC in Minneapolis, firefighter is now bringing patients to the hospital.

At the Hennepin Healthcare Center of Diabetes and Endocrinology in downtown Minneapolis, 66-year-old Mark Harris tries to recall his medication intake and sleep schedule from the past week.

Laura LaFave, an endocrinologist at the center, listens attentively while seated at a computer desk, looking at metrics of Harris’ blood sugar levels extracted from the Bluetooth-connected continuous glucose monitor (CGM) he wears daily. Harris’ glucose levels are low, which leads LaFave to pry deeper into how his insulin pump is functioning.

“If available, it can reduce the risk of severity of RSV disease for children,” said Stacene Maroushek, Hennepin Healthcare Pediatric Infectious Disease expert. “Right now, we do have a limited supply.”

“All those viruses’ flu, RSV and COVID can lead to runny nose, nasal congestion and a cough,” said Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn, a Hennepin Healthcare physician.

Vikings running back speaks on importance of cancer screening.

It’s not surprising that such approaches work even while obesity increases, said Dr. Iesha Galloway-Gilliam, a weight-management specialist with Hennepin Healthcare. Today’s eating habits get passed along through genetic expression to the next generation and influence its habits, she said, which is why a recent forecast of a 46% adult obesity rate in Minnesota by 2030 is probable.

“The product is giving us a chance to take better care of our patients,” said HCMC nurse Tshilanda Nyembwe.

“There’s nothing unique about Hennepin (Healthcare) when it comes to outcomes related to Black and brown birthing people. We are a hospital in America that’s functioning with the same systemic racism issues that every hospital in America is functioning with,” Nneka Sederstrom said. “Just like everywhere, our patients have had the opportunity to not feel heard, not really be seen to not have their care.”

“We don’t think that that’s acceptable,” she said.

“We were using what we were calling the bivalent booster, it was something designed to improve upon the original COVID-19 vaccines that we received. When this new vaccine was approved. It took the place of that bivalent booster and so we stopped using it because the approval with the new one kind of takes away the old approval,” Dr. Kate Hust explained.

Dr. Tyler Winkelman with Hennepin Healthcare says they hope to get their supply of the new vaccine next week.

“This is something people are really tuned into. It feels a little bit like the early days of COVID with how much interest we are seeing in this year’s vaccine,” he said.

Every year, calls of kids exposed to fentanyl to Minnesota Poison Center climbs. Dr. Travis Olives is an ER doctor at Hennepin Healthcare. He’s also the associate medical director of the Minnesota Poison Control System.

Emergency declarations usually drive donors and prevent hospitals from reaching such crisis points, but that isn’t ideal, said Dr. Jed Gorlin, medical director for Memorial and chief medical officer for America’s Blood Centers, a national advocacy group. “We don’t want to train the public to only come in when there are these blood emergencies. What we want is to maintain people being regular blood donors.”

Dr. Lichtsinn works in internal medicine and pediatrics at Hennepin Healthcare. She encourages everyone to get the vaccine,  which is effective against the new variant, as soon as possible.

“They love the products,” said Tshilanda Nyembwe, a nurse in HCMC’s internal medicine department. “They are begging us not to stop because we are giving them what they use at home, and they’re happy. … We were taking care of their diagnosis with medication and physical therapy and occupational therapy, but we just missed the little thing that made the difference.”

Tyler Winkelman, a health services researcher at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, said outreach of the intensity of 2021 is needed again. Back then, throngs of people were hired to tailor communication and education to various communities, and to administer vaccines in churches, homeless encampments, and stadiums. “We can still save lives if we are thoughtful about how we roll out the vaccines.”

Dr. Jim Miner, HCMC’s chief of emergency medicine, ducked into the tiny physicians’ break room. Here, away from scenes of chaos and desperation, he could take a breath. This was the height of summer, known here as “trauma season.”

Hennepin Healthcare also has yet to make any changes to patient care, but Dr. Jed Gorlin said they are “concerned” by the recent shortfall.

“Blood centers like to see at least three to five days of inventory on our refrigerator shelves and we’re down to around two days of inventory,” Gorlin said. “At Hennepin, we are the largest of the three Level One trauma centers in the Twin Cities, so we need to have a fair inventory on the shelves for immediate transfusion. More donors would give me a lot more sleeping comfort because I would like to know we are prepared for any emergency.”

“When prominent manufacturers can’t keep up, then there is a cascade effect through the other manufacturers who aren’t initially equipped with the material or mechanical resources for manufacturing more product to make up the difference,” says Matt Hammer, community clinics pharmacy manager at Hennepin Healthcare. “Oftentimes manufacturers would have to choose between producing one drug or another.”

Mark Holtan, a pharmacist at Hennepin Healthcare, notes that people who take these medications without ADHD may experience adverse reactions, including anxiety, agitation, headaches, and jitteriness.