Minnesota

Giving birth in rural Minnesota? Be prepared for a long drive – Minnesota Reformer

Published

10 months ago

January 25, 2024

Giving birth in rural Minnesota? Be prepared for a long drive – Minnesota Reformer

Essentia Health Services recently announced that it plans to end labor and delivery services at its hospital in Fosston, a town of 1,400 people in northwest Minnesota.

The closure of the delivery ward means that mothers in Fosston and surrounding towns will now have to travel 45 minutes west to Crookston or east to Bemidji to find an obstetric unit that delivers babies.

It’s the latest in a longstanding trend of rural hospitals shuttering their obstetrics departments in the face of staffing and other challenges. Twenty years ago, more than 110 hospitals in the state offered birth services, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Today that number stands at 76, with the closures hitting especially hard in communities in the rural northern reaches of the state.

In Grand Marais, on the North Shore, women face a two-hour drive to get to the nearest birthing center in Duluth. Mothers in Ely (pop. 3,200) need to drive an hour to get to Virginia after the local hospital ended delivery services in 2014. Virginia is also the nearest delivery hospital for residents of International Falls, a city on the Canadian border with a population of more than 5,000 people. It’s one hour and 45 minutes away by car.

Minnesotans living on reservations and tribal lands are especially likely to face difficulties in finding a nearby birthing hospital, as the map above shows. Infant mortality rates for Indigenous Minnesotans are more than double what they are for white babies, according to state data, and the maternal mortality rate is nearly 8 times higher.

Chartis, a private health care consulting firm, recently found that Minnesota had the nation’s highest number of rural obstetrics closures from 2011 through 2021, although this is partly because it has more rural hospitals than other states. A March of Dimes report found that 14% of Minnesota moms have to drive a half hour or more to reach a birthing hospital, compared to 10% nationwide.

When rural delivery wards close, “our research has shown increased risks of emergency room births as well as preterm births, especially in the more remote rural communities which are not adjacent to urban areas,” said Katy Kozhimannil, a University of Minnesota health policy professor. “We have also found that rural communities that lose obstetrics are less likely to offer other evidence-based services and supports for families, like childbirth education or lactation support.”

Rural hospitals in Minnesota have often cited staffing challenges as a driver of maternity ward closures. It can be expensive to keep staff and supplies on hand for procedures that happen infrequently.

“For obstetric services the fixed costs of staffing, equipment, and facilities are difficult to cover with volume based revenues when facilities and clinicians have few pregnant patients,” Kozhimanill explained in an opinion published in BMJ last year. “This leads to workforce shortages and unit closures in more remote, less populated areas.”

Essentia Health in Fosston, for instance, only delivered 38 babies in the 12-month period ending in June of 2022, according to state data. The hospitals in the communities of Olivia and Granite Falls saw fewer than 20 deliveries in their most recently reported years. Both have since ceased offering those services.

Kozhimanill also noted that nearly half of American births are financed by Medicaid, which “reimburses at substantially lower rates than private insurers, so facilities and clinicians caring for lower income patients in remote rural areas face exceptional challenges in generating revenue for obstetric services.”

The closure of an obstetrics unit can become part of a self-perpetuating cycle of rural decline. Young families in need of maternal and infant care may decide to move elsewhere, shrinking the local economy and making it harder for the community to fund services for those who remain.

The March of Dimes recommends expanding Medicaid eligibility and coverage as a way to reverse these trends, but Kozhimanill says policymakers should think bigger and consider ambitious investments in community public health.

“Policy solutions need to focus squarely on the structural injustices and systemic failures that have created and reproduced the statistics that alarm us,” she wrote last year. “As the closest place to give birth becomes further and further away for many people, these facts should no longer be surprising.”

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Minnesota

Penn State Vs. Minnesota: How to Watch, Story Lines, Predictions

Published

8 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Penn State Vs. Minnesota: How to Watch, Story Lines, Predictions

For Penn State football, keeping a low profile represents the best path Saturday at Minnesota. The Nittany Lions want to win, comfortably and quietly, let Ohio State and Indiana own college football’s oxygen this weekend and get to their regular-season finale against Maryland.

Penn State is in prime position to host a first-round College Football Playoff game, no matter how much College Football Influencers argue against it. The playoff committee has made that clear: Penn State has been No. 4 the past two weeks and should remain there, as long as Ohio State wins Saturday over the Hoosiers. A Buckeyes’ loss reignites debate. Penn State can hedge that debate with a no-doubt win at Minnesota that quietly appeases even the scoreboard-watchers.

What to expect from the Penn State-Minnesota game? Here’s the breakdown, including where to watch, what to watch, and our predictions.

No. 4 Penn State (9-1) vs. Minnesota (6-4)

How Andy Kotelnicki brought his Minnesota roots to Penn State’s offense

How to watch, stream the Penn State-Minnesota game

Penn State is playing on CBS for the second straight week and the third time this season. Fans can stream the game on the CBS Sports app as well. Brad Nessler and ary Danielson have the broadcast, and Jenny Dell will conduct sideline interviews. Penn State fans who can’t watch should turn to the Penn State Sports Network for the radio call with Steve Jones and Jack Ham. The games also is available on SiriusXM channels 83/158/196.

What is the betting line for Penn State-Minnesota?

The Nittany Lions are 11-point road favorites, according to DraftKings. The over/under is 45 points. Penn State is 9-0 as a favorite this season and 5-4 against the spread.

What Are the Primary Penn State-Minnesota Story Lines?

On the Penn State Coaches Show this week, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said something interesting: “Watching them on tape, [Minnesota] is very good on defense, maybe the best defense we’ve played this year.” That’s noteworthy, considering Ohio State’s defense, which held Penn State without a touchdown for the first time in 10 years, is ranked first by ESPN’s SP+, and Minnesota’s is 15th. The Gophers excel in takeaways (20, including 16 interceptions) and do so by playing largely a zone defense.

Freshman safety Koi Perich is Minnesota’s highest-graded defender (84.9, according to Pro Football Focus) and leads the Big Ten with five interceptions. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar noted that Minnesota’s secondary does ball-hawk but also generates turnovers through defensive line pressure. But Allar has proven capable of escaping pressure, beating zones with his checkdown receivers and avoiding interceptions. For Allar, identifying zone weaknesses (should Minnesota stick with it) with Tyler Warren and his underneath receivers will be essential. He also’s going to look to stretch the field, particularly when Penn State gets into its tempo offense.

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s offensive strategy favors Penn State’s front-four aggressiveness and back-four experience. The Golden Gophers don’t have the receiving trio of Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Chris Autman-Bell they relied on to beat the Nittany Lions in 2019. Minnesota ranks 10th in the Big Ten in passing, though quarterback Max Brosner does have some chemistry with receiver Daniel Jackson (63 receptions, three for touchdowns). But Minnesota isn’t an explosive offense. The Gophers rank 96th nationally in explosive-play rate (12.32 percent). Penn State is sixth (17.91 percent).

Penn State Players to Watch

Nicholas Singleton: The running back is overdue for a big game. He hasn’t rushed for 50 yards in the past five games and hasn’t topped 100 since Bowling Green. Singleton looked healthy in limited snaps last week at Purdue and is ready to unleash.

AJ Harris: Penn State’s dip into the SEC for cornerbacks Harris and Jalen Kimber has proven smart. Watch for Harris on Minnesota’s Jackson.

Tre Wallace: Penn State needs a receiver to relieve some of the offensive pressure from Tyler Warren. If Minnesota overloads the tight end, Wallace should reap the benefits. He has to take advantage.

Minnesota Players to Watch

Max Brosmer: Minnesota’s quarterback has been underrated this year. He ranks seventh in the Big Ten in passer rating and has a completion rate of 67.1 percent. He’s not a big-play quarterback; Minnesota ranks 12th in the Big Ten in pass plays of 20+ yards. But he’s efficient and reasonably mistake-proof. Penn State can’t give him reason to believe.

Cody Lindenberg: Can’t highlight too many Minnesota defenders. The linebacker covers a lot of ground as Minnesota’s leading tackler and really attacks the run.

Darius Taylor: Minnesota will try to run with Taylor, though its offense ranks 17th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Taylor has had a couple big games (144 yards vs. USC, 131 vs. Illinois), but Rutgers held him to 28 yards on 10 carries last week.

The Predictions

Mark Wogenrich: This game has some potential red flags. If Penn State can’t get the run game going and starts throwing hastily, Minnesota’s defense will capitalize. Now, the Gophers don’t have a counter for Tyler Warren, so the Nittany Lions could ride him as they did last week at Purdue. This is a capable but not great Minnesota offense that Penn State should shutter. Still not feeling an overwhelming offensive performance, though. Penn State 24, Minnesota 13

Daniel Mader: The Golden Gophers’ secondary alone (16 interceptions) is enough to give Penn State another late-season challenge. However, based on the way the Nittany Lions took care of business against Washington and Purdue, I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt their current momentum. I think Penn State pulls away in the third quarter, owning the ground game on both sides of the ball for win No. 10. Penn State 31, Minnesota 14

More Penn State Football

How Minnesota is preparing for No. 4 Penn State

Is Penn State’s defense getting overlooked this season?

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Minnesota

Hennepin County looks to spread the word of Minnesota’s red flag law

Published

18 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Hennepin County looks to spread the word of Minnesota’s red flag law

Nearly a year after Minnesota’s red flag law took effect, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says it’s looking to expand information and training on how it works.

The law enacted in January allows a judge to temporarily confiscate a person’s firearms and stop them from purchasing more if they are at risk of harming themselves or someone else. It’s also known as an extreme risk protection order (ERPO).

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said she’s already seen the law save lives. One order went out for a woman in Hennepin County who had told family members she intended to harm herself. When she went to a store to buy a firearm, she was turned away.

“The store checked, saw it there and did not allow her to purchase a gun,” Moriarty said. “This family’s action in getting the ERPO bought their loved one time, which hopefully saved her life.”

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Hennepin County has issued 26 of these orders so far, Moriarty said. That’s about a quarter of the statewide total.

Moriarty said her office has been training law enforcement on how and when to petition a judge for an ERPO, and on how to carry out the confiscation. Now, they’re looking to add community trainings.

“I think if you asked the public, ‘did you know, Minnesota has a red flag law?’ they probably don’t know that,” Moriarty said. “It’s such a good tool, and we want everybody to know that it exists.”

Anyone — not just law enforcement — can petition a judge for an ERPO for at-risk romantic partners or members of their household. Petition forms are available on the Minnesota courts website; the petitions go to a judge, who decides whether to grant the order.

Assistant County Attorney Rana Alexander has organized the county’s trainings around ERPOs. She said judges in Hennepin County generally issue ERPOs within hours of receiving a petition. When granted, the order goes out to police to confiscate firearms.

Within 14 days, a hearing is held for parties to discuss the order and determine whether or not to let it stand for up to a year.

Alexander noted that protection orders are separate from criminal cases.

“Someone didn’t necessarily do something wrong or something illegal for an ERPO to be sought or granted,” Alexander said. “In most cases, the petitioner is seeking an ERPO out of great concern and care for the respondent.”

Other jurisdictions are also looking to expand awareness and use of the red flag law. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said earlier this month that he is encouraging law enforcement to make full use of the law.

A 24-hour statewide sexual violence and domestic violence hotline is available in Minnesota. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995 to connect to resources closest to where you live.

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Minnesota

Icy Minnesota roads causing white-knuckle Thursday commute

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Icy Minnesota roads causing white-knuckle Thursday commute

CBS News Minnesota

Live

MINNEAPOLIS — Thursday is another day to go slow on Minnesota roads.

Morning commuters can expect icy roadways and even some blowing snow in the Twin Cities, as temperatures hover around freezing.

There were nearly 600 crashes and spinouts across the state on Wednesday, the Minnesota State Patrol reports, including an accident on Interstate 35 in Owatonna that killed a baby boy and injured a 4-year-old girl.

A WCCO photojournalist witnessed several drivers unable to make the climb over St. Paul’s High Bridge on Wednesday evening, causing what he described as “pandemonium.”

In Minneapolis, the Third Avenue bridge had to close because of an accident involving a Metro Transit bus.

The state patrol reports 18 semis jackknifed across the state on Wednesday, including five cases in a two-hour span on Interstate 94 near the town of Downer, located a few miles southwest of Moorhead.

WCCO Staff