HealthPartners and Essentia Health Agree to Merge
October 1, 2026
On September 29, HealthPartners and Essentia Health announced that their boards of directors have approved an affiliation agreement to combine their organizations.
MDH Releases Updated Childhood Blood Lead Screening Guidelines
January 5, 2023
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has posted online its 2022 revision of the Childhood Blood Lead Screening Guidelines for Minnesota.
The guidelines, which are endorsed by the MMA, were first released in March 2000. The new version was updated based on research and feedback from a multi-disciplinary workgroup consisting of healthcare and public health professionals, professional healthcare associations, and other relevant partners. Maria Starchook-Moore, MD, sat on the Childhood Blood Lead Screening Guidelines for Minnesota Revision Workgroup, as an MMA representative.
These screening guidelines now recommend universal blood lead testing of all children in Minnesota at 12 and 24 months of age, and targeted blood lead testing for children ages 25 months through 17 years. The screening guidelines include both a three-page summary and a longer reference manual.
Along with the MMA’s support, the guidelines are endorsed by the Minnesota Nurse Practitioners (MNNP), Minnesota Chapter of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (MN NAPNAP), Minnesota Poison Control System, Region 5 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU), HealthPartners, UCare, Local Public Health Association of Minnesota (LPHA), Minnesota Environmental Health Association (MEHA), Sustainable Resources Center, Inc. (SRC), and East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC).
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On October 1, two significant provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA, 2025) affecting non-citizen adults on Medical Assistance (MA; Minnesota Medicaid) take effect.
MMA Leadership Recognizes Award Recipients at Empowering Physicians Event
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Five physicians, two physicians-in-training, a state senator, and two firearm safety advocacy organizations were all honored with MMA awards, as part of the association’s Empowering Physicians Event on September 25.