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).
September 17, 2026
Dozens of Allina Health physicians at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and its Unity campus in Fridley, went on strike Monday, September 14, through Thursday, September 17.
September 17, 2026
At its September 14 meeting, the MMA Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the organization’s advocacy priorities for 2027.
September 17, 2026
The MMA joined the AMA and 49 other state medical associations in urging Congress to pass H.R. 9693, the "Patients First Act," which would reform the Medicare physician payment system.Â