State Supports Universal Hepatitis B Vaccine Birth Dose
December 11, 2025
On December 5, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to eliminate the universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for infants.
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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MMA Signs on to Bill to Ease Senior Access to Care
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The MMA, along with other state medical associations and 75 specialty societies, signed on to a letter to Congressional leaders urging passage of the “Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025.”
Physicians Tackle Payment Reform, Public Health, and More at AMA Interim Meeting
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Physicians from Minnesota and across the country gathered November 14-18 for the AMA 2025 Interim Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, to address payment reform, public health challenges, rural healthcare, and the escalating administrative and financial pressures on medical practice.