March 7, 2024
While having open conversations about mental health struggles can be difficult, they are a crucial step in preventing an emergency. If you’re concerned that someone close to you is exhibiting signs of emotional distress or suicide risk, we urge you to use the Open Your Heart Conversation Starter as a helpful guide for a meaningful conversation.
These tips—including how to prepare for the conversation, find the right time, choose the right language, actively listen and navigate resistance—can be used to help you check in with a colleague or loved one. Please join us in using and sharing the guide to help facilitate these conversations. The conversation starter is also available on the MMA’s Practice Well Collaboratory site.
If you would like to schedule a suicide prevention training at your clinic, the MMA Foundation offers suicide prevention trainings to MMA members, at no cost. These training workshops, led by Joshua Stein, MD, include Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention and Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) training. QPR is a 1.5-hour, evidence-based presentation that teaches best practices in suicide prevention and three steps to help prevent suicide. CALM is designed to provide counseling strategies to help patients at risk for suicide and their families reduce access to lethal means, particularly (but not exclusively) firearms. Attendees can earn CME credit for both.
The trainings are sponsored by the MMA Foundation and are available to MMA members. For more information, contact Kristen Gloege.
October 8, 2026
On September 29, a Hennepin County jury issued an $84 million malpractice verdict against Fairview Health Services, in a case involving a patient who died of complications following an exercise-induced heart attack.
October 8, 2026
A group of fifth-grade students from Lincoln Elementary School in St. Cloud got a firsthand look at the world of medicine on October 5, during a special Mini Medical School Day hosted by the University of Minnesota Medical School CentraCare Regional Campus St. Cloud.
October 8, 2026
On October 7, the MMA released an updated version of its “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) Resource Guide for Physicians.”