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.
August 20, 2026
A physician and Olympian will give an inspirational address as part of this year's Empowering Physicians event on Friday, September 25, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
August 20, 2026
Minnesota received some disturbing news this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as data shows that for the 2025-2026 school year, vaccination rates decreased and non-medical exemptions increased.
August 20, 2026
On August 11, a federal appellate court sided with the Texas Medical Association (TMA) argument that the way the No Surprises Act’s qualifying payment amount (QPA) is calculated has historically favored payers in arbitration.