>> ERIC: THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL IS NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK, A GOOD EXCUSE TO HIGHLIGHT RECENT HEALTH HEADLINES HERE IN MINNESOTA, INCLUDING CONTINUING DISPARITIES FOR MINNESOTANS OF COLOR IN UNINSURED RATES AND OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATH RATES.

BROOKE CUNNINGHAM IS THE STATE'S HEALTH COMMISSIONER.

WELCOME BACK TO "ALMANAC."

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS RATE OF UNINSURED.

3.8% SEEMS VERY LOW AND SEEMS LIKE GREAT NEWS, BUT, AGAIN, I GUESS WE HAVE THESE DISPARITIES ONCE AGAIN.

>> RIGHT.

NO, IT IS GOOD FOR MINNESOTA, RIGHT, AND MINNESOTA OFTEN WHEN WE LOOK AT HEALTH STATISTICS ENDS UP COMING OUT WITH GOOD NEWS IN TERMS OF OUR HEALTHCARE SECTOR, EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW IT'S EXPERIENCING SOME STRESSORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

WE TEND TO BE A PLACE THAT RANKS HIGH ON HEALTHCARE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN 4% UNINSURED RATE IN THE MOST RECENT HEALTHCARE ACCESS SURVEY, DONE WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE "U."

YOU KNOW, THAT IS GOOD NEWS.

ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAD SHORT-TERM PERIODS OF UNINSURANCE.

SO, THERE WERE FEWER PEOPLE WHO WENT FOR LONGER PERIODS, LIKE A HOLE YEAR, WITHOUT INSURANCE, BUT THERE WERE MORE PEOPLE WHO HAD SHORT-TERM GAPS IN COVERAGE.

>> Cathy: HOW ARE YOU DOING WHEN IT COMES TO THE INCREDIBLE RATE OF OPIOID DEATHS IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, ESPECIALLY AMONG COMMUNITIES OF COLOR?

>> RIGHT.

>> Cathy: DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT SEEMS TO BE WORKING TO HELP THESE PEOPLE?

>> I THINK THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES.

JEREMY DRUCKER, WHO IS OUR SUBSTANCE USE LEAD FOR OUR STATE ENTERPRISE, PART OF HIS ROLE IS TO BRING US ALL TOGETHER, RIGHT?

BECAUSE THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT REQUIRES ALL HANDS ON DECK TO THINK ABOUT, RIGHT?

WE HAVE O THINK ABOUT THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN ADDICTION, THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH, THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN HOMELESSNESS AND THEN, AGAIN, ACCESS, RIGHT?

TO BE ABLE TO GET ACCESS TO TREATMENT AND TO ARE AND TO REALLY TREAT ADDICTION AS THE PROBLEM, THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM THAT IT IS.

SO, FORTUNATELY, ONE OF THE SUCCESSES AND WINS FROM THE 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS INVESTMENT IN SUBSTANCE USE STRATEGY.

SO WE HAD A COMPREHENSIVE LAN ON THE MDH SIDE, DHS, THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, ALSO, OF COURSE, RAMPED UP A PLAN TO ADDRESS SUBSTANCE USE.

OURS REALLY DOES FOCUS ON PREVENTION, EDUCATION, OUTREACH, PARTICULARLY GOING INTO PLACES WHERE MORE PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS, HOMELESS HUBS, AND PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS FROM DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED COMMUNITIES.

SO OUR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, OUR TRIBAL NATIONS, AS WELL AS BLACK COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WE SEE HIGH RATES, SO, WITHIN THE AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITY, COMPARED TO OVERALL MINNESOTA POPULATION, TEN TIMES THE RATE OF FATALITIES FOR OVERDOSE.

AND, SO, WE HAVE TO PARTNER.

WE HAVE TO PARTNER AND REALLY GET BOLD AND ALL COME TOGETHER, REALLY ALL HANDS ON DECK, AND TO THINK ABOUT NEW STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS HE PROBLEM.

>> Eric: WHAT HAS CHANGED, IF ANYTHING, AT THE DEPARTMENT AND IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH STRUCTURE OF THE STATE POST-PANDEMIC?

>> SO THE ONE THING, ERIC, THAT I JUST LIKE TO LIFT UP IS POST-PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT LOSING A LOT OF THOSE FEDERAL INVESTMENTS, RIGHT, THAT HELPED US ADDRESS THE EMERGENCY, ADDRESS THE EMERGENCY AND RESPONSE.

FORTUNATELY, LAST YEAR, WITH THE HISTORIC LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WITH THE SURPLUS, WE WERE ABLE TO INVEST IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND TO CONTINUE SO WE DON'T LOSE THE MOMENTUM.

SO WE GOT NEW INVESTMENTS IN WHAT WE CALL THE FOUNDATIONAL CAPABILITIES OF PUBLIC HEALTH.

THOSE ARE THINGS LIKE MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH, LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, THINGS THAT WHERE WE PASS MONEY THROUGH FROM THE STATE TO LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTHPARTNERS TO WORK ON THOSE FOUNDATIONAL CAPABILITIES, BUT THE OTHER PACKAGE WAS A PACKAGE AROUND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, RIGHT, SO THAT, AGAIN, WE DON'T LOSE THE MOMENTUM, RIGHT SO, THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT THE LESSONS.

AND ONE OF THE LESSONS, AGAIN, BACK TO PARTNERSHIP, WE REALLY WENT OUT AND PARTNERED WITH COMMUNITIES IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE THAT WHEN WE LOSE FEDERAL FUNDING.

SO WITH THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WE WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, SO REALLY GET OUT INFORMATION IN A TIMELY FASHION IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH, SO HMONG, SPANISH, SOMALI, AND TO KEEP THAT TEAM, TO KEEP SOME OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AS WE RECOVER FROM COVID, TO KEEP OUR OFFICE OF AMERICAN INDIAN HEALTH, RIGHT.

SO A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE TRIED THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE MOMENTUM.

>> Cathy: YOU MENTIONED COVID.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: I'M NOT SAYING THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE SOME KIND OF A COVID THING.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: BIRD FLU SITUATION.

>> YES, BIRD FLU.

>> Cathy: IT'S ODD, TO SAY THE LEAST.

SO BIRD FLU SEEMS LIKE IT HAS JUMPED TO ANOTHER SPECIES.

>> RIGHT.

>> Cathy: COWS AND GOATS.

>> RIGHT.

>> Cathy: ARE YOU ALL DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?

>> RIGHT.

WELL, WE'RE GETTING READY.

WE'RE WATCHING.

WE'RE GETTING READY.

WE'RE ON THE CALLS WITH CDC, INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS.

RECENTLY PLANNING HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK WITH OUR TEAM THINKING ABOUT, LIKE, WITH AG AS A PARTNER, RIGHT, LIKE HOW ARE WE GOING TO MONITOR, HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET RAPID SIGHT LINES AND SURVEILLANCE GOING, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH LABORATORY TESTING, YOU KNOW, JUST TO PREPARE.

WE WANT TO BE PREPARED.

I THINK WE DO A GOOD JOB WITH THAT.

BUT WE'VE GOT OUR SIGHT LINES ON IT, YOU KNOW.

THE RISK RIGHT NOW, WHAT EVERYBODY IS SAYING THE RISK IS LOW, BUT SHOULD THAT CHANGE, WE WANT TO BE READY.

>> Cathy: GOOD.

>> Eric: APPRECIATE YOU COMING OVER AND TALKING TO US.

YOU'VE GOT A LOT ON YOUR PLATE.

SO APPRECIATE YOU MAKING THE TIME.

>>