
A Planned Parenthood affiliate plans to close 4 clinics in Iowa and another 4 in Minnesota
Four of the six Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa and four in Minnesota will shut down in a year, the Midwestern affiliate operating them said Friday, blaming a freeze in federal funds, budget cuts proposed in Congress and state restrictions on abortion.
The clinics closing in Iowa include the only Planned Parenthood facility in the state that provides abortion procedures, in Ames, home to Iowa State University. The others are in Cedar Rapids, Sioux City and the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale.
Two of the clinics being shut down by Planned Parenthood North Central States are in the Minneapolis area, in Apple Valley and Richfield. The others are in central Minnesota in Alexandria and Bemidji. Of the four, the Richfield clinic provides abortion procedures.
The Planned Parenthood affiliate said it would lay off 66 employees and ask 37 additional employees to move to different clinics. The organization also said it plans to keep investing in telemedicine services and sees 20,000 patients a year virtually. The affiliate serves five states — Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
'We have been fighting to hold together an unsustainable infrastructure as the landscape shifts around us and an onslaught of attacks continues,' Ruth Richardson, the affiliate's president and CEO, said in a statement.
Of the remaining 15 clinics operated by Planned Parenthood North Central States, six will provide abortion procedures — five of them in Minnesota, including three in the Minneapolis area. The other clinic is in Omaha, Nebraska.
The affiliate said that in April, President Donald Trump's administration froze $2.8 million in federal funds for Minnesota to provide birth control and other services, such as cervical cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
While federal funds can't be used for most abortions, abortion opponents have long argued that Planned Parenthood affiliates should not receive any taxpayer dollars, saying the money still indirectly underwrites abortion services.
Planned Parenthood North Central States also cited proposed cuts in Medicaid, which provides health coverage for low-income Americans, as well as a Trump administration proposal
to eliminate funding
for teenage pregnancy prevention programs.
In addition, Republican-led Iowa last year
banned most abortions
after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant, causing the number performed there to drop 60% in the first six months the law was in effect and dramatically increasing the number of patients traveling to Minnesota and Nebraska.
After the closings, Planned Parenthood North Central States will operate 10 brick-and-mortar clinics in Minnesota, two in Iowa, two in Nebraska, and one in South Dakota. It operates none in North Dakota, though its Moorhead, Minnesota, clinic is across the Red River from Fargo, North Dakota.
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Kennedy's new CDC panel includes members who have criticized vaccines and spread misinformation
NEW YORK -- U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday named eight new vaccine policy advisers to replace the panel that he abruptly dismissed earlier this week. They include a scientist who researched mRNA vaccine technology and became a conservative darling for his criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines, a leading critic of pandemic-era lockdowns, and a professor of operations management. Kennedy's decision to 'retire' the previous 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was widely decried by doctors' groups and public health organizations, who feared the advisers would be replaced by a group aligned with Kennedy's desire to reassess — and possibly end — longstanding vaccination recommendations. On Tuesday, before he announced his picks, Kennedy said: 'We're going to bring great people onto the ACIP panel – not anti-vaxxers – bringing people on who are credentialed scientists.' The new appointees include Vicky Pebsworth, a regional director for the National Association of Catholic Nurses, who has been listed as a board member and volunteer director for the National Vaccine Information Center, a group that is widely considered to be a leading source of vaccine misinformation. Another is Dr. Robert Malone, the former mRNA researcher who emerged as a close adviser to Kennedy during the measles outbreak. Malone, who runs a wellness institute and a popular blog, rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as he relayed conspiracy theories around the outbreak and the vaccines that followed. He has appeared on podcasts and other conservative news outlets where he's promoted unproven and alternative treatments for measles and COVID-19. He has claimed that millions of Americans were hypnotized into taking the COVID-19 shots and has suggested that those vaccines cause a form of AIDS. He's downplayed deaths related to one of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. in years. Other appointees include Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist who was a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 letter maintaining that pandemic shutdowns were causing irreparable harm. Dr. Cody Meissner, a former ACIP member, also was named. Abram Wagner of the University of Michigan's school of public health, who investigates vaccination programs, said he's not satisfied with the composition of the committee. 'The previous ACIP was made up of technical experts who have spent their lives studying vaccines,' he said. Most people on the current list 'don't have the technical capacity that we would expect out of people who would have to make really complicated decisions involving interpreting complicated scientific data.' He said having Pebsworth on the board is 'incredibly problematic' since she is involved in an organization that 'distributes a lot of misinformation.' Kennedy made the announcement in a social media post on Wednesday. The committee, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC directors almost always approve those recommendations on how vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration should be used. The CDC's final recommendations are widely heeded by doctors and guide vaccination programs. The other appointees are: —Dr. James Hibbeln, who formerly headed a National Institutes of Health group focused on nutritional neurosciences and who studies how nutrition affects the brain, including the potential benefits of seafood consumption during pregnancy. —Retsef Levi, a professor of operations management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies business issues related to supply chain, logistics, pricing optimization and health and health care management. In a 2023 video pinned to an X profile under his name, Levi called for the end of the COVID-19 vaccination program, claiming the vaccines were ineffective and dangerous despite evidence they saved millions of lives. —Dr. James Pagano, an emergency medicine physician from Los Angeles. —Dr. Michael Ross, a Virginia-based obstetrician and gynecologist. Of the eight named by Kennedy, perhaps the most experienced in vaccine policy is Meissner, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, who has previously served as a member of both ACIP and the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory panel. During his five-year term as an FDA adviser, the committee was repeatedly asked to review and vote on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines that were rapidly developed to fight the pandemic. In September 2021, he joined the majority of panelists who voted against a plan from the Biden administration to offer an extra vaccine dose to all American adults. The panel instead recommended that the extra shot should be limited to seniors and those at higher risk of the disease. Ultimately, the FDA disregarded the panel's recommendation and OK'd an extra vaccine dose for all adults. In addition to serving on government panels, Meissner has helped author policy statements and vaccination schedules for the American Academy of Pediatrics. ACIP members typically serve in staggered four-year terms, although several appointments were delayed during the Biden administration before positions were filled last year. The voting members all have scientific or clinical expertise in immunization, except for one 'consumer representative' who can bring perspective on community and social facets of vaccine programs. Kennedy, a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before becoming the U.S. government's top health official, has accused the committee of being too closely aligned with vaccine manufacturers and of rubber-stamping vaccines. ACIP policies require members to state past collaborations with vaccine companies and to recuse themselves from votes in which they had a conflict of interest, but Kennedy has dismissed those safeguards as weak. Most of the people who best understand vaccines are those who have researched them, which usually requires some degree of collaboration with the companies that develop and sell them, said Jason Schwartz, a Yale University health policy researcher. 'If you are to exclude any reputable, respected vaccine expert who has ever engaged even in a limited way with the vaccine industry, you're likely to have a very small pool of folks to draw from,' Schwartz said. The U.S. Senate confirmed Kennedy in February after he promised he would not change the vaccination schedule. But less than a week later, he vowed to investigate childhood vaccines that prevent measles, polio and other dangerous diseases. Kennedy has ignored some of the recommendations ACIP voted for in April, including the endorsement of a new combination shot that protects against five strains of meningococcal bacteria and the expansion of vaccinations against RSV. In late May, Kennedy disregarded the committee and announced the government would change the recommendation for children and pregnant women to get COVID-19 shots. On Monday, Kennedy ousted all 17 members of the ACIP, saying he would appoint a new group before the next scheduled meeting in late June. The agenda for that meeting has not yet been posted, but a recent federal notice said votes are expected on vaccinations against flu, COVID-19, HPV, RSV and meningococcal bacteria. A HHS spokesman did not respond to a question about whether there would be only eight ACIP members, or whether more will be named later. ___ ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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5 Drinks High in Magnesium, Say Dietitians
Magnesium plays a direct role in more than 300 enzymatic processes in the body, from brain function to muscle contractions to energy production and more. Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN, explains that, despite its critical nature, unfortunately, most of us do not get enough magnesium in our diets. 'Magnesium is an electrolyte that plays a role in blood pressure regulation, muscle and nerve function, protein synthesis, and bone cell regeneration,' says London. 'While its role in the body is crucial — it's involved in hundreds of chemical reactions in the body! — it's estimated that about half of Americans aren't consuming enough of it.' There are lots of supplements and health products that can boost your magnesium intake and help support these vital life processes. Pureboost, for example, is an all-natural energy drink that boasts an impressive 25% of the recommended daily magnesium intake. There are also electrolyte mixes and drinks, like this one from Protekt and this canned watermelon water Mela Water, both of which feature magnesium, potassium, and sodium without added sugars. On the other end of the spectrum, there are recovery drinks like Nuun Rest, and relaxation supplements like neuroSleep, which promote natural rest and recovery with magnesium. While these kinds of supplements aid in magnesium intake, London says whole foods and natural dietary sources are still important because they provide the best format for metabolization. 'While dietary supplements can be useful as exactly that — to supplement, not replace, dietary intake — food sources of magnesium are the most biologically efficient source and have the added benefit of providing additional nutrients that your body needs for you to feel your best,' explains London. Here are five drinks high in magnesium you probably already have at home that can help you get more of this mineral into your diet. Related: Time for a spot of tea and a boost of magnesium. A 2021 study in Molecules concluded that the antioxidant activity of tea is related to the presence of magnesium and potassium. Of the teas studied, green tea was shown to have the highest concentration of both phenolic compounds and magnesium, and it also presented the most antioxidant activity. While supplement powders and sports drinks often do include magnesium, naturally occurring magnesium is typically a better choice. Grapefruit and orange juice both feature about 6% of the recommended daily value of magnesium, making them an excellent option to include in your regular diet. Just be sure to choose full juice options with no added sugars. Jaclyn London explains that fruit juices provide more bang for the buck than sports drinks. 'For optimizing your intake of magnesium, a 100% fruit juice without added sugar will provide more per serving and provide a wider variety of vitamins and minerals from the fruit itself,' she says. Also in the juice category, prune juice provides 30 milligrams of magnesium per cup, or about 8% of the daily recommended value, bringing prune juice in slightly higher than its citrus juice counterparts. Additionally, prune juice features fiber, sorbitol, and potassium, making it a digestive-friendly choice. Milk chocolate and dark chocolate are both good sources of magnesium; however, for a true magnesium density, consider something like raw cacao, which is thought to be among the richest sources of magnesium on the planet. This hot chocolate recipe stars cacao powder and maple syrup, a delicious and cozy choice to keep you warm all winter. Another great addition for colder months, bone broth features a slew of vitamins and minerals, making it a perfect choice for savory sipping. Kristen Carli, MS, RD, explains that bone broth provides many critical nutrients. 'Because bone broth is made from animal bones, it is high in magnesium, potassium, omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, and more.' Read next: The post 5 Drinks High in Magnesium, Say Dietitians appeared first on Clean Plates. Related Headlines Why I'll never fly without Travelzoo — savings, perks, and peace of mind 5 Energizing Snack Recipes to Make Ahead and Eat All Week
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Opinion: Budget bill's Medicaid cuts hurt all Utahns
One Big Beautiful Bill, or One Big Budget Bust? This one act of legislation will affect everyone, not just those on Medicaid. Even if you don't think cuts to Medicaid will affect you, they will, and not in a good way. This legislation will ultimately decrease the health of Utahns, inadvertently increase the cost of healthcare and increase wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. The 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' includes provisions that slash Medicaid coverage through the guise of work/education requirements. While this may sound like a great way to increase accountability for Medicaid enrollees, this is costly to states and is confusing for enrollees. When Arkansas implemented Medicaid work and reporting requirements in 2018, enrollees reported both confusion and misunderstanding about what was required. Due to these requirements, 18,000 individuals, or 25% of enrollees, lost their insurance coverage. Researchers in 2020 looked at the impact of Arkansas' program and found that the loss of coverage led to poorer medication adherence, delays in receiving care and increased medical debt. In 2019, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) — a federal office that provides fact-based, non-partisan information used to improve government spending and save taxpayers billions of dollars — estimated that state expansion of Medicaid work/education requirements would cost anywhere from under $10 million to over $250 million just on administrative costs. Accounting for inflation, this alone can cost Utah anywhere from about $13 million to $310 million just to set up this program. While this cost may be partially covered by the federal government, this has proven to be a waste of government spending. In one year of Georgia's implementation of a similar program, their own state Medicaid agency reported that it cost both state and federal taxpayers a combination of $40 million, with 80% of it going towards administrative costs rather than medical care. If implemented in our state, which prides itself on being fiscally responsible, removing red tape and deregulation, adding additional work/education requirements goes against these core beliefs. Hidden in the 'Big Beautiful Bill' are provisions to cut Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Programs by $3.5 billion, claiming this work 'can be conducted [and funded] more effectively by States,' according to the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request. States would need to develop programs and funding for employees to assist in this goal of shifting from the federal focus to state focus at the taxpayers' expense. Additionally, the budget includes provisions that block federal funding for preventive care at facilities offering family planning, reproductive health and related medical services. By blocking funding to these facilities, the healthcare system will shift from prevention to crisis response. Important public health research is also on the 'Big Beautiful Bill' chopping block. As the president proposes almost $18 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — the United States' medical research arm — projects will lose ground and become stagnant. You may be asking yourself, why does this matter to me? What if I have commercial insurance? Why should I care about research? The damaging effects of these budget cuts touch every aspect of society, creating a domino effect. These policies don't operate in isolation — they compound each other, ultimately raising costs, lowering care quality and destabilizing institutions relied upon by people across the income spectrum. Millions will lose access to primary, routine and preventive care. Conditions will go undetected and unmanaged, especially among children, women and people with chronic illnesses. Hospitals — especially children's hospitals and safety-net facilities — will absorb more unpaid care. This reduces operating margins and strains staff and resources. Hospitals will increase charges to private insurers to recoup losses. This drives up insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for middle-income families and employers. Fewer pediatricians, OB/GYNs and community health providers will stay in underfunded or unstable systems. Burnout and turnover will rise, especially in high-need communities. Biomedical research will come to a standstill, jeopardizing our ability to find new cures for debilitating diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's. These cuts harm the entire healthcare system, threatening access, affordability and quality of care for everyone, regardless of insurance status. Protect your health by contacting your senators and telling them to block this One Big Budget Bust.