Health

St. Mary’s Medical Center Welcomed First Patients

DULUTH, Minn.—“It’s a big deal. I feel honored that I get to participate and that our community has this new hospital. I’ve been treated very well here so I’m excited,” said first St. Mary’s Medical Center patient Bethany Johnson. After 4 years, Essentia’s Health opened St. Mary’s Medical Center is welcoming their patients over from their legacy building, with new…

Maurices Partners with MOCA for Free Shopping Event for Ovarian Cancer Survivors

DULUTH, Minn. — The Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance says nearly 20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year in the United States. “There are women in their 20s and 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s,” said Chickie Broman, Ovarian Cancer Survivor. “There are women that have families that have children, small children, there are women that, have careers, and they have to…

A Meat Allergy Caused By Tick Spit Is Getting More Common, CDC Says

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 100,000 people in the U.S. have become allergic to red meat since 2010 because of a weird syndrome triggered by tick bites, according to a government report released Thursday. But health officials believe many more have the problem and don’t know it. A second report estimated that as many as 450,000 Americans have developed…

Air Quality Alert Extended Through Tuesday Afternoon

MINNESOTA–It continues to be hazy in the Northland from wildfire smoke from Canada. It’s not going away too quickly as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has extended their air quality alert until Tuesday afternoon. Medical professionals from St. Luke’s warned how children, teenagers in athletics, people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and other heart or lung…

Running Could Potentially Reduce Risk Of Parkinson’s Disease, Study Finds

(FOX 9) — A new study reveals the impact of running can extend beyond the body and could help prevent Parkinson’s disease, a neurological condition that affects balance and coordination and can cause involuntary movements like stiffness and shaking. In a study published in the journal Science Advances, Italian researchers say intensive exercise, including running on a treadmill can stimulate the…

New Research Estimates The Levels Of Alzheimer’s County By County

(FOX 9) – For the first time, researchers have been able to estimate the level of Alzheimer’s disease in every county across the United States. The research was released this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. The research reveals that the highest percentages of those 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia live in the east and southeastern United States. The author of the…

MNA Essentia Nurses Prepare for Friday’s Picket

DULUTH, Minn.–“To avoid any HIPPA violations I’ll just say that nurses are almost daily in tears trying to deal with the struggle of knowing that we don’t have enough staff. It’s very stressful,” said RN Staff Nurse Stacee Rosier.  Essentia nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association are getting their signs ready for an informational picket July 21, calling staffing levels…

Parachutist Expected To Make ‘Full Recovery’ After Duluth Airshow Accident

DULUTH, Minn. – The U.S. Navy parachute diver who was injured in a hard fall at the Duluth Airshow Saturday is “progressing well and expected to make a full recovery,” according to a spokesperson for the Airshow. The two parachute members disconnected late as they were falling around 90 mph, which caused the one member to hit the ground. He…

Essentia Nurses To Picket Friday, Call Staffing Levels ‘Disastrous’

The informational picket will be on the same day Essentia will hold an open house of its new downtown medical center

DULUTH, Minn. — Essentia nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association are headed back to the picket line this week amid continued concerns over what they call “disastrous staffing levels.” It’s been six months since nurses at Essentia reached a new contract that gave them more input in the staffing process.  But the Minnesota Nurses Association says Essentia executives aren’t listening…

Essentia Employees With United Steelworkers To Hold Picket Friday

The informational picket will happen with the Minnesota Nurses Association

DULUTH, Minn. — Essentia Health coworkers with United Steelworkers Local 9460 will be holding an informational picket Friday along with Essentia workers with the Minnesota Nurses Association. Below is the full statement from USW: “Our union is locked in tough contract negotiations with Essentia Health for our Red Book contract, as well as a Year 3 wage re-opener for our…

Second Alzheimer’s Drug In The Pipeline Promises To Slow Worsening But With Safety Concern

WASHINGTON (AP) — Another experimental Alzheimer’s drug can modestly slow patients’ inevitable worsening — by about four to seven months, researchers reported Monday. Eli Lilly and Co. is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval of donanemab. If cleared, it would be only the second Alzheimer’s treatment convincingly shown to delay the mind-robbing disease — after the recently approved Leqembi from Japanese drugmaker…

Blood Donations Needed Even In Busy Summer Months

A blood drive at the Duluth Red Cross chapter office Wednesday was part of the effort to keep donors involved.

Summer is a very busy time for many people, but the need for a steady supply of blood continues year-round. Wednesday the Red Cross held a blood drive at their chapter office by the Miller Hill Mall. The entire morning was booked with appointments and there were just a few openings left heading into the afternoon. Volunteers from St. Cloud…

St. Luke’s To Affiliate With Aspirus Health

Combined system will cover portions of Wisconsin, Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Northeastern Minnesota.

St. Luke’s in Duluth and Aspirus Health in Wisconsin announced Wednesday they have agreed on a proposal to join their systems. The health care systems said their approach and philosophies are a good match. The St. Luke’s system includes two hospitals and more than 40 clinics. Aspirus has 17 hospitals and 75 clinics. “Evolving community needs require us to find…

Silver Bay Community Center Gets Help

$50,000 grant will bolster program that helps older residents and unites the community.

https://www.fox21online.com/content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-fox-21-avatar.pngIn Silver Bay Friday afternoon, it might have felt a little bit like Christmas. The community center that is important in bringing people together, received some financial support. T-Mobile has donated fifty thousand dollars as part of its initiative to help small towns. Silver Bay’s North Shore Area Partners will use the funds to further develop a gathering place downtown….

Smarts and Caution Urged When Lighting Fireworks

There are ways to make it safer for everyone around you.

With many area burning restrictions lifted or eased in recent days, it is expected that more people will be wanting to light fireworks on their own. Those who deal with fireworks and those who deal with the aftermath of injuries are reminding people to be careful. Despite the lack of rain early this summer, sales have been pretty steady at…

Cancer Society Gets Donation from Super One Customers

June fundraising effort results in big money.

Super One presented a check donation to the American Cancer Society Thursday morning in Hermantown. Super One President Patrick Miner presented a $76,000 check to the American Cancer Society. Customers made donations at forty-four Super One locations during several weeks in June. He expressed gratitude to customers for the campaign’s success. “We’re incredibly fortunate to have generous customers in the…

Rain Fails To Quell Canadian Wildfires; More Smoky Haze On The Way

AP TORONTO (AP) — Canadian wildfires will send worsening smoky air across the country and neighboring United States in coming days after recent heavy rains failed to fall in areas of Quebec where the fires are most active, officials said Wednesday. Drifting smoke from the wildfires has lowered curtains of haze on broad swaths of Canada and the United States,…

Weightlifting Couple Raising the Bar

New Weightlifting Gym in Hermantown

Regardless of what sport you play, almost everyone is interested in getting a little stronger. For some, that means heading to the gym. A Twin Ports couple has combined their love for each other with their love of lifting weights. The result is a new, state-of-the-art weightlifting facility. They titled it Los Campeones, or The Champions. Owner Carl Sievert began…

Essentia Health Prepared For Grandma’s Marathon

DULUTH, Minn. — With Grandma’s Marathon happening Saturday, Essentia Health is preparing for any possible injuries or emergencies that could happen. They have many medical tents set up. As well as ski patrol, EMT’s on bikes, multiple ambulances and first aid stations all around the course. This is to make sure runners don’t have to go far if they need…

Spaghetti and Other Motivations Fuel Grandma’s Runners

Memories, health and family are among the reasons people run.

Something that always goes well before twenty-six miles of running, is twenty-six miles of spaghetti noodles. Visitors could start slurping their noodles and sauce at the DECC beginning at eleven Friday morning. There are many traditions associated with Grandma’s, and the pasta feed is just one of them.  Meaghan Burns and her husband from Lino Lakes will be running. This…

Cancer Survivors Night at Carnival

DULUTH, Minn.–“There was a month of just tests and scans and tests and scans,” said patient Dan Egley. For Dan Egley, receiving his cancer diagnosis was no easy task. Although the news was not easy, Egley decided to look at the positives that are in his life. “The doctor was sitting over there and he said, ‘We found your tumor…

Key Duluth City Official Remembered; Dies at 61

Chris Fleege was Director of Planning and Economic Development

DULUTH, MINN. –A key member of the Duluth City administration and a longtime community member has passed away. Chris Fleege was the city’s Director of Planning and Economic Development. According to his obituary, he died last Sunday at home of natural causes, surrounded by family. He was 61. Fleege joined the city in 2019 as part of a varied and…

‘Girls On The Run Minnesota’ Hosts 5K In Duluth

Courtesy: Girls On The Run DULUTH, Minn. – The weather was perfect for a 5K in Duluth Sunday with Girls On The Run Minnesota. The race along the Lakewalk caps off a 10-week program for girls from Lowe Elementary, Myers-Wilkins Elementary, Laura MacArthur Elementary, Bayview in Proctor and Great Expectations in Grand Marais. Girls On The Run Minnesota is all…

Ground Broken On Mixed-Income Housing Development In Duluth

The development is on the corner of 6th Avenue East and 4th Street

DULUTH, Minn. – Fifty-two new mixed-income apartment units are officially underway in Duluth’s East Hillside neighborhood with a partial focus on serving young adults with a history of homelessness. The property is located on the corner of 6th Avenue East and 4th Street. One Roof Housing and Three Rivers Community Action are developing the property. It used to be a…

Downtown Duluth Dental Office To Focus On Children From Low-Income Families

DULUTH, Minn. — A new multi-faceted dental office is coming to downtown Duluth, and it’s focused on providing oral health to low-income families, especially children. The building is located at 25 West Superior Street. Children’s Dental Services is the non-profit behind the project, along with the financial help from 20 organizations and foundations — local and within the state. Organizers…

Duluth’s Street Outreach Worker Of Nearly 30 Years Talks Housing, Homeless Crisis

DULUTH, Minn. – Homeless advocates in Duluth say the struggle to get the homeless off the streets and into stable housing is at its worst. But at the same time, those advocates say the communication and weekly mission to tackle the problem is stronger than ever between advocates, the city, county, police, and the list goes on. More than 600…

Essentia Health Calls MN Nurse Staffing Bill Flawed

DULUTH, Minn. — Essentia Health is speaking out against a nurse staffing bill at the Minnesota Legislature. The Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act would establish committees to set specific staffing levels at hospitals. The levels would include a limit on the number of patients a nurse should safely care for. The bill’s sponsors believe it will help the crisis around…

Nurses Week Comes Amidst Legislative Debate

Duluth Nurses Push Current Bill; Oppose Any Changes by Hospitals

DULUTH, Minn. – The stakes are high in Minnesota as national Nurses Week continues. A legislative fight is underway at the state capitol over what is called the “Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act.” That fight came to the Duluth Labor Temple Tuesday. Nurses and their union representatives said Minnesota hospitals are not following parts of the agreement reached during…

Boys & Girls Club Encourages Support for Mental Health Crisis Line

Several Duluth area groups working to raise funds

DULUTH, Minn. – A new, national suicide crisis line has been getting some attention, and there is a continued local effort to let people know about it. It is called “Just Breathe 988.” Several Duluth area groups are coming together to raise funds for the Boys and Girls Club’s Mental Health Access program. The three-digit number works exactly like 9-1-1…

WHO Downgrades COVID Pandemic, Says It’s No Longer Emergency

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. WHO first declared COVID-19 to be an emergency more than three years ago. The U.N. health agency’s officials…

Superior YMCA Hosts Earth Day Event

  SUPERIOR, Wis. — A collaborative event took place at the Superior YMCA Friday in honor of Earth Day It was to teach students ways to prevent pollution and live a healthy lifestyle. Groups that were there to teach elementary school students from around the area included the Northwest Wisconsin Lung Health Alliance and Superior’s Environmental Services Division, among others….

American Heart Association Hosts Annual Go Red For Women Event At The DECC

DULUTH, Minn. — The American Heart Association and St. Lukes’s hosted their 19th annual Go Red for Women event. 200 people were wearing red in support for women’s cardiovascular disease. With heart disease becoming more prominent the American Heart Association wants to spread the word on the importance of healthy living. The event had a focus on hands-only CPR practices…

“No Hit Zones” Hope to Prevent Spanking of Children or Hitting Others

Staff members in certain public spaces will intervene.

It is child abuse prevention month, and part of that includes an effort by some to get parents to move away from spanking children. Thursday, supporters of that effort gathered at the YMCA in Hermantown to promote an area coalition that is establishing and increasing the number of “No Hit Zones.” The zones will be spaces and agencies where others…

Duluth Fire Department Busy in 2022, With Some Ups and Downs

Overall runs were up, but actual fires down. Code enforcement was up.

DULUTH, Minn. – Wednesday the Duluth Fire Department presented a picture of what calls were up and which were down in 2022. In 2022, the department made 478 more runs than the year before. That’s an increase of 3.2%. over 2021.  There were twenty-four fewer fire calls. There were also 18 water rescues, down by 21 from the year before….

Spring Allergy Season Right Around The Corner

DULUTH, Minn. — Although it may not look like spring outside right now, allergies are still a concern for many. Trees will be pollinating soon, and the pollination affects those with allergies causing runny noses, congestion, and watery eyes. Fox21 spoke with an expert at the Allergy and Asthma Center of MN in Duluth on what to do when spring…

Duluth’s ‘Stepping On Up’ Launches ‘Safe Bay’ For Homeless Living In Vehicles

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth homeless organizations launched a first Monday night by creating a designated location for people who are living out of their vehicles to safely park overnight. The “Safe Bay” is an initiative through “Stepping On Up.” The Safe Bay is located in the Domiano Center’s parking lot.  It will be operating daily from 8 p.m. until 8…

Sleeping Bags, Tents Wanted As Duluth’s Warming Shelter Closes For Season

DULUTH, Minn. — The CHUM drop-in shelter in Duluth is asking for donated sleeping bags and tents as more of the homeless population will be out in the elements with Duluth’s Warming Shelter closing for the season on Monday. This comes as CHUM and MnDOT are planned to clean up a growing homeless encampment in Duluth sometime this week. The…

Red Cross Day At UWS Preps Students With Life-Saving Skills

SUPERIOR, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Superior partnered with the local American Red Cross Chapter Thursday to learn life-saving tools. They called it Red Cross Day and students were invited to learn hands-only CPR, which only takes 15 minutes to learn. Executive Director for the Northern Minnesota American Red Cross Dan Williams says people are drastically more likely to survive…

Homeless Encampment, Debris Grow Near Bayfront Park; Cleanup Effort Planned Next Week

DULUTH, Minn. — A homeless encampment across the street from Bayfront Park has grown into a public health hazard, and a CHUM official confirms MnDOT will be cleaning the property sometime next week. There are two growing sections along Railroad Street with about five tents and other items across from Playfront Park next to I35. The second section that’s most…

St. Luke’s Honors Organ Donation

DULUTH, Minn. — Tuesday St. Luke’s hospital held their annual ceremony honoring the life saving gift of organ donation and the families of donors. The hospital raised a “Donate Life” flag and held a moment of silence for those who have given the gift of life through organ donation. Recipients also recognized the gift of their donors at the ceremony….