Our Stories. Our Health.

The CDC signed off on the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11. Dr. Lichtsinn gives us some background information on how it happened and shares important information for parents.

Like most parents, Katie Dohman is wondering what this school year has in store. And she's tired. Katie joins to share her story of advocating for her kids, parenting/working/existing through a pandemic and posits, how can we make sure nobody burns out. If you're looking for a bit more from Katie, check out this article from The Cut, Does Anyone Want to Hear About Burned-Out Moms Anymore?

The Minnesota Council on Disability is a mainstay at the Minnesota State Fair, which kicks off today. It's a time for education, connection, and of course, good food. But this year, the Council made the difficult decision to forego the Fair, prioritizing health, safety and leading by example. David Dively, Executive Director of the Minnesota Council on Disability joins us to share the story of this decision and a slight tangent on the new movie CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). And, please take a moment to read the Minnesota Council on Disability's open letter, available here.

The delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain in Minnesota. In this episode, Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn explains why the delta variant is particularly dangerous, how we can mitigate the risk of catching COVID-19 (even if we're vaccinated) and spreading it to others, and what it all means for the coming months. And we couldn't resist a little gymnastics talk after St. Paul's Suni Lee won gold a few hours before we recorded! For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, check out the MN Department of Health Vaccine Connector: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/connector/

In honor of Twin Cities Pride Weekend, Alissa Light and Nathalie Crowley talk about Family Tree Clinic, a leading reproductive and sexual health care clinic. Through education and programs like their LGBTQ Health Access Initiative, Family Tree is proof that we can center healthcare on the needs of our communities, treat all patients with dignity and respect, and that a well-educated community is a healthier community. Check out Family Tree's website for more information: https://www.familytreeclinic.org/

We've heard the phrase "immunocompromised" a lot in the last year (plus), usually in the context of who may have additional risks when it comes to COVID-19. Our guest today, Steve Romenesko, is one such person. He is a double transplant recipient and, as he says, a professional sick person. Steve shares his twenty-year and counting story with us, and sheds some light on new research about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in transplant patients. For more information on the study Steve is taking part in, check out our blog.

This week, Our Stories. is spending some time thinking about stepping forward and into the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and what comes after. Wes Burdine, owner of the Black Hart of St. Paul, joins us to share his pandemic story of closing down, trying new things, and now stepping forward. For our Minnesota United FC fans listening, check out Wes's podcast, FiftyFive.One. Oh, and if you haven't been to the Black Hart, I recommend a visit when it's safe for you!

It's Black Maternal Health Week and we are joined by J'Mag Karbeah, a PhD student in the School of Public Health in the Division of Health Policy Management's Health Services Research, Policy and Administration program at the University of Minnesota. Black Maternal Health Week was founded and is led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to "amplify the voices of Black mamas and center the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements." J'Mag speaks to the reproductive justice framework that she uses to approach her research, and shares her intersectional approach to understanding Black Maternal health and healthcare as a whole.

It's a short and sweet update from Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn about variants, rising case numbers and vaccines. Plus, a clue as to what Hayley will be baking Hannah for her birthday when we can once again gather together!

Emily Richter joins Hayley to share her reproductive healthcare story. We also dig into some of the restrictive laws on the books in Minnesota and a bill that would repeal some of those laws. This episode was produced with the help of our partners in health justice at UnRestrict Minnesota. UnRestrict MN is hosting Reproductive Freedom Lobby Day on Friday, March 12, 2021. Join us by signing up here. For more information on UnRestrict MN, check out their website.

Sara Messelt, Executive Director of Proof Alliance, joins Hayley to talk about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), stigma, and meeting people where they are. FASD might be a new term for you, but Proof is working hard to expand awareness and understanding of how being born with an FASD might impact a child and how we can work as a society to support kids with FASD and reduce the stigma. Check out their website, proofalliance.org, or give them a call, 651-917-2370, to learn more!

In this episode, Dr. Lichtsinn shares her thoughts about equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine. There is a lot to dig into when it comes to vaccine distribution, so we'll be coming back to this topic. Stay up-to-date on new podcast episodes and join the conversation by signing up for our weekly newsletter! Hannah mentions a report from the Wilder Foundation. If you'd like to learn more about what they found, check out the report here.

A new year, a new legislative session, a new president and a new season of the Our Stories. Our Health. podcast! And who better to kick us off than the new Senator representing District 64, Erin Murphy? Erin and Hayley revisit the idea of wholesale change as they talk about the past 11 months and what is to come. Stay up to date on all things OSOH by signing up for our newsletter!

The FDA has granted emergency use authorization to two COVID-19 vaccines and healthcare workers across the state are starting to receive their vaccines. Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn joins to help us understand how vaccines are developed and how this vaccine might impact our communities.

Sam Zimmerman joins us to explain how the new contact tracing app, COVIDaware MN, works. Sam is the CTO of the organization PathCheck, a nonprofit developing contact tracing applications for around the country, and oversees all of the technology used to build COVIDaware MN. Download the app in the App Store or on Google Play. For more information, head to covidawaremn.com.

We asked Minnesotans to share with us what they were thinking about as they voted this year.

In honor of National Vote Early Day (October 24, 2020), Erin Conti joins us to talk about all the ways we can vote in Minnesota. Whether you plan to vote before or on Election Day, in-person or by mail, Erin has the info you need to safely vote this election season. We also geek out over some Minnesota Secretaries of State. Voting is our superpower. Make your plan and vote for our future. Secretary of State’s website: sos.state.mn.us Voter Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)

After a bit of a summer break, Dr. Lichtsinn is back to share her thoughts on healthcare in Minnesota during the era of COVID. In this episode, we talk about the closures of hospitals during a pandemic and what that means to our healthcare system as a whole. Spoiler, we think it is very bad, but Hannah also reminds us that as things start to crumble, we can find ground on which to build.

This week, MDH announced an expansion of testing options for Minnesotans, while the CDC announced new guidelines about who should be tested. If you're confused, don't worry, we have some questions too. Dr. Lichtsinn helps us focus in on what we need to know about testing.

Ruth Richardson is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the CEO of Wayside Recover Center, which specializes in chemical dependency and mental health treatment for women and their families. As a member of the POCI (People of Color and Indigenous) Caucus in the Minnesota House, Rep. Richardson was one of the legislators who sought to specifically name Racism as a Public Health Crisis, chief authoring the House Resolution that passed this summer. In this episode, Hayley learns more about Wayside's many programs and the process of passing the long overdue resolution in the House. Let us know if you want to join our Ruth Richardson fan club.

In April, Gov. Walz signed an executive order that allowed the MN Department of Health to share certain information about COVID-19 cases with the Department of Public Safety. The goal of this EO was to protect the health of first responders in emergency situations. In communities of color and immigrant communities, however, distrust of law enforcement, fear of police retaliation (especially in the wake of George Floyd's murder) and concern over health data privacy meant that a policy such as EO 20-34 could lead individuals to forgo COVID-19 testing. Abeer Syedah, a member of the Our Stories. Our Health., and Erin Murphy join Hayley to talk about the ways in which policies intended to help communities might actually cause more harm, and the ways we can craft policies to realize a more just and equitable society.

This one is all about masks! Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn joins Hayley to talk about why we should all wear a mask, a six-year-old's thoughts on masks, and Hannah's and Hayley's favorite visual representation of the importance of masks.

In this episode, Dr. Lichtsinn talks all about masks and why she thinks they should be mandated indoors in public places throughout the state. This episode was recorded on July 6, 2020.

Amira Adawe, Executive Director of the Beautywell Project, is on a mission to end harmful skin-lightening practices. Amira spoke with Erin Murphy about her research, her organization and the power we have to change our communities. For more information on the Beautywell Project, check out their website: https://thebeautywell.org/.

We are back with another update from Dr. Lichtsinnn. After the murder of George Floyd, Our Stories. Our Health. took a pause and focused our attention on the protests, the community and the non-profits doing boots on the ground work. In this episode, Hayley and Hannah talk about how to be safe and careful participating in large community events and protests, and as the state begins opening up. In this episode, Hannah recommends reading a New England Journal of Medicine article called Stolen Breaths. You can find it here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2021072

This week, Dr. Lichtsinn shares her thoughts about the lifting of the Stay-a-Home order and how that might change the way the virus spreads throughout Minnesota.

Before Our Stories. Our Health. started working from home, Hwa Jeong Kim told Erin Murphy a troubling story about a family in Texas. It turned into a longer conversation about the intersections of race and health and care. Hwa Jeong and Erin join the podcast to reflect on their earlier conversation and the ways in which systemic racism, bias, and access affect the healthcare of communities of color, both as we face this pandemic as well as in non-crisis times. This episode was recorded on April 17, 2020. In this episode, Hwa Jeong mentions the Minnesota Discrimination Helpline. If you experience or witness bias or discrimination, you can report those incidents to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights by calling 1-833-454-0148. You can also submit a report online. Visit https://mn.gov/mdhr/intake/discrimination-helpline.jsp to submit a report or for more information.

This week, Dr. Lichtsinn shares updates on her expanding telemedicine appointments and how her clinic system is preparing for a surge, including placing doctors like Hannah in hospitals. She also tells us where she gets her COVID info, in case you are in the mood for some extra reading this weekend. This episode was recorded on May 8, 2020.

This week, Hannah shares some of the uncertainty in her life and in the lives of her colleagues. This episode was recorded on Friday, May 1, 2020.

When Bryce Maples's flight home to Minneapolis for spring break landed, he was flooded with text messages and emails. George Washington University, like so many colleges in the US, was shutting down for the rest of the year and Bryce would have to finish out his semester at home. Despite being the youngest member of the Our Stories. Our Health. Board of Directors, Bryce has a unique understanding of the healthcare system. Born with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy called Charcot Marie Tooth, he has navigated the complicated web of healthcare throughout his life. That unique understanding has turned into a passion for health justice.

This week, Hayley and Dr. Lichtsinn talk testing and tracing. We're hearing more and more about two different types of testing and Dr. Lichtsinn walks us through what each test is and why they're important, including how they inform contact tracing efforts. This episode was recorded on Thursday, April 23, 2020.

The isolation, uncertainty and changes to our everyday lives that we are experiencing due to COVID-19 can be a lot to handle. In this episode, we are talking about mental health and some ways in which we can cope with what we're experiencing, individually and collectively. Karen Stevensen, a clinical social worker and a Lutheran Pastor, shares some of her coping strategies, some of the ways she finds community, and different ways we can think about the people around as we all go through something unprecedented. We know that this is a difficult time for many. If you are worried about your mental health, please call the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota warm line at 651-288-0400 or text “Support” to 85511. NAMI Minnesota has additional resources specific to COVID-19 available on their website as well. Some additional phone numbers from NAMI Minnesota are below: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Crisis Text Line is available for free, 24/7 by texting MN to 741741 Call the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 You can also visit ourstoriesourhealth.org for additional resources.

Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn shares some of what she has experienced in the past week. This episode was recorded on April 12, 2020.

This week, Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn shares her concerns about hospital and clinic staffing and the ways in which she and her colleagues are making changes to better serve their patients. This episode was recorded on April 2, 2020.

Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn, a primary care physician in the Twin Cities, will be joining us in the coming weeks for updates on COVID-19. In this bonus episode, Dr. Lichtsinn shares some best practices, why we really, really need to stay home, and what she hopes we learn from our current public health crisis. This episode was recorded on March 26, 2020. 

Trying to figure out what's going on with this coronavirus is hard enough as an adult, but what's it like for little kids? Katy Smith, a parent educator, trainer and early childhood advocate, gives us some tips about how to talk to your kids about COVID-19 and what do with all the extra time together. Plus, she shares some general practices that help her stay connected to what is happening in the world without being tied to the television or internet. This episode was recorded on March 23, 2020. Here's the blog post that Katy mentions! https://www.katysmithmn.com/blog/2020/3/21/the-thing-about-routines

As we all find ourselves working from home, social distancing, and living in a quickly-changing world, school districts across Minnesota are working to make sure their kids are fed healthy breakfasts and lunches, even if they can't be physically at school. In this episode, we hear from Jim Miklausich, a principal in the Shakopee Public Schools, who has set up childcare and a way to feed many of his students, almost overnight. This episode was recorded on Friday, March 20, 2020.

In our first full-lengthened episode of the podcast, Our Stories. Our Health. Executive Director, Erin Murphy, talks about how this organization got its start, what we're following in the Minnesota legislature and shares a few stories. This podcast was recorded on Thursday, March 5, 2020.

Welcome to the Our Stories. Our Health. Podcast! Our Stories. Our Health. launched as a nonprofit in September 2019 to change the way we talk about healthcare. We want the debate to be about people, not profits, and names, not numbers. We're here to bring you the stories and experiences of real Minnesotans as they navigate the healthcare system. Each of us has a story and we want to share as many as we can. We know the healthcare system does not work for all of us, and your stories are the proof. Subscribe to hear the latest stories and check us out on social media @ourhealthmn. Want to get in touch? Email info@ourstoriesourhealth.org.

Welcome to the Our Stories. Our Health. Podcast! Our Stories. Our Health. launched as a nonprofit in September 2019 to change the way we talk about healthcare. We want the debate to be about people, not profits, and names, not numbers. We're here to bring you the stories and experiences of real Minnesotans as they navigate the healthcare system. Each of us has a story and we want to share as many as we can. We know the healthcare system does not work for all of us, and your stories are the proof. Subscribe to hear the latest stories and check us out on social media @ourhealthmn. Want to get in touch? Email info@ourstoriesourhealth.org.