
Hosts Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) and Dr. Antony Stately Ph.D. (Ojibwe/Oneida) lead insightful discussions about the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare in Indian Country. They discuss the valuable lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore how Native communities are responding and adapting beyond COVID-19.
Today we celebrate the success of Charmaine Branchaud, a Nurse for the Red Lake school district, whose work raised the vaccination rate of her students. She was recently honored as a 2023 Immunization Champion by the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
We talk to her about what went into the success and reflect on her experiences as a healthcare worker during the pandemic. We also catch up on where we are in the covid pandemic as we head toward back to school and the end of summer.
There’s also news of an updated COVID booster on the horizon. The CDC and FDA are expected to release
updated boosters in late September or early October. The new booster will target that XBB strain of COVID. Back in June the FDA vaccine advisory committee recommended that the upcoming update focus on that XBB strain. They recommend that the new booster ought to be “Mono valent” meaning that it will only be composed of medicine to combat that most recent strain. As opposed to the bivalent booster we had last year which was Omicron and the original strain. They say it should be as effective as a bivalent and a bivalent booster is not applicable right now.
In the Duluth Area, the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) is hosting a COVID vaccine clinic on Wednesday August 30th from 3:30 to 6pm.
Dr. Stately would also like to remind listeners that Medicaid certifications were not required to be renewed during the pandemic; this changed with the ending of the public health emergency. Folks with Medicaid coverage are now required to be recertified within the next month. Watch your mail for a notice from your Medicaid provider or visit NACC or another community health center and talk with a patient advocate or a MNSure navigator to complete recertification to keep your coverage.
Community Health Conversations is made possible with the support of the Minnesota Department of Health. To find information about COVID vaccines and boosters, please visit MN.gov/COVID19.
- Leading the Way: Charmaine Branchaud’s Success in Boosting Student Vaccination RatesHosts Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) and Dr. Antony Stately Ph.D. (Ojibwe/Oneida) lead insightful discussions about the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare in Indian Country. They discuss the valuable lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore how Native communities are responding and adapting beyond COVID-19. Today we celebrate the success of Charmaine Branchaud, …
- Navigating Community Health Beyond COVID19Welcome back to Community Health Conversations! Hosts Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) and Dr. Antony Stately Ph.D. (Ojibwe/Oneida) lead insightful discussions about the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare in Indian Country. They discuss the valuable lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore how Native communities are responding and adapting beyond COVID-19. On today’s …
- Minnesota Launches COVID19 Telehealth ProgramThis week on the Health Report, the Minnesota Department of Health has announced a new telehealth program to help people receive treatment for COVID19. And Bivalent COVID19 vaccines are now available for the youngest age group
- Reflecting on our Journey Through the COVID19 PandemicCo-Hosts Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) and Antony Stately Ph.D. (Ojibwe/Oneida) explore how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the current pandemic health crisis. On today’s show, We’ll revisit some of the people we’ve chatted with since the pandemic began and reflect on what we, as community members, can still …
- New Round of Free At-Home COVID Tests AvailableThis week on the Health Report, a new round of Covid tests are available through the state of Minnesota and we’ll hear about the Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, and how to find out if you’re eligible for the treatment.