Star Tribune
Minnesota pharmacies want permission, funding to administer vaccines post-pandemic
Pharmacies received emergency authority during the COVID-19 pandemic to vaccinate most Minnesotans, and now they want funding and permission to make that gig permanent.
Leaders of Minnesota’s struggling independent and small chain pharmacies gathered with DFL lawmakers Tuesday at the Capitol to advocate for the expansion, arguing that it would preserve vaccine access in rural and urban areas and help keep pharmacies in business. Bipartisan bills cosponsored by 25 lawmakers would allow pharmacies to provide flu and COVID-19 vaccines to anyone 3 and older, and other recommended vaccines to anyone 6 and older. They also would engage in practice agreements with doctors that would allow them to collect lab specimens, interpret basic test results, and modify or discontinue drug therapies.
The medical landscape has changed since the pandemic, and some clinics are relying on their local pharmacies to take on more vaccinations, said Jason Miller, clinical program manager for the Coborn’s pharmacy chain. Many clinics didn’t want to risk purchasing much of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year when it switched from being federally funded to commercially available, he said, so families had to go to pharmacies if they wanted those shots.
“We would take a significant step backwards in terms of access to care for residents in Minnesota” if the legislation isn’t passed, Miller said.
Even before the pandemic, pharmacists could provide flu shots to Minnesotans 6 and older, and other recommended vaccines to people 13 and older. But they received permission under a federal emergency order to provide COVID-19 and other vaccines to those 3 and older during the pandemic, and to empower pharmacy technicians to administer the jabs. The terms of that federal order are slated to expire at year’s end.
The legislation would also ensure that pharmacists are paid by Minnesota’s Medical Assistance program at the same rate as doctors to administer vaccines and basic tests for strep and other infections. The program for low-income Minnesotans and those with disabilities provides health benefits to roughly one-fifth of the state’s population.
The proposal is one of three that DFL lawmakers championed Tuesday to stabilize Minnesota’s pharmacy industry, which has lost a third of its independent pharmacies and a fifth of its small chain pharmacies since 2018. Other bills would increase the payment rates by which pharmacies are paid for dispensing medications and administering basic health care services. Fiscal notes estimate the three bills combined would cost a total of nearly $2 million next year and $3.4 million the year after that.
Customers of St. Paul Corner Drug stood with pharmacists and lawmakers to advocate for the changes, citing problems they had getting their medications when their health plans switched them to chain or mail-order pharmacies. Dave Little, 74, said his local pharmacy was much more helpful filling his prescriptions to manage glaucoma and prevent stroke, and that a mail-order company had a “glitchy” website and “illogical” policies that made him jump through hoops to get refills.
“At my age, you start to lose your ability to jump through hoops,” he quipped.
The Minnesota Medical Association, representing the state’s doctors, said in a statement that it supports the financial relief for pharmacies but believes pediatric vaccinations are best provided during well-child visits with doctors. As a compromise, the legislation would prevent pharmacists from providing vaccines other than COVID and flu to preschoolers, and require them to counsel parents about the benefits of well-child visits.
Star Tribune
Investigators searching for additional victims as Hastings man faces child porn charges
A 27-year-old Hastings man has been accused in federal court of producing child pornography over a roughly two-year span, and investigators are trying to identify additional potential victims.
Hunter James Geidlwas charged with four counts of either production or possession of child pornography in federal court Dec. 10. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to the charges, Geidl employed and used minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for producing explicit videos from July 2022 to March 2024. He is also accused of possessing a video file of pornographic material involving a minor in 2022.
Geidl made his initial appearance in court Friday and remains in custody, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
Investigators believe other minors may have been victimized and ask that if anyone believes their child has been in contact with Geidl to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.
“She was really into the Replacements. So for her to have her dad suddenly playing in the band, it would be like my dad joining the Rolling Stones.”
Slim Dunlap, right, with Paul Westerberg during a 1987 Replacements concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis. (Brian Peterson, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Dunlap played guitar on the final two Replacements studio albums, also including 1991’s “All Shook Down.” Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson later credited him for sparking a new spirit in the band and extending their run during their waning years.
After the break-up in 1991, Dunlap toured with Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites, who led the first fundraising campaign on Dunlap’s behalf in the days after his stroke.
Finally, in 1993, Dunlap got his own chance to shine as a singer/songwriter.
He channeled his love for Hank Williams, Chuck Berry and vintage blues alongside the Replacements’ Stones and Faces influences on his debut album, “The Old New Me,” issued by former ‘Mats manager and Twin/Tone Records co-founder Peter Jesperson on the Medium Cool record label. A second solo album came three years later, “Times Like This,” similarly earning a cult-loved status — especially among fellow musicians.
Springsteen publicly raved about those records numerous times, including in a 2014 interview with NPR’s Ann Powers: “I hope I get a chance to cut one of his songs,” said the Boss. “Check out the two Slim Dunlap records, because they’re just beautiful rock ‘n’ roll records. I found them to be deeply touching and emotional.”
A 59-year-old utility worker died Tuesday after falling from the bucket of a boom truck at a job site north of Big Lake, according to Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Ben Zawacki.
Thomas L. Stewart of Dayton fell about six to eight feet and suffered significant head injuries while working in the ditch on the north side of 241st Avenue NW, just west of 185th Street in Orrock Township.
First responders performed life-saving efforts at the scene before Stewart was transported to St. Cloud Hospital, where he was pronounced dead late Tuesday.
Stewart worked for the Minnesota-based utility company Connexus Energy. In a response to a Facebook post about the incident, a representative from Connexus thanked people for their thoughts and prayers, and clarified the utility worker was not electrocuted in the incident.
“We’re heartbroken over the passing of our friend and colleague but we are waiting for family and friends to be notified so we cannot share additional information,” Stacy Downs, communications specialist at Connexus, said Wednesday.
