United Hospital District apparently hasn't gotten the memo — its small hospital in Blue Earth, Minn., is growing and delivering more babies, even as other rural Minnesota hospitals shrink and shut down delivery units. The independent provider even muscled in on Mayo Clinic's territory in south-central Minnesota and took some of its patients after the world-renowned medical system announced it would close its birthing unit in nearby Fairmont next year. Whether United Hospital District is a blueprint for the rest of the state is unclear, but it is at least a source of hope for Minnesota's struggling rural hospitals. Statewide, 28 hospitals lost money on institutional operations in 2022, and nine announced they would close childbirth wards or other units this year in response to declining demand or staffing shortages.
After an abandoned effort to turn it into a public school, the former St. Joseph's Hospital in South Providence will be put up for sale by real estate developer Joseph R. Paolino Jr., who hopes it will be turned into badly-needed housing. The listing is set to go live tonight through real estate company Cushman & Wakefield, which will conduct an auction. There is no asking price, said Paolino, who is seeking proposals. Paolino thinks a mixed-use development with housing would be the best use of the property, though he's open to other proposals. He originally sought to develop the property himself, but was unable to secure COVID relief funds earlier this year from quasi-public agency R.I. Housing, which administers affordable housing subsidies. He ultimately decided the project needed a developer with more experience in subsidized housing.
President-elect Donald J. Trump's eclectic roster of figures to lead federal health agencies is almost complete — and with it, his vision for a sweeping overhaul is coming into focus. Mr. Trump's choices have varying backgrounds and public health views. But they have all pushed back against COVID policies or supported ideas that are outside the medical mainstream, including an opposition to vaccines. Together, they are a clear repudiation of business as usual.
A new report from the Wharton School of Business of more than 800 senior business leaders found that weekly usage of Gen AI nearly doubled in the last year from 37% in 2023 to 72% in 2024. With the rise of AI agents that grant near superhuman levels of productivity, 2025 will be the year AI shifts from a novelty to a necessity by automating routine yet essential tasks.