A New Clinic, Medical Censorship

There were two medical stories on the same page of today's Star Tribune, both local, though one with a national focus. One good news, one bad news. 

At the top (page 3 within the local section), the headline is "U expands community clinic in S. Minneapolis." It tells about the new clinic building now under construction at Community-University Health Care Center, which is located on Franklin Avenue in the Phillips neighborhood in the heart of the Native American community. 

CUHCC has been there since 1966, providing health care to people regardless of ability to pay. Last year it served 12,000 patients who, according to the story, speak more than 50 languages. In addition to the clinic's staff, medical students and residents from the University of Minnesota can be found working with patients there. 

The new building is being funded by the University and its foundation. So overall, a good news story, despite the parts that referred to operating funding streams that have been or may be affected by federal policy changes (Medicaid cuts, the Minnesota legislature's decision to stop allowing undocumented people to access MinnesotaCare).

In contrast, at the bottom half of the page was a story that could only happen during the Trump regime. The headline is a bit vague: "U professor ousted from conference." Well, that could be almost anything —  maybe it was for a good reason.

But no. 

This was the national conference of the American Diabetes Association, and the U of M professor, a pediatrician who is co-director of the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine, was physically forced to leave the conference because he "violated the event's code of conduct, which requires professional and respectful behavior."

What was the violation? 

He was helping to pass out an editorial from one the ADA's own flagship medical journals. Of course, the editorial criticizes the Trump regime for cutting NIH staff, grants, and "destroying what generations have built." 

The lead author of the editorial (who is editor of the ADA journal as well) was also removed from the conference. He had been scheduled to present and to lead another session. Three other people were removed.

The Star Tribune story quotes the U of M professor as saying he was "chest-bumped by a police officer several times" and cites video that shows him being shoved by a cop.

These are the times we live in: a medical organization lets the federal government say who can attend its conference. It kicks out people who want conference-goers to know what the organization's own publication says. 

This is a gift link to a Washington Post story about the ADA conference with more details, which make it even clearer that this was censorship.