Resources for Reporters
If you are a reporter seeking information from the Minnesota Department of Health, the best place to start is with one of the department's information officers, listed below. They, like you, have certain "beats," and can get you the information you need or arrange an interview with a professional expert in the department.
Use the following alphabetized list of public health topics to connect with the information officer who can assist you. If you don't see a topic listed below, or you're still not sure whom to contact, please call the MDH Communications Office at 651-201-4989. Also see information officer assignments by division.
Topic | Information Officer | Phone number |
---|---|---|
AIDS/STD prevention | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Air cleaners | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Air, indoor | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Alcohol and other drugs | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Asbestos | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Assisted living | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Asthma | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Audiologists | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Background checks (nursing homes) | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Beaches | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Bicycle helmets | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Birth and death certificates and related data | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Breast/cervical cancer | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Breastfeeding | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Budget | Mike Schommer | 651-201-4998 |
Campgrounds (health issues relating to) | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Cancer | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Carbon dioxide/monoxide | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Chemical exposure | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Child health | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Children's camps | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Children with special health needs | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Commissioner's Office | Mike Schommer | 651-201-4998 |
Community health | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
COVID-19 | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Contaminants, environmental | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Crematoriums | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Cryptosporidium | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Death certificates and related data | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Dental health | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Diabetes | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Disease prevention and control | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Disparities in health status | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Drinking water | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Ebola | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Education loan forgiveness programs | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Emergency preparedness | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Environmental health | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Epidemiology | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Facility and provider compliance | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Family health | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Family planning | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Fetal alcohol syndrome | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Fish, safety of eating | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Fleas, lice | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Flu and flu shots | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Food, beverage and lodging establishments | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Food poisoning | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Food safety | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Foreign travel immunizations | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Formaldehyde | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Freedom to Breathe | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Funeral homes and morticians | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Genetic/hereditary disease | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Groundwater | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Hazardous waste | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Health care facilities complaints, licensing | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Health economics | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Health insurance consumer information | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Health occupations | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Health professional shortages | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Health reform | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Health regulation | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Health statistics | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Hearing instrument dispensers | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
High blood pressure | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
HMO complaints | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Home health care complaints | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Home health care licensing | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Hospital complaints | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Immunizations/vaccinations | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Infant and child care | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Influenza | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Injury | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Laboratories, public health | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Lead | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Legislative initiatives | Mike Schommer | 651-201-4998 |
Lice, fleas, ticks | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Lyme disease | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Mammograms | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Managed care | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Maternal and child health | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Measles, mumps | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Medical cannabis | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Mental health practitioners, unlicensed | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Minority health | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Mold/moisture | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Mortuary science | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Newborn screening | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Nursing assistant registry | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Nursing facilities | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Nutrition | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Obesity | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Occupational therapists | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Opioids | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Patient's Bill of Rights | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Public health emergencies | Mike Schommer | 651-201-4998 |
Public health laboratory | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Rabies | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Radiation | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Radon | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Refugee health | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Rural health | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
School cafeterias | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
School health | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Septic tanks/sewage | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Sexual violence | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Sexually transmitted diseases | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Speech language pathologists | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Smoking - prevention | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Smoking - indoor air | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Swimming pools | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Tobacco use | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Travel immunizations | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Tuberculosis | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Uncompensated (charity) care | Garry Bowman | 651-529-5164 |
Venereal diseases | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Violence | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Vision and hearing | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
Water safety | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
Wellhead protection | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |
WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program | Scott Smith | 651-201-5806 |
X-ray machines | Doug Schultz | 651-201-4993 |