July 18, 2012 - Commissioner Lucinda Jesson and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division Director Kevin Evenson were among several speakers at a recent hearing called by former Congressmen Jim Ramstad and Patrick Kennedy to promote the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

July 10, 2012 - The Governor’s Health Care Reform Task Force will meet Thursday, July 12, in Duluth. The task force includes Minnesota Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger, Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman, legislators and private sector representatives.

June 29, 2012 - DHS is seeking applications for membership on the Problem Gambling Advisory Committee, which provides recommendations to ensure a comprehensive continuum of gambling prevention and treatment services is available to all Minnesota residents. The application deadline is July 16.

June 28, 2012 - Cindy Toppin, a DHS Children’s Justice Task Force member and vice president of programs for Lifetrack Resources, received a 2012 Commissioner’s Award from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

June 27, 2012 - The recently released 2011 Health Care Disparities Report for Minnesota Health Care Programs shows long-term progress in the quality of care provided to low-income Minnesotans.

June 25, 2012 - Minnesota’s first Community Behavioral Health Hospital is celebrating six years of providing mental health services to Alexandria area residents, and the retirement of administrator John Cosco, who helped open the facility in February 2006.

June 20, 2012 - DHS Commissioner Lucinda Jesson and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea are leading meetings of the Children’s Justice Initiative, a regional effort between courts and socials services to improve the foster care system, in Thief River Falls and Grand Rapids.

June 19, 2012 - DHS is seeking public comment on its plan to reform significant portions of Minnesota’s Medicaid program. According to Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, the effort "will give people more choice, get them services earlier and in less costly settings and help secure the stability of our programs for years to come."

June 19, 2012 - The abuse of heroin and prescription opiates continues to rise in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, according to a new report on Twin Cities’ drug abuse trends released today by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

June 15, 2012 - DHS Community Behavioral Health Hospital in Baxter recently received top honors for workplace safety and health in the annual Governor’s Safety Awards. DHS chemical dependency and substance abuse treatment facilities in Anoka, Carlton, Fergus Falls and Willmar were also recognized.