Deanna Pistono, MinnPost Journalist Profile

Articles

Young artists, Mia exhibit, shine uncomfortable light on racism

2 days ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

For the fourth year in a row, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) brought together high schoolers to share their perspectives on health and racial equity. The art displayed at the opening on May 10 ranged from vibrant paintings and photos to sculptures and video installations.
Are female mosquitoes the only ones that drink blood? - MinnPost

1 week ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

Female mosquitoes need to drink blood of some kind in order to lay eggs. Male mosquitoes, which do not lay eggs, subsist primarily on nectar. A male mosquito’s proboscis – its elongated feeding-tube mouth – is not able to pierce skin, unlike a female mosquito’s proboscis. But that might not be the only reason they drink blood.
Five years post-COVID, racial disparities in health still persist

1 week ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

The COVID-19 pandemic “shined a light on what many of us already knew to be the truth,” said Dr. Kevin Gilliam, NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center’s medical director. This truth? That there are disparities in health care and overall wellness based on a variety of factors, such as poverty and discrimination.
Are immigrants less likely to be incarcerated than the U.S.-born?

1 week ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

Based on 2023 research, the incarceration rate from 1870-2020 was lower for immigrant men compared to men born in the United States. In 1960, the incarceration rate for immigrant men dropped significantly below men born in the U.S., regardless of multiple factors including race, age and country of origin. This is also true for men emigrating from Mexico and other nations in Central America. Since 2005, this population has had a higher incarceration rate compared with white U.S.-born men.
Terminally ill advocate for ‘end of life’ legislation in Minnesota

2 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

Jeff McComas and his daughter share a tattooed quote on their left arms – “It’s not zero.”This, McComas explains, was how he described his chances of surviving to see his daughter’s high school graduation. In January 2023 McComas found out he had stage 4 cancer in his intestine. There is no chance, he told MinnPost, for the cancer to go into remission at this point. He was given 12 months to live – which he has since surpassed.
100 Days: Deanna Pistono on health care and equity

2 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

Editors’ note: We asked our reporters to summarize the impact of the Trump administration’s first 100 days on their coverage areas. Various grants by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have been cut by the Trump administration, affecting health services and research across Minnesota.
M Health Fairview revises procedures related to maternal health

3 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

“Racism can have effects and that matters, and we need to be race conscious, but that does not mean race is deterministic.” Those were the words of Dr. Taj Mustapha, chief equity strategy officer at M Health Fairview. At M Health Fairview, the work of the Birth Justice Initiative has led to race being taken out of consideration for various screenings and tests related to pregnancy and maternal health care at their clinics.
Health grant cuts upended research, services in Minnesota

3 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Ana Radelat |Deanna Pistono

WASHINGTON — The University of Minnesota says it braces every day for an unwelcome notice — that a federal grant it has been awarded for scientific and medical research has been abruptly canceled. “It’s having a very devastating impact,” said Kimberly Kirkpatrick, the university’s associate vice president for research.
Students, artists combat racism through upcoming exhibit at Mia

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

An art museum and a health insurance company don’t seem like the likeliest of partners. But for four years, the Teen Perspectives program, supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and run by the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has allowed students to reflect on issues of health equity. High school students, alongside artists from around the Twin Cities, work with different mediums and discover their individual artistic voice during the program.
Is Minnesota the only US state with an orchid for a state flower? - MinnPost

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Deanna Pistono

Minnesota’s state flower, the pink-and-white lady slipper (also known as the showy lady slipper or the queen’s lady slipper), is the only state flower that is a member of Orchidaceae, the orchid family. Some flowers are shared by multiple states. The most common state flower is the rose, variations of which are claimed by Georgia, Iowa, New York, North Dakota and Oklahoma.