Shortly after the founding of Minnesota Territory, promoters attracted new settlers partly by proclaiming the tonic benefits of Minnesota's soothing landscape and cool, bracing climate; the area was trumpeted as a haven for retirees and for those afflicted with malaria or tuberculosis.
In 2000, the infant mortality was relatively low, with a rate of 5.6 per 1,000 live births. There were 14,342 legal abortions in 1999, averaging 14 abortions per 1,000 women. In 2000, the overall death rate of 780.7 per 100,000 population was below the national rate of 873.1. Also in 2000, 19.8% of Minnesota residents were smokers. The rate of death from lung disease stood at 56.9 per 100,000 population in 2000. The death rates per 100,000 population for heart disease and cerebrovascular disease in 2000 were 184.0 and 68.4, respectively. HIV-related deaths occurred at a rate of 1.5 per 100,000 population in 2000; 3,919 AIDS cases had been reported through 2001.
Minnesota's 133 community hospitals had 586,016 admissions and 16,508 beds in 2001. There were 16,483 full-time registered nurses and 2,776 full-time licensed practical nurses in 2001 and 284 physicians per 100,000 population in 2000. The average expense of a community hospital for care was $1,421.30 per inpatient day in 2001.
Federal government grants to cover the Medicare and Medicaid services in 2001 totaled $2.1 billion; 660,399 enrollees received Medicare benefits that year. Only 8% of Minnesota residents were uninsured in 2002, the 2nd-lowest percentage in the US.
The Mayo Clinic, developed by Drs. Charles H. and William J. Mayo in the 1890s and early 1900s, was the first private clinic in the US and became a world-renowned center for surgery; today it is owned and operated by a self-perpetuating charitable foundation. The separate Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, founded and endowed by the Mayo brothers in 1915, was subsequently affiliated with the University of Minnesota, which became the first US institution to offer graduate education in surgery and other branches of clinical medicine.