Making it Better, Your Minnesota's Health Improvement Log

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February 18, 2016

Current and archived issues available at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/oshii/log

To be added to the distribution list please email Health.MakingitBetter@state.mn.us.

In This Week's Issue

• Don't forget!
• Gem | See What’s Happening in Winona County
• Funding Opportunity | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation Grants to Further Health Equity
• Save the Date | The Minnesota Public Health Association’s Annual Conference: Health Equity | May 25-26
• Networking | Farm to Institution Workshops | February & March
• Now Available | Public School List with Percentage of Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Students
• Now Available | SHIP 4 School Coordinators Networking Directory
• Reminder| SHIP 4 Q1 Reports | Due Feb 29

Don't forget!

• Treating Tobacco Dependence in Behavioral Health Training | Feb. 25-26  To register for the FREE two-day CE/VME activity click here.
• Physical Activity Leader Training | Feb. 26 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Bemidji State University; 1500 Birchmont Drive NE, Bemidji, MN 56601. Registration information and directions can be found on the PDF announcement in the school document section of Basecamp or contact mary.thissen-milder@state.mn.us

Gem | See What’s Happening in Winona County

What’s being done in one Winona County school district to make their schools healthier? Lewiston-Altura schools are working to provide better food options in school cafeterias. What are they doing? How have they made those changes and are those changes working? For answers to those questions, checkout: Healthier and happier meals at Lewiston-Altura schools

Do you have a resource or success story (“gem”) to share for a future issue?  Submissions for each week’s Thursday publication are due by noon every Tuesday to Health.MakingitBetter@state.mn.us or community specialists for:

• SHIP  Meredith Ahlgren, Allison Heinzeller, Jessica Smith or Dan Taylor
• Tobacco Pa Khang
• American Indian LaRaye Anderson or Sarah Brokenleg
• Community Wellness Rachel Mahon Bosman

Funding Opportunity | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation Grants to Further Health Equity

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation is offering funding of up to $700,000 for programs that further health equity in communities across Minnesota through its Healthy Communities: Health Equity in Action program. Grants, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 per year, are available for one- or two-year funding cycles. Applications are due March 31, 2016.

Detailed guidelines and more information are available on the Foundation's website.

Save the Date | The Minnesota Public Health Association’s Annual Conference: Health Equity | May 25-26

Date:    May 25-26 Venue: U of M Continuing Education and Conference Center | University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus | 1890 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN This conference will provide an opportunity to: Identify ways to take action on health equity Strengthen communities to create a culture of health Connect with new faces in public health Network during conference activities and social events   Additional information is available  on the MPHA website: www.mpha.net.

Networking | Farm to Institution Workshops | February & March

Dates:  Feb. 16 | Northwest, Thief River Falls

              March 7 | Central, St. Joseph

              March 14 | South Central, Mankato

              March 29 | Northeast, Aitkin 

Cost:     $15 (A locally-sourced lunch will be provided)

Who should come?

The networking program is recommended for farmers, school nutrition directors, public health specialists, hospital food service directors, rural development specialists, processors or aggregators, long term care facility food serve, local food advocates, local health inspectors, child care providers, and others!  

The workshops are designed to meet the needs of the region, strengthen connections, and advance partnerships between local farmers and community institutions. Farm to Institution workshops are intended to build strong communities, healthier populations, and strong local farms by creating a cooperative environment that benefits everyone involved.

 To register for the farmer-buyer networking series, go to:  renewing the countryside

Now Available | Public School List with Percentage of Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Students

The Minnesota Department of Education has posted the public school list percentage of free and reduced-price lunch students used for eligibility determinations - 2015-16 (click here for the Excel file).  This report has several tabs at the bottom of the report that are used to determine eligibility for the Summer Food Service Program, Seamless Summer Program, Afterschool Snack Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program

No resources this week.

No resources this week.

Now Available | SHIP 4 School Coordinators Networking Directory

The “SHIP 4 School Coordinators Networking Directory” is available! Please check out Basecamp for the recent file addition. If you have questions or would like to add your name to the list, please contact Terri.Swartout@state.mn.us

Reminder| SHIP 4 Q1 Reports | Due Feb 29

SHIP 4 Quarter 1 Reports: updated work plans with comments are due on Monday, February 29. Grantees should update work plan milestones and adjust their budgets (if necessary) and send both excel documents to their Community Specialists. Any changes made to the work plan should be completed in a different color to help facilitate review of the changes If grantees are deleting components of their work plan, they should strikethrough the deletions rather than removing the text. The “Comments” portion of the Quarterly Updates should include narrative to explain the changes. The narrative can be sent in the body of the email used to submit your updates. It should include a brief explanation of the changes to milestones and timelines, and may also highlight any major accomplishments or milestone completion at this time. Additional updated items you should send in with your report include: Staff Contact List Mini-Grant/Contract Tracker (found next to the financial guide on the website link below) There is more information about quarterly reports and a Reporting Schedule for Grantees table (pg. 10) in the SHIP 4 Monitoring Guide located at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform/ship/Implementation.html

No announcements this week.

No announcements this week.

No announcements this week.