Making it Better: Minnesota's Health Improvement Log | 11-20-14

Making it Better, Your Minnesota's Health Improvement Log

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MDH Making It Better

November 20, 2014

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

 
 
General Information

Don't forget!

  • Today~ Nov 20 ~ TFC Grantee Meeting ~ Brooklyn Center
  • Today ~ Nov 20 ~ 9am ~ Metro Worksite Wellness Networking Meeting
  • Today ~ Nov 20 ~ 11am ~ SHIP Health Care Call ~ 1-888-742-5095 ~ Participation Code:  9821141691
  • Today ~ Nov 20 ~ 1:30pm ~ Introduction to Behavioral Economics (Family Child Care version)
  • Monday ~ Nov 24 ~ 2pm ~ Conference Call ~ Metro Smoke-Free Housing Collaboration ~ 1-888-742-5095 ~ Participation Code: 9821141691

Gems

Kudos to TFC grantee Quin Community Health Services for working with the Marshall County Commissioners who unanimously voted to update their county tobacco ordinance. Updates to the ordinance include: increased administrative penalties for sales to youth or other violations, mandatory annual training for tobacco retailers, setting a minimum price for individual cigars, and prohibiting the smoking or sampling of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes within licensed retail establishments. The updated Marshall County Tobacco Ordinance went into effect Nov 1. 

Cottonwood, Jackson & Nobles Counties have contracted with four communities to develop an Active Living Plan by spring 2015.  Those communities include Jackson, Mt. Lake, Worthington and Adrian.  Each community will contract with the Southwest Regional Development Commission in Slayton to complete the planning process.  Upon completion of the plans, funding will be available through SHIP-Cottonwood, Jackson & Nobles Counties to support activities and projects related to evaluation, engineering, enforcement, education and encouragement of walking and bicycling in these communities.  Projects and activities will be completed by Oct 2015.

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 grant managers for:

No Making it Better Log Next Week ~ Nov 27

There will be no Making it Better Log next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

 
 
Foundational Skills Resources

Video ~ Health Equity ~ Voices for Racial Justice (OAP)

This video is an effort to talk about the narratives of communities of color and American Indians around health and health equity in Minnesota. To create this video, Voices for Racial Justice (OAP) had powerful and intentional conversations with members of these communities. Their main goal is to promote the creation of safe and open spaces where communities most impacted by inequities can have these critical conversations from our own, and in many cases so unique, perspective.

 
 
Obesity, Physical Activity and Nutrition ResourcesMDH Logo

Resources ~ Farm to Child Care ~ Public Health Law Center

The Public Health Law Center is developing a series of resources designed to help child care providers and other early childhood educators understand how Farm to Child Care strategies complement existing licensing, quality ratings, and best practices standards, and can be integrated into child care programs to support healthy child development.  These resources are available here.

Breakout Session Proposals ~ Pedal MN Bike Conference ~ Due Dec 1

The 2015 Pedal MN Bicycle Conference, in Minneapolis on May 4-5, 2015, is seeking breakout session proposals. The conference theme is "Building a Bike Friendly State." They are looking for communities and partnerships to share stories of how they are building a better place to bike--through better planning, policies, infrastructure, events and strategic funding. Bicycling promotes and supports local economies, tourism, the environment, and health improvement. Share what you're doing to get more people on bikes more often, see more details and submit a brief proposal by Dec 1 here. 

 
 
Tobacco ResourcesMDH Logo

Resource ~ 2014 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey Toolkit ~ Minnesota Department of Health

On Nov 10, 2014, MDH released results for the 2014 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey, which found a significant drop in youth smoking. However, more students are using e-cigarettes. Follow this link to download the 2014 MYTS Toolkit, which provides resources to help you take advantage of this new data, such as data highlights, talking points, an infographic, and more. 

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Resource ~ Regulating Electronic Cigarettes and Similar Devices ~ Tobacco Control Consortium

You can find an updated policy guide with options and pointers for communities and policymakers to consider when drafting or implementing laws or policies that regulate e-cigarettes and similar devices here. 

 
 
Community-Clinical Linkages ResourcesMDH Logo

Training Opportunity ~ Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach Training ~ Duluth, Dec 1 & 2

Opportunity for FREE  Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach Training Dec 1 & 2.  This training is being offered by Essentia Health in Duluth and Norbert Knack will be the Lifestyle Coach Trainer.  If you would like to attend this training please let Amy Michael know she will forward your information on the Mr. Knack.  

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Possible Training Opportunity ~ I CAN Prevent Diabetes/Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach Training

Are you or someone you know Interested in I CAN Prevent Diabetes/Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach Training?  If so please contact Amy Michael and let her know: How many you might be sending to the training.  Where you are located, if you might have access to free meeting space for the training. Amy is trying to put together some ICPD/DPP training in regional locations.  Let us know.  You can send an e-mail to Amy Michael. 

Possible Training Opportunity ~ Tai Ji Quan: Moving For Better Balance or A Matter of Balance Training

We are looking to see who is interested training to teach Tai Ji Quan: Moving For Better Balance  or A Matter of Balance.  Amy Michael is working with the MN Agency on Aging and we are looking to see how many are interested in getting you or your partners trained to teach one or both of these programs.  Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance is a two day training and A Matter of Balance is a two day training but is sometimes done in one long day.  If you are interested in learning more about the Tai Ji Quan program you click here,  for A Matter of Balance information you can click here.   If you are interested please contact Amy Michael

 
 
Related Events Around Minnesota and Beyond

Webinar ~ Who Benefits from Federal Tax Studies ~PolicyLink ~ Dec 4, 1pm

A national discussion is underway about the causes and effects of income and wealth inequality, including recent attention to the role of the U.S. tax code. The federal tax code contains more than $1 trillion in tax subsidies known to policymakers and economists as "tax expenditures" because they are a form of spending through the tax code.  Of these subsidies, more than half a trillion, $540 billion, support some form of savings or investment (e.g., higher education, retirement, homeownership); but wealthier households receive most of the benefits. The webinar will feature new data and insights from CFED, PolicyLink, and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, along with a discussion about how tax policy proposals expand savings and investment opportunities for lower-income households and households of color. Click here to register. 

 
 
Ship Grantee AnnouncementsMDH Logo

Updated Guide ~ Training & Technical Assistance ~ Minnesota Department of Health

We are pleased to inform you that the Public Health Law Center (PHLC) is now available to provide legal technical assistance to SHIP grantees for issues that impact access to healthy foods in child care, school, worksite, health care and community settings being addressed through SHIP healthy eating strategies. Legal technical assistance includes providing legal research and analysis of legal issues (but specifically excludes providing legal advice or legal representation).

For more information about the PHLC and available resources to support your work, please visit the PHLC website at:  www.publichealthlawcenter.orgAdditionally, a webinar discussing the legal technical assistance from the PHLC is available at:  http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/webinar/introduction-public-health-law-center

PHLC attorneys providing the legal technical assistance include Mary Marrow, Julie Ralston-Aoki and Natasha Frost. Mary will serve as the primary contact for requests, so please direct your requests to her at  651-695-7605, mary.marrow@wmitchell.edu.

Other updates to the Training & TA Guide include:

  • The four Regional Development Commissions contracts in northern Minnesota have ended. Please contact Matthew Dyrdahl or Amber Dallman with Active Living questions.
  • Contracts for Kinsale Communications, SDK Communications, and CreatinINCommmon have also ended. Contact your Community Specialist with communications questions.
  • Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota will continue to provide limited support. Further details are in development and will be announced soon.
  • U of MN Extension is no longer contracted by MDH, but is continuing to partner on this work. The details are under development and will be announced soon.
  • Both ANSR and ALA have staffing updates in their profiles.

You can find the revised guide here. 

 
 
Tobacco-Free Communities Grantee Announecements

No announcements