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Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper met with Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Chairman Norman Deschampe and others Tuesday, Sept. 13, in Grand Portage. Other stops on the commissioner's tour of the northern part of the state in mid-September included Duluth for a Mental Health Task Force meeting, Breezy Point for remarks at the Minnesota Supervisors' Conference and more.
 Commissioner Emily Piper, left, poses with employees and race participants Mary Britt, Denyqua Rodriguez, Stephanie Proposon and Allan Warrior at the Minnesota State Capitol 5K Walk/Run on Friday, Sept. 16 in St. Paul.
Gov. Mark Dayton has proclaimed September 2016
Recovery Month in the state of Minnesota. September is the 27th annual National
Recovery Month, designed to bring awareness to, as the governor’s proclamation
says, how “Every day, Minnesotans across the state recover from substance use
and mental health disorders and join the thousands of vital, active, and
contributing members of our communities who live in long-term recovery.” This
year’s theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Our Families, Our Stories, Our
Recovery!” highlights the value of peer support by educating, mentoring and
helping others. More information is in a news release about
Recovery Month.
Minnesota’s efforts to reduce the abuse of opioids
has received a boost with new funding from the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS). The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) received
a $1.6 million, five-year grant from the federal government through the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The
Minnesota Department of Health also received an HHS grant of about $900,000
over a three-year period as part of the CDC Prescription Drug
Overdose: Data-Driven Prevention Initiative. More information is in a news release about
the grant.
State officials are releasing the most recent
suicide data and highlighting opportunities for prevention, including raising
awareness of suicide warning signs and the fact that mental illness is
treatable. Minnesota's prevention efforts are based on evidence that suicides
are preventable and mental illness is treatable. Key strategies are included in
the 2015-2020 state suicide prevention plan, which calls for a comprehensive,
public health approach of promoting health, wellness and connectedness in communities.
More information is in a news story about
the increase in adult suicides.
DHS and other organizations marked the first
official day of fall with an event on how to prevent falls. “Ready, Steady,
Balance: Prevent Falls in 2016,” sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Human
Services, the Minnesota Board on Aging and other members of the Minnesota Falls
Prevention Coalition, was held Sept. 22 at Rosedale Mall in Roseville. Held on
Falls Prevention Awareness Day in Minnesota, the event included a sampling of
fall prevention classes, including Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance,
Stepping On, and A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns about Falls. There were
also fall risk assessments, information tables and featured speakers. More
information is in a news release about
the falls prevention event.
Minnesota’s newest adoptive families, as well as
those interested
in adoption, will celebrate together Sunday, Nov. 6, during the 19th annual
Celebrate Adoption: A Circus of the Heart, from 1 to 4 p.m.
at Envision (formerly the Prom Center Event Facility) in Oakdale. Recognizing children
who have been adopted from the foster care system in the past year, the Minnesota Department of Human
Services and its partners celebrate and encourage families to consider making a
lifelong impact on children through adoption. Celebrate Adoption is open to the
public to gather information from state, county, nonprofit and private agency
adoption experts. Families will enjoy face painting, pony rides, music, games,
crafts and prize drawings. The Minnesota Department of Human Services, MN
ADOPT, counties and adoption agencies are sponsoring this year’s celebration.
In July, DHS, with advice from the State Quality
Assurance Council, issued three separate grants totaling $507,114 to form
regional quality councils to improve the quality of services provided to people
with disabilities. Regional quality councils are being formed in Hennepin,
Scott and Dakota counties; St. Louis, Carlton, Lake and Cook counties; and
Olmsted, Houston and Wabasha counties. These regional quality councils will develop
and implement a quality monitoring system that includes person-centered quality
reviews to measure and report on services for people with disabilities in their
regions, analyze information and coordinate a regional response to access
barriers and service gaps, set priorities to improve home- and community-based
long-term service and supports for people with disabilities based on regional
strengths and needs and report regional findings to the State Assurance Quality
Council, which will share the information with DHS and make recommendations for
system improvements. Contact Dan Zimmer, director, State Quality Assurance
Council, for more information at 507-271-8606.
Child Support Division Director Jeff Jorgenson and
Deputy Director Shaneen Moore support Minnesota’s children through their work
in the department and on committees, both locally and nationally. Jorgenson and
Moore were recently appointed to the National Council of Child Support
Directors Committee, working to ensure states understand new requirements and
easily share information across state lines. Jorgenson serves as the
committee’s Region V representative, speaking for Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Moore was recently appointed to the Minnesota State
Council on Disability, engaging members across the state to advise the
governor, Legislature and providers on the needs of Minnesotans with
disabilities. More information
on Jorgenson and Moore’s work can be found on the department’s website.
Links to some news articles about DHS during September:
Questions and comments about navigation and technical issues should be emailed to the DHS webmaster. Send news story ideas for the public website to DHS Communications.
For accessible formats of this publication or assistance
with additional equal access to human services, write to DHS.Communications@state.mn.us,
call 651-431-2911, or use your preferred relay service.
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