Families with young children will get a little more help purchasing groceries soon. While hungry school children have been able to take advantage of Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) food benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time, many of Minnesota’s youngest children will now be eligible for food benefits through the new P-EBT 5 and Younger program.

Read more in the department’s May 26 news release.

Earlier this month, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Human Services began working with private health plans to identify Minnesotans who have been most impacted by COVID-19 and continue to face barriers to getting vaccinated to connect them with vaccination opportunities. 

“Immunizing for impact requires us to measure our success not only by how fast we are able to get the most Minnesotans vaccinated but also by how we are reaching communities at highest risk for COVID-19 who have already been hardest hit by the pandemic,” said Dr. Nathan Chomilo, COVID-19 vaccine equity director for MDH and Medicaid medical director for DHS.

Read more in the May 14 news release from the Minnesota Department of Health.

Posted May 4 on the DHS Facebook page: If you haven’t already applied, it’s not too late to apply for free or reduced-price school meals. Approval may result in your child receiving a P-EBT benefit if they were in a distance or hybrid learning model for the majority of school days in any month from September through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Apply before the end of your child’s school year.

Remember, it is possible to be receiving free meals but not be approved through the National School Lunch Program. Please contact your child’s school to find out if you can apply.

To see more posts like this and for timely updates on DHS news and events, follow DHS on Twitter and Facebook.

Tikki Brown named assistant commissioner.  Commissioner Jodi Harpstead named Tikki Brown assistant commissioner for Children and Family Services, effective May 11. In this role, Brown will oversee adoption, foster care, child protection, child support, child care, refugee services, and cash and food support. 

"Tikki Brown has demonstrated she is a proven leader over and over in her 20 years at the department," said Commissioner Harpstead. "From her first days as a food support outreach coordinator to her recent fine work as economic opportunity and nutrition assistance director, she has led by example, digging in to do the work that needed to be done, speaking up and advocating for the families we serve."

A progress report on vaccine distribution to most vulnerable communities. When the Sahan Journal last spoke with Dr. Nathan Chomilo, the state had just released vaccination rates by race for the first time, after much anticipation. Black, Latino and Asian people were all receiving vaccines at rates that trailed their percentage of the statewide population. In this May 20 Sahan Journal article, Chomilo describes “notable changes” since then.