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Dear District 6 neighbors,
Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has had a safe and fun spooky season. I’m excited that we’re finally getting some cooler weather after this unseasonably warm October!
As a reminder, my office will be hosting our second District 6 Community Coffee event TOMORROW Friday, November 1st, at 10:00am at the Edina Senior Center. In case you missed the first one, this event will be an opportunity for you to come learn more about what the county is doing and to share your thoughts with me on the proposed 2025 budget, or any other issues that are important to you. We will be providing coffee, donuts, and good conversation! I would love to see you there!
Join us for a volunteer opportunity!
Your help is needed to help restore Edenvale Park in Eden Prairie. Did you know that invasive species, like buckthorn, can harm our parks and conservation areas? Invasive plants take over native plant habitat, which can prevent us from enjoying hiking, fishing, mushroom collecting, bird watching, and other outdoor recreational activities. The City of Eden Prairie Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with Friends of Eden Prairie Parks to help restore areas that have been impacted by invasive plant species.
This restoration includes:
- Removing invasive plant species using approved, research-based methods
- Planting native plant species from seed collected nearby or grown from a local native plant nursery
- Monitoring and surveying the area to make sure invasive species do not return
You can make a difference! We need your help to restore Edenvale Park by volunteering to remove buckthorn.
Our office will be joining Friends of Eden Prairie Parks’ Park Steward, Jim Millin, at Edenvale Park from 10:00am-12:00pm on Sunday, November 10. Wear gloves, long pants and sturdy shoes, and bring your favorite loppers, clippers, or non-motorized pruning saw. Extra tools will be provided if you do not have your own. All attendees are required to sign a waiver. This event is open to ages 12+.
Please RSVP to Jim at jwmillin01@gmail.com to let him know you are attending.
Want to help but cannot attend on this date? Email friendsofepparks@gmail.com to get more information on our future events.
The mission of Friends of Eden Prairie Parks is to assist the city of Eden Prairie to improve and maintain the biodiversity and enhance the ecosystems within our natural spaces, including parks, preserves, and conservation areas. Please consider supporting our mission through volunteering, or by donating to our page on the Eden Prairie Community Foundation website. Visit www.friendsofepparks.org to learn more.
A Crisis Stabilization Center for Youth
The Hennepin County Board approved two immediate actions to address the acute gap in services for youth with the most complex behavioral health needs.
These needs overwhelm families, community providers, and even local hospitals. The gaps and barriers of the current system disproportionately impact youth and families of color, and leaving youth in unfit settings causes more harm. More work is needed in Minnesota to address these challenges.
With Tuesday’s board approval, Hennepin County will develop a regional youth crisis stabilization center at our Behavioral Health Center, 1800 Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis.
Residential crisis stabilization services fill an important gap for youth who cannot remain safely at home, offering treatment and therapeutic supports for youth while triage, assessment, and planning take place with families.
Earlier in October, Hennepin County established a regional workgroup to address placement options for youth with complex needs, with recommendations due to the county board in early 2025.
The board’s recent actions accelerate the county’s momentum on work already underway in recent years. Hennepin County has a vital role in addressing children’s mental health and keeping youth, their families, and the community safe. In recent years, we have invested at every level of the mental health continuum – early intervention, crisis response, and deep-end services – to serve more youth and families and achieve better outcomes for all.
Mohamed Omar named one of the first Somali American hospital board chairs
Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) is pleased to announce that Mohamed Omar has been named Chair of its Board of Directors. With this appointment, Omar makes history by becoming the first Somali American hospital board chair in the state of Minnesota – and perhaps one of the first in the country.
Jennifer DeCubellis, Chief Executive Officer of HHS, expressed her appreciation for the three years of leadership Omar has already dedicated to the Board on the finance, investment, audit and compliance committees and for his willingness to assume this important role.
“We are privileged to have a partner like Omar leading our board as we strive to carry out our mission more effectively each day,” she said. “A stronger, more inclusive leadership team is the best way for us to become a stronger, more inclusive healthcare system. We are incredibly grateful that our Hennepin Healthcare Board, team, and patients will benefit from his leadership experience and his deep commitment to the health of our community.”
Omar said he is honored to take on this new role for the healthcare system, in a state that is home to the largest Somali American population in the country. “Three years ago, I chose to serve on the Hennepin Healthcare board because I share this organization’s commitment to deliver high-quality, equitable care to all our patients,” he explained. “We can do this by building a board and leadership team that reflects the diversity of our patients and our community. My commitment is to deepen our community engagement, build more authentic connections between patients and team members, and build a confident future together.” |
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We want to ensure that our residents are as informed as they can be with County business. To that end, you can view our County Board and Committee meetings here, as well as view past meetings. Please reach out if you have any questions about viewing meetings online or in-person. As always, I encourage you to reach out to me with any other questions or feedback you’d like to share at heather.edelson@hennepin.us or 612-248-6885. You can also follow me on my official Facebook page for updates.
Sincerely,
Heather Edelson
County Commissioner - District 6
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of seven districts. I am proud to represent Deephaven, north Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.
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Heather Edelson
Commissioner
6th District
Daniel Dodge
Sr. Policy Aide
612-348-3168
Cole Roepke
Jr. Policy Aide & Scheduler
612-248-6885
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