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Webinar
| Addressing Tobacco Use in Residential Care Settings: Policies &
Priorities | June 30
Time: 12:30
p.m.
Date: June 30
This Consortium webinar will discuss the public health rationale for reducing
tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure in assisted living and long-term care
settings, where many vulnerable and tobacco-addicted people live. Presenters
will describe the current tobacco control landscape in these environments and
several regulatory options to address tobacco use in this population.
Presenters: Pat McKone, American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest;
Jessica Kulak, College of Brockport (SUNY); and Jenn Beideman, Finger Lakes
Health Systems Agency.
Moderator/Presenter: Kerry Cork, Tobacco Control Legal Consortium at the
Public Health Law Center.
Register here.
Efforts to
Reduce Childhood Obesity Rates in St. Cloud Recognized
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has
highlighted successful efforts to reduce childhood obesity rates in the St.
Cloud area.
St. Cloud was recognized as one community
across the nation that is showing signs of progress on reducing childhood
obesity. CentraCare Health System reported a 24 percent relative decline in
obesity in 12 year olds between 2008 and 2015, due in part to the work of
Better Living: Exercise and Nutrition Daily (BLEND), a coalition of medical
professionals, policy makers, educators, local public health, health care
advocates and parents.
Stearns County Public Health, through the
Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), has been a funder, supporter and a
partner with BLEND since SHIP funds became available in 2009. SHIP funds have
supported several initiatives that are highlighted by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation.
Read more
about the efforts here.
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:
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Every year, local health department professionals gather at the
NACCHO Annual conference to share opportunities and challenges, learn how to
adopt best practices, engage with federal and local partners and gain insights
from public health experts.
In today’s economic climate, finding resources to participate in
any professional development event can be a challenge. Validate the investment
in your professional career and the future of public health by attending the
largest gathering of local health department leaders in the United States. Your
colleagues will share their professional experiences and you can take that new
knowledge and myriad of ideas home with you and put them into practice at your
organization.
- NACCHO Annual is the largest gathering of local health
department leaders and other public health professionals in the United
States.
- NACCHO Annual is the premier opportunity to connect
with and learn from thought leaders in public health and peers from all
over the country.
- NACCHO Annual is the best forum for learning about
research breakthroughs and new technologies in local public health.
- NACCHO Annual offers hands-on experience and innovative
solutions to the challenges that local health departments face.
For more information or to
register, click here.
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AGRI Farm to School Grant
The Minnesota AGRI Farm to School Grant
Program anticipates awarding up to $500,000 in competitive grants to increase
sales of locally grown and raised foods to K-12 institutions and childcare
centers. The grant program supports Minnesota school districts and child care
providers in using more Minnesota grown and raised foods in food service
programs. The Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
has committed up to $125,000 to help schools and child care providers meet the
requirement for matching funds for equipment or physical improvement projects.
Grants are intended to:
- Purchase equipment that allows schools and child care
centers to purchase, prepare and serve more Minnesota grown and raised
food. Up to 50 percent of the total project cost may be covered by the
grant, with a maximum grant award of $50,000 and a minimum grant award of
$1,000. Recipients must contribute the remaining 50 percent of the project
cost as a cash match. Blue Cross funds may be used for this type of
funding.
- Create plans that identify specific equipment, tools,
training or policies that are needed by school districts and child care centers. Up
to 75 percent of the total project cost may be covered by the grant, with
a maximum grant award of $30,000 and a minimum grant award of $1,000.
Recipients must contribute the remaining 25 percent of the project cost as
a cash match. Blue Cross funds may not be used for this option.
Proposals must be received no later than 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov.
2. The complete
request for proposals and instructions for sumissions is located online at www.mda.state.mn.us/grants/grants/mnfarmtoschool.aspx.
For questions, please contact Ashley Bress at 651-201-6648 or Ashley.Bress@state.mn.us.
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Disparities
have emerged for numerous and complex reasons, but there is reliable evidence
that some of the most important factors are the structural barriers in
economics, education, transportation and healthcare. These factors stem from the
discrimination that is typically faced in rural communities, tribal nations,
and communities of color.
When it comes to good health
in our state, not everyone has an equal opportunity to be healthy. Disadvantaged
Minnesotans face the most-dire consequences, but there is a growing awareness
that health disparities make it harder for everyone in a community to achieve
full health.
At one time, Minnesota was the healthiest state in the nation. In recent years,
however, our ranking has eroded due in large part to increasing disparities in
health risks and health outcomes that exist across all of the state’s racial,
economic and geographic groups. These disparities have emerged for numerous and
complex reasons, but there is reliable evidence that some of the most important
factors are the structural barriers in economics, education, transportation
and healthcare, stemming from discrimination that is faced in rural communities, tribal nations, and
communities of color.
Learn
more.
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Time:
Noon – 1 p.m. Date:
July 21 Presented by: The Public Health Law Center at Mitchell
Hamline School of Law
Federal and state laws
require employers to provide nursing moms time and a private space to express
breast milk while at work. This webinar will address how the laws apply to
Minnesota businesses, including accommodations employers are required to make
for nursing moms to ensure compliance. Additionally, the webinar will address
how local businesses are supporting nursing moms and making the laws work at
their worksites.
Register
here.
Extension's
SNAP-Education Community Partnership Funding supports 15 local, regional and
statewide agencies through grant money for 2016. The partner agencies work to
improve the health of Minnesotans with limited resources by implementing
changes in the policies, systems and the environment in their
communities. In the first three months alone, these partnerships reached
over 16,000 Minnesotans! Find out more here: Community
Partnership Funding Quarter 1 Results (330 K PDF)
SNAP-Ed
Community Partners
The organizations listed
below are collaborating with SNAP-Ed staff to improve the health of Minnesotans
with limited financial resources. Learning together, the partnerships are
identifying ways to implement policy, system and environmental changes within
organizations and communities to promote healthy eating and active living. Click
on “More information +” to see the scale of the project, primary grant
location, population served and project description.
About the Funding
Extension’s
SNAP-Education Community Partnership Funding granted funds to 15 local,
regional and statewide agencies in 2016. Partners were chosen to work
collaboratively with SNAP-Ed to help bring about policy, system and
environment change by using practical strategies that helped break down
barriers to healthy eating and active living.
The
Community Partnership grantees are diverse in size and scope, representing a
mix of programs offered in rural urban, and suburban settings throughout
Minnesota. They include: large public health and school programs; health care
providers; faith-based and philanthropic organizations; and community
groups. Our partners serve populations eligible for SNAP-Ed through both
traditional and innovative programming. Their grants are designed to help
organizations build capacity and sustainability.
Through
the grants, we seek to improve the health of Minnesotans with limited financial
resources. As we collaborate with our partners, the lessons we learn from one
another will help guide our future SNAP-Ed work. As part of this initiative,
tools will be developed to document the assessment process and to measure the
success of projects.
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Young tobacco users who carry a pack of cigarettes or
other tobacco products are less likely to see tobacco as a significant danger
to themselves or society, according to new findings from Truth Initiative
researchers published in Health Education & Behavior.
Read more.
Passage of state-wide,
comprehensive smoke-free laws and increases in cigarette taxes have stalled in
recent years, according to recent data released by the CDC. We need to encourage
policymakers to get busy on these policies and help promote their enforcement throughout
the country.
Read more.
CDC’s
Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) released three new infographics for you to
share with partners, states, grantees and tobacco control colleagues.
Also
available are:
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The Center for
Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota delivers on Blue Cross'
long-term commitment to improve the health of all Minnesotans by tackling the
leading root causes of preventable disease: tobacco use, lack of physical
activity and unhealthy eating. Funded through proceeds from Blue Cross'
historic lawsuit against the tobacco industry, they collaborate with
organizations statewide to increase health equity, transform communities and
create a healthier state.
The
Center is pleased to announce a new funding opportunity for their Healthy Eating Success Stories funding
initiative. They are seeking to fund six to eight organizations at $10,000
each, to showcase innovative, successful healthy eating work.
Many successful
and innovative projects and initiatives have been implemented that address
barriers to eating healthy throughout Minnesota. However, due to various
constraints such as organizational size or staff capacity, there are often
fewer resources available to promote such successes.
This funding aims to highlight the outcomes and
lessons of current or completed healthy eating programs, and to promote them
within communities that may be inspired to duplicate the successes.
They seek to fund organizations that tell success
stories about their healthy eating project in unique and innovative ways that also
align with the foundational work laid out in the Minnesota Food Charter. The
Success Stories project will use persuasive, tailored communications and
powerful personal narratives to execute campaign(s) that will deliver positive
community-based healthy eating messages.
The application deadline is 1
p.m. Monday, Aug. 8 (central time).
To apply for this
funding opportunity and review the required materials, visit the Available
Funding page.
The Minnesota Department of Health’s Asthma
Program, in partnership with the American Lung Association in Minnesota, is
offering mini-grant funding to support schools that work to create asthma
friendly schools. Grant money up to $1,500 is available to implement a variety
of school-based projects in elementary, middle or high schools from June 8,
2016, through Aug. 31, 2017.
Schools will establish their own timeline to complete their
projects by Aug. 31, 2017.The funds, which are available to public schools,
charter schools and private schools, can be applied to individual schools or
across districts. Applications are being accepted for the current grant
cycle.
For more information, go to
the Minnesota Asthma Program – Asthma Friendly
Schools Mini-Grant Program to learn how to submit your application.
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The Annual Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP)
Meeting, which will be June 26-27 at Eagan Community Center, is quickly
approaching, and OSHII staff is in the final stages of planning and organizing
the meeting.
Registration for the meeting is now closed.
In terms of next steps, OSHII staff will be
reaching out to grantees who said they would moderate a session or volunteer at
the meeting. For more information, please contact your community specialist. An
updated agenda, with schedule presentations and presenters, is available on the
meeting
web page.
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Reminder: SHIP grantees who have been approved to work on POS
strategies should have the tobacco ordinances collected from each of the city
and county licensing authorities in their grant region and submitted to Public
Health Law Center for review by Aug. 1.This deadline will ensure that you have the
needed information as Year 2 POS strategy planning begins.
For more information,
contact Scott Kelly, Public Health Law Center Scott.kelly@mitchellhamline.edu.
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As you know, completing a Health
Equity Data Analysis is a requirement of SHIP 4. Originally, this was due Oct.
31, 2016. Under the updated timeline, all grantees must complete a health
equity data analysis by Oct. 31, 2017, the end of year 2 of the SHIP 4
grant.
- The
10 grantees piloting the Data Guide will complete a HEDA by November, 2016.
- Grantees
who are not part of the pilot can either:
1. Begin the HEDA process now or
soon, before the Guide is refined and the roll out more fully developed during
the pilot period; or
2. Begin the HEDA process in November,
2016, once the Guide is refined and the roll out is developed. There will not
be a formal Community of Practice for the launch of the refined Guide. But you
will be able to seek guidance from the grantees who piloted the process, from
SHIP staff, and from the Minnesota Center for Health Statistics.
If you decide to move forward now,
you are not on your own! Please reach out to Ann Kinney from the
Minnesota Center for Health Statistics and your Community Specialist. We want
to emphasize that you can ask for and receive the same level of support from MCHS
and SHIP that has always been available to you.
The Data Guide is available on the Minnesota Center for Health
Statistics website,
along with numerous resources. The final product for the Health Equity Data
Analysis is still being determined as part of the pilot, but we will want to
see some documentation of how you worked through the five steps in the Guide.
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No announcements this week.
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MDH seeks proposals to implement the Tobacco-Free Communities (TFC) Grant Program, aiming to reduce and prevent youth tobacco use and address tobacco-related disparities in Minnesota by promoting community-driven tobacco prevention and control activities and strategies.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) reinforces MDH's overall goal of advancing health equity and achieving population-level health improvements. This RFP also reflects the statewide goals identified in Minnesota's Comprehensive Tobacco Control Framework, 2016-2021, and input from stakeholders who participated in MDH's 2015 Community Voices input process. This RFP provides funding, training, and other resources that strengthens the capacity of communities to influence their own healthy future and works collaboratively to reduce tobacco-related health disparities and the negative influence of commercial tobacco use in Minnesota.
View the RFP at http://www.health.mn.gov/tfc.
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