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May 3, 2018

E-Cigarette toolkit for Minnesota schools

New e-cigarette toolkit offers resources for Minnesota schools

Commissioners from the Minnesota Departments of Health and Education school offered resources to school administrators to address the growing public health threat of increased tobacco use due to the popularity of youth e-cigarette use.

Schools were provided a toolkit for administrators, educators, teachers and health services staff, who are working to address the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products in schools. The toolkit outlines opportunities for action that can be taken by various school staff, along with resources and tools to help.

Get the toolkit at E-cigarettes and Other Vaping Products.

Bike to School Day

Still time to register It isn’t too late to get involved in this years’ Bike to School Day. Thousands of Minnesota students, families and community partners are expected to participate in the national event, scheduled for Wednesday, May 9. This is a great way to promote physical activity in your area because we know students reap the health, community and academic benefits of a little bit of exercise before school, while having fun riding bicycles with their friends and peers. You can register on the Safe Routes to School page for plenty of helpful tips, social media posts, images and more. We know many of our SHIP grantees have Bike to School Day events scheduled, and we would love to like, share or retweet your post. Please use #MNSHIP on your Twitter or Instagram posts, or email a brief description and jpeg photo (don’t forget those signed photo releases) to julie.bartkey@state.mn.us.

Tobacco Facts Infographics

Fact sheet available in Spanish CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio) released a new fact sheet outlining tobacco use within the Latino community. Learn more about CLUES and access their infographic that is specific to marginalized populations. Additionally, MDH has developed a fact sheet from the 2017 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey and it is now available in Spanish. The new data show that overall youth tobacco use has increased for the first time in Minnesota since 2000 due to the popularity of e-cigarettes. Access this fact sheet in Spanish or English at the MDH website.

Success Story Webinar

Posted on Basecamp

If you missed it, have no fear. The webinar delving into best practices on identifying, creating and promoting success stories is now on Basecamp.

The webinar was recorded on Monday, April 30, and runs roughly 30 minutes. OSHII’s Peter Raeker and Julie Bartkey are joined by Mandy Feeks, Sherburne County SHIP Coordinator, to provide details on what information is needed in each story, how to package it and suggestions on how to use them for your own purposes.

Don’t forget, your next Success Story is due May 31, as a part of your quarterly report. The webinar can help guide you.

Tip of the Week

May is American Indian Month in the Twin Cities! There are plenty of events and seminars around the area this month to share with your community members if they wish to get involved and learn more about American Indian communities in Minnesota. 

Visit the American Indian Month Facebook page for details on their events.

Calendar of Events

Webinar: Using electronic health records for tobacco cessation

Date: May 17, 2018
Time: Noon - 12:45 p.m.

Electronic health records (EHRs) contain tools that can improve how you identify, document, track and treat patients who use tobacco. One challenge is knowing what tools are available and how to get started making system changes. This webinar will explore ways that you can leverage the EHR to deliver efficient evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment interventions and where to start within your organization.

Register now at the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement website.

May farmers market coffee and call

Date: May 9, 2018
Time: 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

As farmers market season is now upon us, this call will be focused on discussing ideas for getting more people to the market. In particular, low income community members and people most likely to be using SNAP, WIC-FMNP, or NAPS-SFMNP. During the call, challenges and questions on how to figure out what works will be discussed as well as ways to overcome those challenges.

To join the call:
Dial in number: 844-302-0362
Access code: 32145898

Planning for population health coffee call

Date: June 1, 2018
Time: 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.

This call will focus on sidewalk funding and maintenance. MDH will facilitate this call along with Toole Design Group, to discuss the planning guides and further infrastructure planning information. To receive any updates associated with this event, email emily.smoak@state.mn.us with a request for a calendar event if you are interested.

To join the training session:
Session number: 844 302 0362
Access code: 635 847 856

This Week's Gem

Cloquet Active Streets Project Bike lanes, sharrows and bump-outs became a reality in Cloquet through an Active Places Demonstration Project Grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Center for Prevention. This funding was leveraged through SHIP work in the community. Cloquet's Active Transportation Coalition has been prioritizing this project since 2012 in hopes of long-term infrastructure changes on Cloquet’s roads. Over the course of three years, the City of Cloquet chose different streets and intersections to try out bike lanes, sharrows and bump-outs to see what might lead to the most effective long-term changes. During the summer months, these changes were implemented as a demonstration of what could be a long term infrastructure change. This allowed for community members to understand the benefits and issues associated with infrastructure limitations and provide thoughtful feedback on the changes. Community members and decision makers had time to get used to some of the changes, so when planning for Cloquet Avenue came around, there was no question whether bike lanes and bump outs would be added to the one mile project. Bike lanes were added the full one mile length of the main thoroughfare, and bump outs were added at five main intersections. This project is an example of true culture change through persistent, sustained hard work and value of all modes of transportation!

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