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May 10, 2018

SRTS Demonstration Project Pilot

Pilot project under way The Minnesota Department of Transportation hopes to work with two or three communities to implement demonstration projects to test solutions to improve conditions for walking and bicycling to school. They might be located on a school campus, on a roadway near a school, and may include installing bike lanes, crosswalks and curb extensions. This pilot will help inform a fall 2018 round of projects. Find out more with the demonstration project one pager and interest form.

Bike Fleet Solicitation

Bike fleets for Walk! Bike! Fun! Access to bicycles is a key component in enabling teachers and after-school programs to better educate students on safe bicycling skills. Apply now for a bike fleet grant, which can be used to support Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum. Successful applicants will be reimbursed for up to 40 bikes, including helmets and other basic supplies. The application is due June 22. Details can be found on the MnDOT Grants page.

Smoking Cessation Services Expand

Quit services offer help to those living with mental illness

NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has offered education, support and advocacy on behalf of those with mental illness, and recently expanded its work to encourage smoking cessation. People with mental illnesses die on average 20 to 25 years earlier than their peers without mental illnesses. Many of these deaths are due to health problems caused by smoking, including lung cancer, COPD and heart disease.

Learn more about NAMI Minnesota's efforts to reduce smoking in this community.

School Food Service Trainings

Check out available dates The Minnesota Department of Education has its training schedule set for School Nutrition Program staff and managers. School lunch or breakfast program staff must complete minimum professional standard requirements as directed by the USDA, with a goal of ensuring school nutrition personnel have the knowledge, training and tools needed to operate School Nutrition Programs successfully. To see the upcoming trainings and dates, visit the Minnesota Department of Education website.

Tip of the Week

Free help to quit smoking

Most people who smoke want to quit. Quitplan services offers Minnesota residents free help with a variety of tools to quit smoking. Tools include coaching, quit guides and starter kits with patches, gum or lozenges. By sharing this information with our communities, we can begin to see more people become smoke free.

For more information and free help to quit tobacco, visit the MDH tobacco prevention and control website.

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.

Webinar: Garden to cafeteria toolkit

Date: May 22, 2018
Time: 1:00 p.m.

This webinar will introduce the new Garden to Cafeteria Toolkit from Slow Food USA and Whole Kids Foundation as well as describe the ongoing support for food service departments provided by Slow Foods USA. To answer questions, Tegan Bernstein from the USDA, will be available during the webinar.

If you are interested in bringing fresh produce from the school garden into the cafeteria, join the webinar on the registration page to learn more about how to implement this in your own school.

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

Did you notice lots of students on their bicycles this week? Thousands across the state were expected to participate in Bike to School Day - Wednesday, May 9 - including these Winona elementary students. In all, students representing five schools and 50 volunteers participated. That's the highest number since the district started participating in 2013. Janneke Sobeck with Winona County PartnerSHIP said, "We were so pleased with the early engagement of our schools and supported their efforts in a variety of ways. The number of kids who came out, and the excitement I saw on their faces this morning, reminds us of how important providing access to events like this are. We hope the numbers go even higher next year!" The collaboration between Winona County PartnerSHIP and its schools continues to grow, and this event was a visual reminder of how important partnerships are for a community to improve health outcomes.

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