Making it Better Newsletter

Minnesota Department of Health sent this bulletin at 09/06/2018 12:30 PM CDT

Making it Better: Minnesota's Health Improvement Log

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Sept. 6, 2018

Fall 2018 SHIP regional learning meetings

Registration is now open!

OSHII is planning the next round of regional learning meetings. Topics will include health care and schools.

Registration is now open. Go to the event registration page to register and for more information.

Dates are:

Sept. 25, New Ulm – AM Schools, PM Health Care
Oct. 4, Bemidji – AM Health Care, PM Schools
Oct. 10, Brooklyn Center – AM Health Care, PM Schools
Oct. 16, Duluth – AM Health Care, PM Schools

OSHII staffing update

Teresa Ambroz accepts new position

Teresa Ambroz has taken a new position as the diabetes supervisor within MDH’s Health Promotion and Chronic Disease division. Ambroz was OSHII’s nutrition coordinator since December 2015. During her time at OSHII, she led efforts to develop and implement the MN Eats assessment tools, the Good Food Sold Here small store strategy and the CHOICES sugary beverage cost/impact analysis. She has made significant contributions to the work of local SHIP and OSHII in the realm of community healthy food access. She started her new position effective Aug. 30. Congratulations, Teresa!

The position announcement has been posted on the Minnesota Careers website.

Calendar

Webinar: Identifying Telehealth as a Vehicle to Support Tobacco Cessation

Date: Thursday, Sept. 13

Time: 2 p.m.

Telehealth has potential to improve access in communities that have a lack of providers, for patients with limited mobility, and for individuals who wish to minimize the time spent receiving care. However, there are many challenges to using it effectively. Join the American Lung Association to explore the current state of telehealth, how it can be used as a vehicle for tobacco cessation and key considerations to understand on the topic.

Webinar: School Nutrition Tuesday @ 2: Farm to School

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 18

Time: 2 p.m.

What is Farm to School and how can my school get involved? Learn about the USDA Farm to Child Nutrition Toolkit and Planning Guide and other resources to help guide you through the process. There are funding options available – learn about the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Farm to School grant. The session will provide details on all the fun events happening around Minnesota during Farm to School Month!

Webinar: Creating and Deploying a Communications Plan for Impact

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 26

Time: 10 a.m.

This webinar will provide participants with a step-by-step look at how to create and deploy a strategic communications plan, including usage of Minnesota Food Charter Network’s communications infrastructure.

Join the webinar by going to the Minnesota Food Charter Network communications training web page.

Webinar: Farm to School Month Planning

Date: Thursday, Sept. 27

Time: 2 p.m.

This webinar will highlight SHIP’s role in Farm to School efforts. Learn more about SHIP and Farm to School, and share your own successes and challenges.

Join the webinar by going to the Farm to School webinar page and following the instructions there.

This week's Gem

For the third year in a row, Washington County embarked on a summer communications campaign, with three main objectives in mind:

Build awareness about Healthy Living in Washington County and the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP).
Share available resources, such as farmers markets and summer meals, in the county.
Provide SHIP partners with a toolkit of resources to promote healthy living.

The 2018 campaign focused on healthy eating and targeted messages to families with school-aged children, older adults and worksite employees.

At the April Community Leadership Team (CLT) meeting, Washington County staff led a fun, visioning exercise to get input on the campaign. From those discussions, Washington County staff developed a campaign toolkit of key messages and promotional materials, including fliers, social media posts and graphics, and articles.

Over the summer, Washington County promoted the campaign through a variety of channels and encouraged partners to participate. A three-panel display with healthy eating tips was also created and placed within libraries across the county. Handouts promoting local resources, such as produce distributions, farmers markets and summer lunches, were shared along with the display.