Making it Better: Minnesota's Health Improvement Log

Minnesota Department of Health sent this bulletin at 07/11/2019 11:00 AM CDT

Making it Better: Minnesota's Health Improvement Log

View this as a webpage

July 11, 2019

Counter Tools' webinar information

Health Equity in Tobacco Control recording, slides available

Smoking kills thousands each year and certain groups are most impacted and disproportionately affected by tobacco use. During this webinar, Michael Scott, Program Manager at the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, talks about tobacco control through a health equity and social justice lens.

View the recording and download the slides.

Financial Guide FAQ

Financial Guide questions answered

Q: Are incentives/giveaways/prizes an allowable SHIP expense?

A: Incentives/giveaways/prizes are allowable SHIP expenses, but require MDH prior approval and must follow these requirements:

Be directly related to a SHIP strategy and tied to a specific policy, systems, or environmental change.
Not be provided in the form of cash.
Not exceed $3 per person per event.
Not exceed five percent of project budget (per one project).
Be a one-time expense (i.e. SHIP cannot pay for on-going incentive programs or for incentives at on-going/repetitive events)

The total amount spent on incentives for the entire grant may not exceed one percent of the annual SHIP budget.

Restrictions above do not apply to incentives for focus group, interview or survey participation. Those incentives shall not exceed $50 per person per year and must have prior approval from your community specialist.

Clothing is not an allowable SHIP expense even as an incentive.

OSHII staffing update

Staff changes to healthy eating team

Due to some staffing changes, the healthy eating team is asking SHIP staff to cc or send emails related to your healthy eating strategies directly to the healthy eating email address. This will ensure that all questions and concerns are responded to as soon as possible.

Events

Webinar: Build your own data tool

Dates:
West Central Region: July 17
Southern Region: July 24
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Minnesota Compass, with support from the Blandin Foundation, invites you to learn about demographic trends in Minnesota and the Minnesota Compass build your own statewide data tool.

Join to learn more about the data tool and current demographic trends in Minnesota. Register for July 17 or July 24.

Webinar: How to check for errors in REDCap

Date: July 18
Time: 1 - 2 p.m.

The OSHII evaluation team is hosting a webinar about how to check for errors in the 2019 SHIP Monitoring Partner Sites Project in REDCap.

Join the webinar.

Webinar: MnDOT Statewide Pedestrian System Plan Engagement Opportunities

Date: July 22
Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Get an update on MNDOT Statewide Pedestrian System Plan and the engagement activities planned throughout the state. Learn about ways you and your local SHIP partners can participate over the next year.

Webinar: 1st Anniversary of the HUD Smoke-Free Housing Rule - Successes, Challenges and Next Steps

Date: July 23
Time: 11 a.m. - Noon

July 2019 marks the first anniversary of the implementation of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule prohibiting smoking in public housing. In this webinar, public health and housing law experts will provide an overview of the HUD rule, highlight legal issues that have arisen since implementation and discuss what's next for smoke-free housing.

Webinar series: SHIP Schools

Date: Aug. 13
Repeats: Second Tuesday of each month until May 12, 2020
Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

The series will be an opportunity for grantees to network, share, learn and ask questions of others working on SHIP Schools across the state. Additionally, the series will provide strategies on implementing SHIP activities, as well as news and updates.

This week's gem

'Meals at Discharge' pilot program

Patients who are 55+ and have been identified as food insecure are receiving frozen meals to take home when they are discharged from local health-care facilities in central Minnesota.

It's part of an effort supported by Morrison, Todd and Wadena SHIP to ensure patients get the nutrition they need to heal their bodies.

This initiative is a pilot project called "Meals at Discharge." Home cooked meals are produced at Hilltop Regional Kitchen in Eagle Bend, Minn., which is a community dining room with a commercial kitchen that was recently renovated with support from SHIP. Frozen meals are distributed to eligible patients served by Tri-County Health Care, Lakewood Health System and CentraCare Health-Long Prairie.

Local SHIP staff are working with the healthcare systems to develop a screening tool, incorporate meals into patient and discharge care and a plan to track re-admission rates of patients being given meals.

Photo courtesy of Matthew Breiter Photography.