Kelly Bruels, Follow Along Program contact and public health nurse for St. Louis County, was interviewed by Northern News Now, educating the public about lead hazards in the community. Kelly’s interview is featured in a segment: Health data shows increased lead blood levels in St. Louis County. Thank you, Kelly for all you do to support healthy children!  

Rural Health Transformation grants 

MDH was awarded $193 million for the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program. Below are few projects slated for children and youth with special health needs: 

• Supporting and expanding a children’s mental health initiative.   

• Implementing an ECHO network to encompass maternal health from prenatal through delivery to postpartum care.   

• Expanding community telehealth access points including schools, pharmacies, local public health department offices or Tribal health organizations.  
  • This will enable specialist consultations in community settings to connect rural physicians and other providers to partners who can consult with them, as well as train and advise them in addressing complex patient needs to improve access and health outcomes.
  • Locations will be attended by staff able to coordinate community outreach, care coordination, and referrals. The focus for these locations is around chronic illness but they should also improve care for rural children and youth with special health needs. 

Pediatric Care Coordination community of practice webinars 

April 8 – 2026 autism resource symposium and fair 

The autism resource symposium and fair is dedicated to supporting individuals with autism, their families, and professionals through education, connection, and empowerment. This year's event will take place on Wednesday, April 8 from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Minnesota Department of Education building on 400 NE Stinson Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55413. It has the theme of Equity, Integrity, and Impact: Strengthening Autism Services Through Evidence and Accountability, highlighting the importance of ensuring every autistic person has access to effective, ethical, and equitable care. Complete the 2026 Autism Resource Symposium and Fair Registration to attend. 

Seeking youth public health advocates and social media content creators 

MDH is launching a creator coalition of youth to promote awareness of and share educational materials about priority public health topics. Minnesota youth aged 14-18 year old are encouraged to submit a MN Youth Public Health Content Creator Application. Those chosen to be social media content creators and influencers will be compensated! This is a great opportunity for students interested in public health or social media. Participation will be primarily between March – June, and the program is flexible to allow students to participate as their schedule permits. Students simply need to complete the application, and a project lead will be in touch with more info on how they’ll get paid, considerations for safety and rights, and provide a contract for the youth and their guardian to sign. 

ABLE accounts 

In 2014, Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, creating a savings and investment account specifically for people with disabilities. ABLE accounts allow people with disabilities to save money that is not counted towards asset limitations set by means-tested benefit programs such as Medicaid or SSI. “Asset limits” prevent people with disabilities from saving money beyond $2,000 (a typical asset limit) and planning for their future. Anyone can contribute to an ABLE account – including the account owner, friends, family, organizations, nonprofits, and employers – up to $20,000 per year as of 2026. 

You can support families to secure their child’s financial future through ABLE today, which provides the Intro to ABLE Monthly Webinar Series with ASL interpretation. 

Condition follow-up  

Complete nursing follow-up documentation in MEDSS by the end of the quarter after the one in which the referral was made. For example, if the date the event was sent to local public health is July 15 (in quarter 3), the follow-up documentation should be submitted by Dec. 31 (the end of quarter 4).   

Invoice letters are sent to local public health by MDH in the month following the end of the quarter in which documentation was submitted, or training was completed. So, in the example, the invoice letter would be sent to local public health some time before Jan. 31 (the month following the end of quarter 4).  

Follow Along Program  

Follow Along Program semi-annual data reports are due every 6 months. Data for quarters 1 and 2 are due annually on July 31. Data for quarters 3 and 4 are due annually on January 31. Invoices for quarters 1 and 2 are due each year on August 20. Invoices for quarters 3 and 4 are due each year on February 20. Semi-annual data reports must be received prior to the invoice being paid. 

• Longitudinal Follow-up Student Worker (closes 3/12/2026 - job ID 92475)  

To learn more and apply, visit the State of Minnesota Careers webpage and type in the job ID on the search page. 

Children and Youth with Special Health Needs (CYSHN) section staff at MDH work together to champion the health and well-being of people living in Minnesota with special health needs and disabilities, from the earliest states of life through transition to adulthood. 

As the Child and Family Health Division works to coordinate and collaborate on communication, this newsletter may evolve to include a broader focus, but the following CYSHN programs are the primary focus: Birth Defects; Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI); Heritable Conditions (HC); Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV); Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD); Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS); and the Follow Along Program (FAP).