Northwest Minnesota Foundation awards grant for multi-county health improvement project

NMF AWARDS GRANT FOR MULTI-COUNTY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Bemidji, MN – May 13, 2010 -- The Northwest Minnesota Foundation recently awarded a grant for $25,000 to Polk County Public Health for the Northwest Minnesota Health Improvement Project.

The NMF Community Connections grant will supplement the work of three community health boards -- Polk County Public Health, Quin Community Health Services and Norman/Mahnomen Public Health -- that together applied and received funding for the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) designed by the Minnesota Department of Health to help communities address tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor nutrition.

The project will involve eight counties: Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau. Comprehensive, evidence-based interventions have been selected which address obesity and tobacco prevention in the school, worksite, healthcare and community settings.

The partners believe that the Health Improvement Project will provide a platform for instituting changes that will be long-term, sustainable, and will eventually result in better health for the residents of northwest Minnesota.

Sheri Altepeter, grant coordinator, explained that the groups are working together to make the healthy choice the easy choice.   "This means having access to physical activity, nutritious foods and avoiding exposure to tobacco," she said.  "It will take time and effort to decrease costly chronic health conditions associated with obesity, inactivity and tobacco use.  The Statewide Health Improvement Program will result in longer and healthier lives and lower health care costs."

A Community Leadership Team and County Steering Committees represent the eight-county project area. They are comprised of representatives who are the key people and organizations needed to promote broader community buy-in and sustainability.  The Community Connection Program funding will be used to build new coalitions, strengthen networks, and change organizational practices and policies. Proposed outcomes include improved efficiencies, reduced duplication of services and lower costs.

According to Jim Steenerson, NMF Senior Program Officer – Grants, the project will support specific activities within this large collaborative to help it achieve overall success. "Although real change is a slow process," Steenerson said, "the capacity of all the collaborative partners to address social and behavior issues and other emerging public health concerns will be improved by this project. An immediate benefit is seeing the community health partners develop new relationships with people not normally involved with the public health network."

Visit the NMF website www.nwmf.org for more information about grants and other programs.

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation is a public community foundation serving Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau Counties. NMF invests resources, creates opportunities and promotes philanthropy to make the region a better place to live and work.

Media Contact: Lisa Peterson, Communications Director

4225 Technology Drive NW ~ Bemidji, MN 56601

Phone: 218-759-2057 ~ FAX: 218-759-2328 ~ e-mail: lisap@nwmf.org

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CONTACT: Jim Steenerson, 218-759-2057, jims@nwmf.org