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Although a number of programs and services statewide are suffering as a result of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s unallotments to balance the budget, Polk County Public Health “came out very good,” according to Director Sherri Altepeter.
“Our local public health dollars remain the same as in the past,” she said. “We receive about $250,000 a year through the Minnesota Department of Health, a combination of general and federal dollars.”
The funds include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Maternal Child Health that are split among many PCPH programs, she added.
PCPH has also received grant monies for several projects, including:
• Federal economic stimulus immunization funding of $9,235 will be used as needed for related expenses such as storage.
• A Bremer grant for $10,000 will allow PCPH to continue funding a public health nurse at WIC clinics who does dental fluoride varnishing, lead screening and immunization reviews.
• A family planning special projects grant of $143,583 for two years came through, one of only three highly competitive grants awarded in northwest Minnesota.
“We were concerned that family planning services would be cut with all the budget problems, we thankfully it wasn’t,” said Altepeter. “A lot of teens and college students come to use this, who may not have the funds or means to pay for it through a regular clinic.”
The public health setting is also more private for those concerned about public appearances, she added. Physician’s Assistant Carrie Clauson comes in Wednesday afternoons to conduct physicals and help patients determine their options.
SHIP
A collaborative of eight Minnesota counties, with Polk serving as the fiscal agent, has been awarded a $1,110,000 Statewide Health Improvement Program that began July 1 and will continue for two years, said Altepeter. The statewide prevention program, which Pawlenty highly supports because it will save the state money in the long run, was fully funded at $47 million through Health Care Access dollars.
She explained that the program deals with four sectors: community, schools, work sites and health-care providers.
“There’s a menu of evidence-based changes we could choose to work on,” she said. “A community leadership team, with representatives from the eight counties and experts, will be assessing our needs through December and planning this out.”
SHIP addresses tobacco use and exposure to it and obesity, Altepeter said, which are highly preventable causes of illness and death. The initiative utilizes policy, systems and environmental change so that healthy choices are easier for people to make.
Possibilities include developing safe and accessible walking paths and bike trails in communities so that people find it easier to choose walking or biking; the Farm-to-School program that brings healthy locally grown products to school lunch menus; and Safe Routes to Schools that provides safe means for traveling on foot to area schools.
“It’s not easy to change peoples’ mindset and routines, so it will be a challenge,” said Altepeter.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners approved hiring a full-time coordinator for the program at its meeting Tuesday. Altepeter said two other coordinators – one for Marshall, Kittson, Pennington, Roseau and Red Lake counties, and one covering Norman and Mahnomen counties – will also be hired and the three will work as a team.
Although a number of programs and services statewide are suffering as a result of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s unallotments to balance the budget, Polk County Public Health “came out very good,” according to Director Sherri Altepeter.
“Our local public health dollars remain the same as in the past,” she said. “We receive about $250,000 a year through the Minnesota Department of Health, a combination of general and federal dollars.”
The funds include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Maternal Child Health that are split among many PCPH programs, she added.
PCPH has also received grant monies for several projects, including:
• Federal economic stimulus immunization funding of $9,235 will be used as needed for related expenses such as storage.
• A Bremer grant for $10,000 will allow PCPH to continue funding a public health nurse at WIC clinics who does dental fluoride varnishing, lead screening and immunization reviews.
• A family planning special projects grant of $143,583 for two years came through, one of only three highly competitive grants awarded in northwest Minnesota.
“We were concerned that family planning services would be cut with all the budget problems, we thankfully it wasn’t,” said Altepeter. “A lot of teens and college students come to use this, who may not have the funds or means to pay for it through a regular clinic.”
The public health setting is also more private for those concerned about public appearances, she added. Physician’s Assistant Carrie Clauson comes in Wednesday afternoons to conduct physicals and help patients determine their options.
SHIP
A collaborative of eight Minnesota counties, with Polk serving as the fiscal agent, has been awarded a $1,110,000 Statewide Health Improvement Program that began July 1 and will continue for two years, said Altepeter. The statewide prevention program, which Pawlenty highly supports because it will save the state money in the long run, was fully funded at $47 million through Health Care Access dollars.
She explained that the program deals with four sectors: community, schools, work sites and health-care providers.
“There’s a menu of evidence-based changes we could choose to work on,” she said. “A community leadership team, with representatives from the eight counties and experts, will be assessing our needs through December and planning this out.”
SHIP addresses tobacco use and exposure to it and obesity, Altepeter said, which are highly preventable causes of illness and death. The initiative utilizes policy, systems and environmental change so that healthy choices are easier for people to make.
Possibilities include developing safe and accessible walking paths and bike trails in communities so that people find it easier to choose walking or biking; the Farm-to-School program that brings healthy locally grown products to school lunch menus; and Safe Routes to Schools that provides safe means for traveling on foot to area schools.
“It’s not easy to change peoples’ mindset and routines, so it will be a challenge,” said Altepeter.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners approved hiring a full-time coordinator for the program at its meeting Tuesday. Altepeter said two other coordinators – one for Marshall, Kittson, Pennington, Roseau and Red Lake counties, and one covering Norman and Mahnomen counties – will also be hired and the three will work as a team.
