Publications from the Center for Public Health Practice

The publications below are available online from the MDH Center for Public Health Practice.

• Most recent publications are listed first. You can also browse by topic or use your browser's "Find" function (shortcut: Ctrl+F) to find a particular publication by title or workgroup.
• To find publications from other programs at MDH, try using the search bar in the upper right of your screen.
• For publications not listed below, including final SCHSAC workgroup reports, contact the Center for Public Health Practice.

Center for Health Statistics Publications

To view Center for Health Statistics publications, visit: Minnesota Center for Health Statistics Publications.

2024

State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC) 2023 Annual Report (PDF): Read the year's highlights, accomplishments, and workgroup charges. 

2023

State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC) Performance Measurement Workgroup Report (PDF): Community health boards have statutory responsibilities under the Local Public Health Act. The recommendations relate to the responsibilities of community health boards to annually report on a set of performance measures (Minn. Stat. § 145A.04, subd. 1; Minn. Stat. § 145A.06, subd. 5a) and demonstrate accountability by meeting a subset performance measure/s (Minn. Stat. § 145A.131. subd. 3. This report describes the workgroup's recommendations, including the background and rationale for these recommendations. 

State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC) Foundational Public Health Responsibility Funding Workgroup Report (PDF): In 2023, the Minnesota legislature allocated $9,844,000 per year, as part of the state’s base budget, for 
community health boards to fulfill foundational public health responsibilities. The legislation requires MDH to consult with the SCHSAC on the distribution of these funds. This report outlines the workgroup's recommendations, including the background and rationale for these recommendations.

Governance and organizational structures in Minnesota's community health boards (PDF), updated August 2023, Center for Public Health Practice. Minnesota Statutes identify two governing structure options for counties and cities to legally organize themselves to do the work of public health: community health boards (under Minn. Stat. § 145A) or human services boards (under Minn. Stat. § 402). Multi-county community health boards (or CHBs) are formed through joint powers agreements, which allow them to work across geo-political boundaries. Currently, there are 51 CHBs in Minnesota. MDH also partners with Minnesota’s eleven American Indian tribes to provide public health services.

Major community health board funding sources in Minnesota (PDF), revised June 2023, MDH Center for Public Health Practice. This overview of major funding sources for Minnesota community health boards discusses the Local Public Health Grant, Master grant contract, Local Public Health Act, Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant, Family Home Visiting (TANF), Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), Evidence-Based Home Visiting (EBHV), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), State Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP), Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) and Birth Defects follow-up, Minnesota Vaccines for Children (MnVFC) site visits, Eliminating Health Disparities: Tuberculosis, Follow Along Program (FAP), and Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC) . There are a number of other funding and resource opportunities administered by MDH that may be available to community health boards.

Healthy Minnesota 2022 update: 2022 annual report of the Healthy Minnesota Partnership (PDF), February 2023, Healthy Minnesota Partnership. This report summarizes work conducted by the Healthy Minnesota Partnership in 2022, as it continued to implement the Healthy Minnesota 2022 Framework with activities.

2022

Transforming Minnesota’s public health system for the 21st century: Report to the Legislature (PDF), December 2022. In the 2021 legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature allocated resources to support the first steps of public health system transformation. The bill language directed MDH to assess the current state of the governmental public health system, give grants to community health boards to test new models for public health service delivery, develop recommendations for long term system change, and report back to the Legislature in 2023. This progress report represents the shared analysis, action, and recommendations of MDH, SCHSAC, and LPHA.

Expenditures summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2021 (PDF), November 2022, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2021 expenditures of the state's local public health system, including those relating to COVID-19. This information is submitted by Minnesota's local health departments to MDH. Local health departments report expenditures by funding source and area of public health responsibility.

Workforce summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2021 (PDF), November 2022, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2021 staffing information for the local public health system, including those relating to COVID-19. This information is submitted by Minnesota's local health departments to MDH. The staffing information is reported by job classification and area of public health responsibility.

Healthy Minnesota 2022 update: 2021 annual report of the Healthy Minnesota Partnership (PDF), February 2022, Healthy Minnesota Partnership. This report summarizes work conducted by the Healthy Minnesota Partnership in 2021, as it continued to implement the Healthy Minnesota 2022 Framework with activities.

2021

Expenditures summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2020 (PDF), December 2021, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2020 expenditures of the state's local public health system, including those relating to COVID-19. This information is submitted by Minnesota's local health departments to MDH. Local health departments report expenditures by funding source and area of public health responsibility.

Workforce summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2020 (PDF), December 2021, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2020 staffing information for the local public health system, including those relating to COVID-19. This information is submitted by Minnesota's local health departments to MDH. The staffing information is reported by job classification and area of public health responsibility.

Funding public health in Minnesota: Strengthening our public health infrastructure (PDF), December 2021, MDH Center for Public Health Practice. This document provides a high-level overview of Minnesota's Public Health Infrastructure Fund, a $6 million/year appropriation passed by the Minnesota Legislature in the 2020 legislative session. It describes the purpose of the funds and the guiding principles developed by the Infrastructure Fund Workgroup to guide the distribution of these funds. You can also find contact information for the key partners in this work. 

Infrastructure Fund priorities: Building capacity in communication, community partnerships, data and epidemiology, and health equity (PDF) , December 2021, MDH Center for Public Health Practice. This document provides public health leaders with more details about the current priorities for Minnesota's Public Health Infrastructure Fund, a $6 million/year appropriation passed by the Minnesota Legislature in the 2020 legislative session. It defines priority areas and refers to each area's related national standards.

Public health system development in Minnesota: Report to the Legislature (PDF), April 2021, MDH Center for Public Health Practice. This report on the State of Minnesota’s local public health system has been published every two years since 1992. State statute requires this report on how the state’s local public health system is meeting its responsibility to deliver core public health activities to the people of Minnesota. Previous versions of this report, and a host of other Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) publications and testimony have repeatedly raised alarm, by painting a precarious picture of local health departments that do not have sufficient funding or staff to carry out core activities. Local health directors have long predicted that their departments would be overwhelmed by even a small infectious diseases outbreak. The coronavirus pandemic is testing Minnesota’s public health departments to a degree we dared not imagine. In many ways, local health departments have risen to the occasion. However, a lack of basic infrastructure has slowed response and led to frustration. This year’s report will capture early lessons from the coronavirus pandemic, and provide an update on the state of Minnesota’s local public health system.

Healthy Minnesota 2022 update: 2020 annual report of the Healthy Minnesota Partnership (PDF), February 2021, Healthy Minnesota Partnership. This report summarizes work conducted by the Healthy Minnesota Partnership in 2020, as it continued to implement the Healthy Minnesota 2022 Framework with activities.

Expenditures summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2019 (PDF), January 2021, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2019 expenditures of the state's local public health system. This information is submitted by Minnesota's local health departments to MDH. Local health departments report expenditures by funding source and area of public health responsibility.

Workforce summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2019 (PDF), January 2021, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2019 staffing information for the local public health system. This information is submitted by Minnesota's local health departments to MDH. The staffing information is reported by job classification and area of public health responsibility.

2020

Healthy Minnesota 2022 update: 2019 annual report of the Healthy Minnesota Partnership (PDF), February 2020, Healthy Minnesota Partnership. This report summarizes work conducted by the Healthy Minnesota Partnership in 2019, as it continued to implement the Healthy Minnesota 2022 Framework with activities.

The public health nurse workforce in Minnesota: Making informed decisions about hiring public health nurses and other professionals (PDF), January 2020, PHN Practice Council and MDH Center for Public Health Practice. Public health nurses are an integral part of governmental public health work in Minnesota. Hiring and retaining public health nurses, particularly in local health departments, is challenging for a number of reasons. This report seeks to distinguish positions that must be filled by a public health nurse from those that may be filled by other professionals like social workers, health educators, and community health workers.

Public health leader orientation and resource guide, revised January 2020, MDH Center for Public Health Practice. This guide is a joint effort of the Local Public Health Association of Minnesota and MDH Community and Family Health Division, initially developed in 2004. The orientation plan identifies a number of subject/topic areas that are critical for new public health leaders to have a basic understanding of and knowledge of available resources. The guide incorporates a variety of methodologies and experiences utilizing the expertise of resource people at both the local and state level as well as self-study.

2019

Moving into Equity: The Public Health Journey, December 2019, Center for Public Health Practice and Public Health National Center for Innovations (PHNCI). Created with practitioners, this guide offers practical ideas and strategies from the field to move along four stages in an equity journey: 1) Content with the Status Quo; 2) Raised Awareness/Discontent; 3) Willing to Step into the Unknown; and 4) Committed, Engaged, and Activated. The guide also includes associated, existing tools/resources to support movement across the stages and takes into consideration the different layers or practices required to create change – from individual level, interpersonal, to organizational culture and practices, to community efforts and policy change, among a few to make an impact on the social and structural influencers of health. This guide further offers strategies to address common internal and external forces, and a brief discussion on developing and using principles.

Expenditures summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2018 (PDF), December 2019, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2018 expenditures of the state's local public health system. This information is submitted by Minnesota's local health departments to MDH. Local health departments report expenditures by funding source and area of public health responsibility.

Workforce summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2018 (PDF), December 2019, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2018 staffing information for the local public health system, submitted by Minnesota's community health boards to MDH. The staffing information is reported by job classification and area of public health responsibility.

2018 Local Public Health Act performance measures: Data book (PDF), October 2019, Center for Public Health Practice. This data book provides system results of local responses to 2018 Local Public Health Act performance measures, including figures for selected areas of responsibility, and tables for all six areas.

Food, pools, and lodging services in Minnesota: 2018 statewide performance measures (PDF), October 2019, Minnesota Environmental Health Continuous Improvement Board (EHCIB). The Food, Pools, and Lodging Services (FPLS) Statewide Performance Measures help a) provide a statewide picture of FPLS in Minnesota and b) help drive statewide improvement efforts. The EHCIB is committed to collecting FPLS statewide performance measures and to improving the measures and process. See also: Food, pools, and lodging services measures 2018 : Appendix A - On-time inspections (PDF), Environmental Health Continuous Improvement Board (EHCIB).

Narratives and health equity: Expanding the conversation, September 2019, Healthy Minnesota Partnership. Using a public narrative approach can help us expand conversations with our partners across sectors, to include the social and economic conditions that shape health and well-being and to suggest actions to advance health equity. Download frames on:

• Emerging elements of public narratives on health
• Income and health
• Paid family leave and health
• Transportation and health
• Incarceration inequities and health
• Burdensome debt and health
• Healthy food access
• Housing, home, and health
• Mental health and well-being
• Early childhood health
• African-American infant mortality

Public health workforce assessment: Local public health and higher education in Minnesota (PDF), August 2019, Center for Public Health Practice. MDH engaged with local public health and Minnesota colleges and universities to identify current and future public health workforce needs and challenges in Minnesota. The main aim of the assessment was to understand how to best support local health departments and higher educational institutions to create new pathways for public health careers.

Public health interventions: Applications for nursing practice (2nd ed.), July 2019, Center for Public Health Practice. Public health nurses work in or out of schools, homes, clinics, jails, shelters, mobile vans, and dog sleds. They work with communities, the individuals and families that compose communities, and the systems that affect the health of those communities. Regardless of where or with whom they work, all PHNs use a core set of interventions to accomplish their goals. Interventions are actions that public health nurses take on behalf of individuals/families, communities, and systems, to improve or protect health status. This framework, known as the Intervention Wheel, defines the scope of public health nursing practice by type of intervention and level of practice (individual/family, community, or systems), rather than by the site of service such as home, school, occupational health, clinic, and others. The Intervention Wheel describes the scope of practice by what is similar across settings and describes the practice of public health nursing at the individual/family, community, or systems level. The Intervention Wheel answers the question, “What do public health nurses do?” and delineates public health nursing as a specialty practice of nursing. These interventions are not exclusive to public health nursing, as they are also used by other public health disciplines, except for delegated functions. See also: Public health interventions, definitions, and practice levels (PDF)

A new framework for governmental public health in Minnesota (PDF), June 2019, Center for Public Health Practice. Governmental public health has a unique responsibility for protecting and promoting the health of the public. While Minnesota’s nationally recognized state-local public health partnership has served Minnesotans well since it was established in 1976, many state and local health officials have serious concerns about their ability to fulfill that responsibility. A number of challenges have left us all at risk—increasing demands on decreasing resources, the changing role of public health from providing direct services to broader population-based prevention activities, new health threats, disparities in health status, decreasing budgets, and hiring challenges—to name a few.

Statewide health assessment updates: 2018 (PDF), April 2019, Healthy Minnesota Partnership & Center for Public Health Practice. During 2018, Healthy Minnesota Partnership members and their partners worked on a number of key public health issues and community assets identified in the 2017 Minnesota statewide health assessment. At Partnership meetings, members and others discussed the new data and information these reports provide and how these contribute to increased understanding and action on these important issues. Links to the reports (in meeting summaries and in this document) allow the Partnership and others to incorporate this information into their own actions to improve population health and health equity.

Healthy Minnesota 2022 update: 2018 annual report of the Healthy Minnesota Partnership (PDF), March 2019, Healthy Minnesota Partnership. This report summarizes work conducted by the Healthy Minnesota Partnership in 2018, as it continued to implement the Healthy Minnesota 2022 Framework with activities.

Public health system development in Minnesota: Report to the Legislature (PDF), March 2019, Center for Public Health Practice. This report on the state of Minnesota’s local public health system has been published every two years since 1992. The statute that requires this report calls for it to update on how the state’s public health system is meeting its responsibility to deliver core public health activities to the people of Minnesota.

SCHSAC issues of importance (PDF), February 2019, State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC). The SCHSAC Executive Committee with support of the full SCHSAC determined the following issues of importance for the advisory committee and its members as of February 2019. These issues will guide SCHSAC’s work plan and engagement going forward. This living document is subject to revision as determined by the SCHSAC Executive Committee.

SCHSAC 2019-2020 work plan (PDF), February 2019, State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC). This is a companion document to SCHSAC issues of importance (PDF). SCHSAC agrees to direct its focus toward these four issues of importance. Advancing health equity and inclusion of all communities are crosscutting issues in all of SCHSAC’s work.

SCHSAC 2018 annual report (PDF), February 2019, State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC). Reflecting on the State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC) meetings, workgroups and events in 2018, the SCHSAC Executive Committee identified SCHSAC leadership and member engagement as highlights to include in this annual report. At the quarterly meetings, many conversations focused on the importance of prevention. Stories and best practices were shared from across the state. Networking at SCHSAC meetings and at the annual Community Health Conference, sponsored by SCHSAC, was valuable. Executive Committee members agreed SCHSAC workgroups generated valuable insights and were vital in maintaining strong state-local relationships.

Using REDCap to report finance and staffing for the Local Public Health Act (webinar), February 2019, Center for Public Health Practice. This webinar provides community health boards with information about the REDCap reporting system, including how to successfully enter finance, staffing, and Title V MCH Block Grant.

2018

Health Equity Learning Community background and resources, December 2018, Center for Public Health Practice. In 2017, MDH launched a learning community with teams from public health departments in six local jurisdictions, to support locally adopting health equity practices. This implementation guide details the approach and the content of the learning community so that any organization can replicate it with others. 

Health Equity Learning Community cohort profiles, December 2018, MDH Center for Public Health Practice.

• Dakota County Public Health: Learning by listening (PDF)
• Goodhue County Health & Human Services: Building authentic relationships (PDF)
• Partnership4Health: Making health equity a strategic priority (PDF) 
  Partnership4Health includes member counties Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin
• Pine County Public Health: Starting small on big health equity work (PDF)
• Rice County Public Health: Keeping equity on the agenda (PDF)
• Washington County Public Health & Environment: Health equity, right here and now (PDF)

Expenditures summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2017 (PDF), December 2018, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2017 expenditures of the state's local public health system. This information is submitted by Minnesota's local health departments to MDH. Local health departments report expenditures by funding source and area of public health responsibility.

Workforce summary for Minnesota’s local public health system in 2017 (PDF), November 2018, Center for Public Health Practice. This report summarizes 2017 staffing information for the local public health system, submitted by Minnesota's community health boards to MDH. The staffing information is reported by job classification and area of public health responsibility.

Advancing health equity: Key questions for assessing policy, processes and assumptions (PDF), November 2018, Center for Public Health Practice. The questions in this tool provide a starting place for carefully examining policies, processes and assumptions to advance health equity. The questions apply to a wide array of settings. Individuals, communities, organizations, elected officials and others can use them to reveal where and how systems and structures perpetuate injustice, and to uncover opportunities for change. Ideally, asking and answering these questions will become standard practice.

2017 Local Public Health Act performance measures data book (PDF), August 2018, Center for Public Health Practice. This data book provides system results of local responses to 2017 Local Public Health Act performance measures, including figures for selected areas of responsibility, and tables for all six areas.

Principles of authentic community engagement, July 2018, Center for Public Health Practice. These principles can shift consideration of who is involved, how they work together, and how progress happens. These shifts can have significant implications for how public health professionals design and implement work, and how policymakers support and work with community-based organizations. This is not a checklist of "to-do's." Consider these when working with any stakeholders or communities for public health improvement.

Community engagement knowledge, skills, and abilities assessment for public health professionals, July 2018, Center for Public Health Practices. This assessment supports public health professionals to advance health equity by understanding key competencies for authentic engagement. Taking the assessment as an individual can guide professional growth. Taking the assessment as a group and comparing your results can provide an insight to workforce development across your team.

Data Resources 101 (webinar), June 2018, Center for Health Statistics. This webinar acquaints local public health with some of the data resources available on the MDH website, and connects local public health with staff at MDH who can provide assistance with data.

Strengthening Public Health Workgroup: Final report to SCHSAC (PDF), May 2018, SCHSAC Strengthening Public Health in Minnesota Workgroup. This report summarizes the findings of the Strengthening Public Health in Minnesota Workgroup, including the current state of Minnesota's public health system, including information on organization, governance, basic public health responsibilities, funding, leadership, and workforce issues.

2017

Ability to meet minimum expectations: The current state of local public health in Minnesota: Summary of assessment findings (PDF), November 2017, SCHSAC Strengthening Public Health in Minnesota Workgroup. This report describes the results of a point-in-time self-assessment of Minnesota's 74 local health departments on their ability to carry out required (or "foundational") public health activities. These foundational activities are the public health services that every Minnesotan should be able to expect regardless of where they live. This assessment shows that, statewide, local public health does not meet minimum expectations. See also: Ability to Meet Minimum Expectations: The Current State of Local Public Health in Minnesota: Data Book of Assessment Findings (PDF). For more information on how this work continues to evolve, visit: Transforming the public health system in Minnesota.

Food, Pools, and Lodging Services in Minnesota: 2016 Statewide Performance Measures (PDF), October 2017, Minnesota Environmental Health Continuous Improvement Board (EHCIB). The food, pools, and lodging services (FPLS) statewide performance measures help a) provide a statewide picture of FPLS in Minnesota and b) help drive statewide improvement efforts. The EHCIB is committed to collecting FPLS statewide performance measures and to improving the measures and process. See also: Environmental Health Continuous Improvement Board (EHCIB).

Approaches to vaccine hesitancy (webinar), September 2017, MDH Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division. This webinar describes the nature of vaccine hesitancy, discusses the approaches you can use to address vaccine hesitancy, and reviews reliable resources.

Relevant challenges and considerations for public health nursing practice (PDF), revised April 2017, Minnesota Public Health Nursing Practice Council & MDH Center for Public Health Practice. This document systematically identifies and explains concepts relevant to PHN practice, and provides a step-by-step process for a PHN to use when sorting through complex practice situations that have challenging nursing practice implications.

Measuring variation in the integration of primary care and public health, March 2017, Minnesota Public Health Research to Action Network. This brief describes the results of a study to engage public health directors and primary care leaders across four states to determine how both sectors work together, the barriers to working together faced by each, and promising ways to promote collaboration.

Public health systems development in Minnesota: 2017 report to the Legislature (PDF), February 2017, MDH Center for Public Health Practice. This biennial report describes how the state's public health system meets its responsibility to delivery core public health activities to the people of Minnesota. In particular, it focuses on 40 community health boards that serve just over half of the state's population, the variability of available services in those jurisdictions, and the disparities that result.

2016

From information to action: Using data to improve the public health system, December 2016, SCHSAC Performance Improvement Steering Committee. The Performance Improvement Steering Committee (Committee) is charged with monitoring and improving the performance of Minnesota's local public health system. Each year the Committee looks at performance data from community health boards on measures that were developed through national consensus and supported by SCHSAC. Despite focused effort, every year PISC has seen differences in the ability of community health boards to meet performance measures. This impacts local communities and strains the statewide system. Having a better understanding of the barriers community health boards face will help SCHSAC and PISC identify solutions that lead to a stronger more effective local public health system. In order to make further progress, PISC urges SCHSAC to take action to understand why community health boards are not able to meet measures and take action to address the identified barriers.

Ethics and decision-making in public health (webinar), Oct. 2016, Dakota County Public Health. Public health ethics is an evolving practice, and is also contained in the Public Health Accreditation Board Standards and Measures. This introduction to public health ethics is suitable for an ethics committee or an entire public health department.  This webinar covers material from a public health ethics training hosted by Dakota County Public Health and presented by an epidemiologist and public health ethicist.

PHEP funding formula recommended revisions overview, Sept. 2016, SCHSAC Public Health Emergency Preparedness Oversight Group. This paper summarizes PHEP Oversight Group recommendations to SCHSAC for the five-year period beginning July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2022.

What can I do to advance health equity? Practice using a health equity lens! Sept. 2016, MDH Health Partnerships Division. This paper describes using a health equity lens to translate advancing health equity into tangible organizational practices.

Local health department practices to advance health equity, August 2016, SCHSAC Advancing Health Equity Workgroup. SCHSAC, recognizing that health equity is an urgent and compelling public health concern, charged the Advancing Health Equity Workgroup "to provide local elected officials and local public health leaders with the language, understanding, and practical help to advance health equity throughout Minnesota's public health system."

Measuring variation in the integration of primary care and public health, June 2016, Minnesota Public Health Research to Action Network. This brief describes the results of a study to engage public health directors and primary care leaders across four states to determine how both sectors work together, the barriers to working together faced by each, and promising ways to promote collaboration.

MDH community engagement plan: 2016-2019, May 2016, Minnesota Dept. of Health. MDH developed its department-wide community engagement plan in order to help listen authentically to and partner with communities.

Introduction to performance management, April 2016, Health Partnerships Division. Use this handout to better understand what performance management is and how your agency can use it.

Public health leader orientation and resource guide, March 2016, Center for Public Health Practice. The orientation and resource guide is a joint effort of the Local Public Health Association of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health Center for Public Health Practice. The guide was initially developed in 2004; this is the second revision. The guide identifies a number of subject/topic areas that are critical for public health leaders to have a basic understanding of and includes a compendium of related resources. The orientation plan incorporates a variety of methodologies and experiences utilizing the expertise of resource people at both the local and state level as well as self-study.

Writing good goals and SMART objectives (webinar), Jan. 2016, MDH Health Partnerships Division, Public Health Practice Section. This webinar aids local public health departments in writing goals and objectives for the Local Public Health Assessment and Planning cycle deliverables.

2015

Customer focus in public health (PDF), Dec. 2015, MDH Health Partnerships Division. Having a customer focus encompasses the ways in which a public health agency or program listens to the voice of its customers, builds customer relationships, determines customers’ level of satisfaction, and uses customer information to identify and act on opportunities for improvement. While many public health agencies assess the satisfaction of their clients/ customers, customer focus is not limited to customer satisfaction.

Disease prevention & control common activities framework, revised July 2015, SCHSAC DP&C Framework Ad Hoc Group. The DP&C common activities framework, first approved by SCHSAC in 1998, is the foundation for local public health providing disease surveillance, prevention, and control resources and services as mandated by Minn. Stat. § 145A, the Local Public Health Act.

Records retention series (Webinar), June 2015, MDH Health Partnerships Division, Public Health Practice Section. These webinars are part of a series for local public health staff to become familiar with the basics of records management, retention schedules, and proper destruction of records: (1) Records and Information Management, (2) Records Retention Schedule, and (3) Preserving and Disposing of Government Records.

Considerations for shared governance structures (PDF), Jan. 2015, Minnesota Shared Services Learning Collaborative. This toolkit provides a set of planning and communication tools to assist community health boards who are exploring or planning changes to governance or administration. Many tools will also be useful for the exploration of cross-jurisdictional arrangements more generally.

Bridging primary care and public health: Local leaders reflect on working together (PDF), Jan. 2015, Minnesota Public Health Research to Action Network. This report discusses the result of key informant interviews with 40 representatives from primary care and public health. Participants identified several key components of collaboration, including: aligned leadership; formal processes; commitment to a shared strategic vision; data sharing and analysis; sustainability; opportunity; partnership and aspects of the collaboration context. The findings to barriers and areas for improvement largely mirror areas of emerging collaboration. So, the facilitators to collaborations are barriers when in deficit.

Action plan template (XLS), 2015, MDH Office of Performance Improvement. For more information, see: Public health and QI toolbox: Project management tools.

2014

Community health services administration handbook, revised Jan. 2014, MDH Office of Performance Improvement. The CHS administration handbook provides context for issues frequently encountered by community health services administrators in Minnesota.

Updating Minnesota's Local Public Health Act: Ensuring the continued success of a strong public health system, January 2014, SCHSAC workgroup. In 2012, SCHSAC convened a two-day working session with 30 state and local stakeholders to analyze the current statute, now known as the Local Public Health Act (Minn. Stat. §145A). Working session participants recommended developing specific changes to the statutory language, in order to better reflect current public health practice (that is, keeping what works) and continue to strengthen the state's public health system (fostering continued success). The SCHSAC Local Public Health Act Workgroup was created to work with MDH to develop statutory language to reflect the 2012 working sessions, and to provide input and advice on implementing other high-priority actions via non-statutory means.

2013

Quality improvement plans: A how-to guide (webinar), Dec. 2013, MDH Office of Performance Improvement. What is a QI plan? Why is it important? Learn the answer to these questions and more from this presentation.

Quality improvement plans (PDF), Dec. 2013, MDH Office of Performance Improvement. The quality improvement plan describes what a health department is planning to accomplish, and should be updated regularly to reflect what is currently happening in QI at your health department. The quality improvement plan provides written credibility to the entire Quality Improvement process, and is a visible sign of management support and commitment to quality throughout the health department.

Local health department factors associated with performance in the successful implementation of community-based strategies (PDF), Dec. 2013, Minnesota Public Health Research to Action Network. This study assessed local public health performance during the initial two years of Minnesota's Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), which funds policy, systems and environmental change strategies at the local level, to examine what factors at the local health department level contribute to success in implementing these community-based interventions.

Local health department factors that accelerate population-based intervention implementation (PDF), Dec. 2013, Minnesota Public Health Research to Action Network. This study used local public health performance during the initial two years of SHIP 1.0 (State Health Improvement Program) to examine what factors at the local health department level contribute to success in implementing community-based interventions. Of particular interest was the role of organizational quality improvement.

Analysis of local health department factors that accelerate population-based intervention implementation and support success (PDF), May 2013, Minnesota Public Health Research to Action Network. SHIP 1.0 represented a major learning curve for most grantees, however those local health departments that were able to be flexible and embrace the approach were better able to implement the program. Having a mix of new and established staff, with a fair amount of freedom to act, seemed the most effective approach. Grantee organizations with a higher level of quality improvement (QI) culture were more likely to exceed expectations on SHIP 1.0. Higher QI scores indicate that QI has moved beyond single, isolated projects into all levels of the organization. Over time, most policymakers and community members saw value in SHIP and many initiatives were sustained. Many expressed disappointment that the timeframe was too short to reap the full benefits of the program. The statewide approach to SHIP was viewed quite positively. Several respondents voiced that having support and mutual exchanges with neighboring grantees was critical to their success.

Study of local factors that helped or hindered implementation of SHIP 1.0 (PDF), March 2013, Minnesota Public Health Research to Action Network. The Research to Action Network looked closely at local factors that helped or hindered performance on SHIP 1.0, so that we can use that information to improve our system. The study addresses important questions facing public health in Minnesota: Does integrating QI and having a "culture of quality" lead to a more effective and stronger health department? How can we better structure, finance and staff local public health to do more population-based public health?

2011

Minnesota community health board medical consultant handbook, Feb. 2011, Minnesota Dept. of Health & Minnesota Medical Association. Every community health board in Minnesota is required by the Local Public Health Act to have a medical consultant. This handbook is intended to provide medical consultants with an overview of the history of public health in Minnesota, information about state and local public health, and descriptions of the roles that medical consultants play in Minnesota.

2010

Updating Minnesota's blueprint for public health (PDF), December 2010, SCHSAC Blueprint Workgroup. In 2009, SCHSAC called for a work group to investigate the apparent increase in organizational and governance structure changes at the local level. Later the work group's scope was broadened to encompass a discussion about the foundations underpinning the local public health system and to update the blueprint for strong and successful local health departments.

2007

Cornerstones of public health nursing (PDF), revised Oct. 2007, MDH Office of Public Health Practice. This brief describes the cornerstones of public health nursing, and how they can be applied to PHN practice.

2005

Linking public health nursing practice and education: Preceptor handbook, 2nd ed. (PDF), June 2005, MDH Office of Public Health Practice. This handbook provides a plan for what preceptors and others can expect within the Linking PHN Practice and Education to Promote Population Health Grant. It presents qualifications and qualities of the 'ideal' preceptor, and describes possible roles and responsibilities.

2004

The Henry Street Consortium clinical menu (PDF), May 2004, Henry Street Consortium. This document presents the guiding principles and the menu of community assessment and population-based activities to prepare baccalaureate-level nurses with the competencies necessary for entry into population-based public health nursing practice.

2003

Entry-level population-based public health nursing competencies for the new graduate or novice public health nurse (PDF), July 2003, Henry Street Consortium. This paper summarizes public health nursing (PHN) cornerstones and activities related to PHN practice.

The nursing process applied to population-based public health nursing practice (PDF), March 2003, MDH Center for Public Health Nursing Practice. This table applies the PHN process to system-, community-, and individual/family-level services.

Population-based practice: Definition (PDF), March 2003, MDH Center for Public Health Nursing. This brief defines population-based practice, with further detail on aspects of population-based practice.

2002

Linking public health nursing practice and education: The PHN clinical experience (highlights of the key informant survey) (PDF), Aug. 2002, MDH Office of Public Health Practice. This report highlights the result of a survey of Minnesota tribal/local public health agencies and baccalaureate schools of nursing with student clinicals in Minnesota in the fall of 2001.

2001

A call to action: Advancing health for all through social and economic change (PDF), April 2001, MHIP Social Conditions and Health Action Team. This report is a multi-disciplinary, inter-sector Call to Action produced by the Social Conditions and Health Action Team of the Minnesota Health Improvement Partnership (MHIP). The purpose of this report is to deepen understanding of the impact that social and economic conditions have on health, and identify recommendations with potential to help create more health-enhancing social and economic environments in Minnesota.

2000

Public health nursing practice for the 21st century: National satellite learning conference: Learning guide (PDF), Jan. 2000, MDH Public Health Nursing Section. The purpose of this kit is to provide you with the learning materials from Public Health Nursing Practice for the 21st Century: Competency Development in Population-based Practice. This kit can be used by anyone wanting to learn or teach about population-based public health nursing practice. Please feel free to copy the learner materials from the guide and adapt the presentation for your learning situation. We request that in using the videos and materials you do not alter the content and give credit to the Minnesota Department of Health.

For reports and documents published prior to this, please contact us.