Skip to main content
Minnesota Department of Health logo
  • Main navigation

    • Home
    • Data, Statistics, and Legislation
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Health Care Facilities, Providers, and Insurance
    • Healthy Communities, Environment, and Workplaces
    • Individual and Family Health
    • About Us
    • News and Announcements
    • Translated Materials

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Data, Statistics, and Legislation
  • Diseases and Conditions
  • Health Care Facilities, Providers, and Insurance
  • Healthy Communities, Environment, and Workplaces
  • Individual and Family Health
  • About Us
  • News and Announcements
  • Translated Materials
MDH Logo

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Healthy Communities, Environment and Workplaces
  3. Center for Public Health Practice
  4. Transforming the public health system in Minnesota
Topic Menu

System transformation

  • Home: System transformation
  • Foundational responsibilities
  • Cost and capacity assessment
  • Joint leadership team
  • Infrastructure fund projects
  • Publications and resources
  • Related: SCHSAC
  • Return to Center for Public Health Practice home

System transformation

  • Home: System transformation
  • Foundational responsibilities
  • Cost and capacity assessment
  • Joint leadership team
  • Infrastructure fund projects
  • Publications and resources
  • Related: SCHSAC
  • Return to Center for Public Health Practice home
Contact Info
Center for Public Health Practice
651-201-3880
health.ophp@state.mn.us

Contact Info

Center for Public Health Practice
651-201-3880
health.ophp@state.mn.us

Joint leadership team

TRANSFORMING THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IN MINNESOTA

SCHSAC (State Community Health Services Advisory Committee), LPHA (Local Public Health Association of Minnesota), and MDH have formed a joint leadership team to guide together the work of transforming the state's public health system, determining what it looks like when a system is equitable and has adequate resources.

Vision

We envision a public health system in Minnesota in which state, local, tribal, and community health agencies work together as a system, sharing access to information, and making timely strategic decisions through shared power. Together, the Minnesota public health system prevents disease, protects well-being, and improves the health of all residents regardless of where they live.

We strengthen the state and local public health system so that it:

Builds cross-sector and community partnerships

  • Developing solutions in collaborative relationship with community partners and those with varied lived experiences
  • Engaging and partnering across sectors, and empowering communities in prevention, emergency response, and sustaining health
  • Anticipating and adapting to changing needs of the community's populations

Advances health equity

  • Supporting policies that confront the root causes of health inequities
  • Operating with health equity as its core principle

Operates inclusively and sustainably

  • Supporting policies and resources that enable recruitment, training, and retention of a diverse, strong, inclusive workforce that is representative of the communities served
  • Establishing foundational public health capacities across the state
  • Practicing both accountability and flexibility
  • Leveraging stable and sufficient funding for state and local public health infrastructure that results in, alignment with community priorities

Leverages data

  • Using timely, secure, interoperable data and technology systems to drive health improvement and policy
Methods

The joint leadership team meets twice per month, and conducts its work in a collaborative, co-created model. What does this mean?

  • The core leadership team is facilitated independently (e.g., not facilitated by someone from the organizations listed above).
  • All leadership team members develop meeting agendas together in consultation with the independent facilitators.
  • The joint leadership team makes decisions collaboratively/by consensus.

This work of system transformation is not led by one single organization.

Scope

The team is responsible for:

  • Defining and championing a new vision for Minnesota's public health system
  • Developing a roadmap to create the public health system we need, and providing the leadership and oversight necessary to implement the roadmap
  • Developing recommendations for its organizations, governmental public health leaders, and policymakers
  • Engaging leaders, subject matter experts, consultants, and others to explore issues, provide insight, and inform recommendations
  • Strategically engaging partners and allies
Members

Local Public Health Association (LPHA)

  • Sarah Grosshuesch (Wright), 2022 Chair
  • Kari Oldfield, Director
  • Sarah Reese (Polk, Norman, Mahnomen), 2021 Chair
  • Maggie Rothstein (Aitkin, Itasca, Koochiching), 2022 Chair-Elect
  • More information: LPHA

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)

  • Chelsie Huntley, Director, Community Health Division
  • Jan Malcolm, Commissioner
  • Mary Manning, Assistant Commissioner, Health Improvement Bureau
  • Kim Milbrath, Section Manager, Center for Public Health Practice
  • Halkeno Tura, Director, Center for Health Equity

State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC)

  • Tarryl Clark (Stearns), Incoming Chair
  • Steve Gardner (Kandiyohi-Renville), SCHSAC member
  • Sheila Kiscaden (Olmsted), Chair
  • Jim McDonough (Ramsey), Executive Committee alternate
  • More information: SCHSAC
Subgroups of the joint leadership team

The following subgroups have been commissioned by the joint leadership team to focus on specific tasks:

Cost and capacity assessment subgroup

  • Jason Orr, University of Minnesota
  • JP Leider, University of Minnesota
  • Annie Sieger, UMN consulting team
  • Chelsie Huntley, MDH
  • Kari Oldfield-Tabbert, LPHA
  • Jim McDonough, SCHSAC
  • Joshua Bunker, MDH
  • Kristin Sweet, MDH
  • Tom Hogan, MDH
  • Marlee Marrison, LPHA
  • Nicole Ruhoff, LPHA
  • Amy Westbrook, LPHA
  • Susan Palchick, LPHA
  • Ann Stehn, LPHA
  • Joanne Erspamer, LPHA
  • Pam Kellogg, LPHA
  • Sara Benson, LPHA

System assessment subgroup

  • Richard Scott, LPHA
  • Jody Lien, LPHA
  • Tim Sumner, SCHSAC
  • Janelle Lambert, MDH
  • Tarryl Clark, SCHSAC
  • Halkeno Tura, MDH
  • Ann Zukoski, MDH
  • Kari Oldfield-Tabbert, LPHA
  • Michaela Samoudi, HEAL Chair, MDH
  • Anne Barry, community
  • Mary Wellik, community

Communications subgroup

  • Nicole Brown, MDH
  • Jenna Carter, SCHSAC
  • Allie Hawley March, MDH
  • Julie Kadrie, MDH
  • Jenna Olson, LPHA
  • Mandy Meisner, SCHSAC
  • Allison Thrash, LPHA
  • Scott Wasserman, LPHA
  • Noya Woodrich, MDH
Contact the joint leadership team

Based on the collaborative nature of this work, please direct any questions or feedback to one of the following. If you are from:

  • Local public health staff and leadership: Please contact your LPHA representatives currently serving on the joint leadership team. You can find them listed above under "Members."
  • MDH staff and leadership: Please contact the MDH staff currently serving on the joint leadership team. You can find them listed above under "Members."
  • SCHSAC members and alternates: Please contact the SCHSAC representatives currently serving on the joint leadership team. You can find them listed above under "Members."
  • General questions: Please contact the MDH Center for Public Health Practice at health.ophp@state.mn.us.
Tags
  • public health practice
Last Updated: 03/02/2023

Get email updates


Minnesota Department of Health logo

Privacy Policy
Equal Opportunity
Translated Materials
Feedback Form
About MDH
Minnesota.gov
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Department of health print search share facebook instagram linkedin twitter youtube