Community Engagement and Outreach
International Health & Travel

Community engagement and outreach is a core part of our international health work. This section contains resources created by our team and available to any individuals working to serve Minnesota’s refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities. 

The MDH International Health Team manages two directories. In each directory, you will find instructions for searching, navigating, and downloading information found in the directories.

• Diverse Media Directory
  This directory is a compilation of media channels reaching communities of color, American Indians, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, immigrants, and refugees in the Twin Cities metro area and Greater Minnesota.
  • Sample work: Our team contracts with diverse media partners throughout the state of Minnesota to share out information on emerging and infectious diseases through culturally and linguistically tailored PSAs, advertisements, and news stories.  
• Community-Based Organizations Directory
  This directory contains information on community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve Minnesota's many diverse communities.
  • Sample work: Our team contracts with CBOs to co-create materials and resources for safe celebration of cultural holidays that include international travel like Hajj or Lunar New Year.

Glossary of Public Health Terms
This resource is a compilation of translated and culturally validated public health terms. The aim is to reduce linguistic barriers and improve consistency of communication with communities that speak Spanish, Hmong, and Somali, Minnesota’s three most commonly spoken non-English languages. This glossary can be referred to when developing materials and resources for outreach and engagement with communities.   

Guide: Supporting and Co-Creating Meaningful Community Advisory Boards (PDF)
This guide was developed in partnership with the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants (NRC-RIM). If your organization decides a community advisory board (CAB) would be helpful in doing more community-grounded work, there is a lot to think through in advance of seating the board. It is critical to start the process by putting in some effort on strategic planning with regards to a CAB.

Minnesota Immigrant and Refugee Health (MIRHA) Newsletter 
The MIRHA Bi-Weekly Update is a compilation of announcements from listservs, community, partners, and MIRHN (MN Immigrant and Refugee Health Network) members to improve the health and engagement of immigrant and refugee communities in Minnesota. Subscribe to the MIRHA Bi-Weekly Update.

If you have a relevant event, training, job posting, grant, resource, or other announcement you would like to share with the group, please reach out to health.idee@state.mn.us. 

Travelers' Health Newsletter 
The International Health Program releases a travelers' health newsletter quarterly: spring, summer, winter, and fall. Each season’s newsletter highlights relevant travel health concerns and shares resources to support healthy travel. Subscribe to the Travelers' Health Newsletter for updates on new traveler's health materials and resources and travel-associated infectious disease information.