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PRECONFERENCE ACTIVITIES:

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

12:00 – 6:00 p.m.: Conference registration desk open
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.: SCHSAC Executive Committee meeting
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.: SCHSAC meeting
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.: Community Health Awards and reception
6:15 p.m. –: Award presentations
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.: Reception

CONFERENCE:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008

6:30 – 7:15 a.m.: Physical activity session
6:45 – 8:00 a.m.: Breakfast
8:00 – 8:15 a.m.: Conference welcome: Gary Sorenson, Cottonwood County Commissioner and 2008 SCHSAC Chair
8:15 – 9:45 a.m.: Opening presentation: Robin Getman
9:45 – 10:05 a.m.: Break
10:05 – 11:05 a.m.: Concurrent sessions: series A

Session A1: A Strategy for Closing the Oral Health Gap

Presenters: Jayne Cernohous (Apple Tree Dental), Clare Larkin (Metropolitan State University), and Lorene Wedeking (Metropolitan State University)

Persons in nursing homes, persons with disabilities, and children are examples of groups lacking access to oral health care in Minnesota. Dental hygienists in collaborative or advanced dental hygiene practice are a new solution to closing these gaps. Many public health directors and staff are acutely aware of gaps in oral health, largely due to a shortage of dentists, especially in rural Minnesota. At the same time, public health practitioners may be unaware of the changes in dental hygienists' preparation, skills, and scope of practice. This presentation will help staff from local health departments learn how to engage these new practitioners, either on staff or as community partners.

Session A2: Physical Activity Policies for Obesity Prevention

Presenters: Brooke Ahlquist (MDH), Kala Henkensiefken (Transportation Department, Brainerd Public Schools), and Todd Monson (Hennepin County)

Policies can support and guide individual's choices to be physically active. Policies are important in all four domains of daily life where physical activity may occur: activities of daily living, transportation, occupation and recreation. This panel presentation will highlight some physical activity policies that are being implemented in Minnesota, including the Active Living Hennepin County program and Brainerd’s Safe Routes to School program. The presentation will discuss policies that reduce excessive sedentary time and highlight several important local innovations.

Session A3: Voluntary National Accreditation: Review of the Draft Standards

Presenters: to be determined

Voluntary national accreditation is coming! According to the national Public Health Accreditation Board, (PHAB), the first round of accreditation will begin in 2011. Work is underway to determine the process for becoming accredited, which includes developing the standards that health departments will need to meet. Staff and board members of the PHAB will attend the 2008 Community Health Conference and welcome the opportunity to meet with local and state public health leaders in Minnesota. In this session, presenters will provide background on PHAB, give an update on the timeline for accreditation, and seek input on the draft accreditation standards and measures.

Session A4: Cool Information Tools for Public Health Workers

Presenters: Michelle Brasure (University of Minnesota, Health Sciences Libraries), and Rachel Cohen (MDH)

The Health Sciences Libraries at the University of Minnesota would like to expand its outreach to local health departments and community-based organizations in Minnesota. The presenters will describe several types of outreach and training opportunities available to local public health through the Health Sciences Library. In addition, they hope to get feedback from attendees on the types of training and tools that are most valuable to local health departments. This presentation will focus on social networking and Web-based consumer health tools. It will be moderated by a MDH staff person who will assist in describing the applicability of the tools.

Session A5: Involving Communities in Circles of Support: Working Together to End Poverty

Presenters: Greg Warner (Western Community Action), and Jim Woehrle (KOOTASKA Community Action)

When primary household wage earners spend the majority of their time working just to maintain basic levels of food, housing, and transportation, there is little time left to focus on parenting, health, or planning for the future. Conversely, households that have met their basic needs are better able to focus on their family’s future. “Circles of Support” bring these two groups together to increase the social capital of low-income people by identifying resources and opportunities for families who are on a path to increased economic stability. This presentation will describe how the Circles of Support program is being successfully implemented in two different areas of the state. Presenters will share stories and lessons learned that are applicable to all communities.

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Concurrent sessions: series B

Session B1: Public Health: A Force in Child Abuse Prevention

Presenters: Gay Bakken (Dakota County), Karen Nordstrom (Bloomington City Council), and Barbara Riley (City of Bloomington)

Family home visiting can be an important tool for preventing child abuse for high risk families. This panel presentation will feature the Metro Alliance for Healthy Families (MAHF) and the work of its partners to build public health infrastructure that systematically identifies, engages and retains Minnesota’s most vulnerable first-time parents in intensive, long-term family home visiting services. Panel participants will focus on program quality and accountability.

Session B2: Now that's a RAP: Correctional Health Release Advance Planning

Presenters: Renee Frauendienst (Stearns County Public Health), Sherry O’Brien (Stearns County Public Health), and Jeff Pollreis (Stearns County Sheriff’s Office)

Correctional health release advance planning (“RAP”) is a cooperative project between public health, human services and jail administration in Stearns County. The goal of RAP is to address the barriers to success for inmates due to be released from the jail. Many issues faced by inmates upon release are addressed by this multi-discipline team. The team works to assist inmates as they are released from jail in an effort to reduce recidivism. The presenters will describe the Stearns County RAP model and share insights and lessons learned from the process.

Session B3: Tools to Help Understand, Describe and Explain Emergency Response Roles

Presenters: Mickey Scullard (MDH) with additional speakers TBD

The Minnesota Department of Health and local health departments have jointly developed several critical emergency preparedness tools: the public health emergency preparedness strategic plan, incident lifecycle maps, and emergency preparedness tiers. These tools are focused on local capacity and capability for emergency response, including definition of three levels of local responsibility (base, mid-level, and comprehensive). These tools will help local health departments understand, describe and explain their emergency response roles and responsibilities to community partners. Presenters will share stories and lessons learned from the development and pilot-testing of these important preparedness tools.

Session B4: Facebook, YouTube and Theater Ads: Innovative Ways to Reach Youth with Tobacco Prevention Messages

Presenters: Lisa Hicks (Meeker, McLeod, Sibley Community Health Board), and Christina Thill (MDH)

New online technologies are creating more opportunities to reach youth with tobacco prevention messages. This session will explore ways to reach youth using new online technologies as well as traditional health communication methods such as billboards and theater ads. Presenters will share guidelines from the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention that reflect these new technologies, and discuss Dakota County’s success with the “Respect my Ride” smoke-free vehicles campaign. Speakers also will share lessons learned using these new technologies and communication methods so participants can adapt them for use in their communities.

Session B5: Local Solutions to Minnesota’s Chlamydia Epidemic

Presenters: Summer Martins (MDH), and Kathy Wick (Dakota County Public Health)

In this presentation, attendees will learn about Minnesota’s increasing chlamydia epidemic, the consequences of untreated infections, and the increasing impact on all areas of the state. The presenters will also describe how Dakota County Public Health is working to slow the rising chlamydia rates in their county by partnering with a wide variety of primary care clinics. Both Dakota County and MDH have developed chlamydia-related resources and tools for clinicians, which will be highlighted as models that could be implemented in any community. Presenters also will discuss the new Expedited Partner Therapy legislation.

12:15 - 1:15 p.m.: Lunch and networking
1:15 - 2:15 p.m.: Concurrent sessions: series C

Session C1: Transforming Depression Management

Presenters: Sherry Behm (Family Health Services Minnesota), and Nancy Jaeckles (Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement)

Minnesota clinics recently launched a promising new way to manage patients with depression in primary care called DIAMOND (Depression Improvement Across Minnesota, Offering a New Direction). This initiative is unique in that it changes how care is delivered and how it is paid for. Presenters will explain how the program works and share experiences from clinics of how the DIAMOND model is impacting patients.

Session C2: Public Health Workforce – Internship as a Process for Recruitment

Presenters: Cindy Bork (Winona State University School of Nursing), Linda Haeussinger (Olmsted County), and Lynn Theurer (Winona County Public Health)

Are you wondering how to attract new graduates to apply for public health nursing positions? Many hospitals and other businesses use internships as a pipeline for hiring young professionals after graduation. This presentation will describe how two local public health departments combined efforts with area schools of nursing to develop paid, summer public health nurse internships. This presentation will focus on the lessons learned and the results of this new effort.

Session C3: Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP)

Presenter: Cara McNulty (MDH)

SHIP is a plan for statewide health promotion to address the rising cost of health and health care in our state. The goal of the program is to help Minnesotans live longer, healthier lives by reducing the burden of chronic diseases. This will be accomplished by increasing physical activity, improving nutrition, and reducing tobacco use. SHIP was adopted by the Governor’s Health Care Transformation Task Force as the public health component of their health care transformation recommendations. It was passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 2008. This presentation will include a discussion of how Steps to a HealthierMN is the model for SHIP, how communities can promote prevention in a health care dominated environment, and how SHIP will be implemented statewide beginning in 2009. Note: this session will be repeated.

Session C4: Healthy Community = Healthy Economy

Presenters: Kami Norland (Rural Health Resource Center), and Vicki Rosenberg (Madelia Community Hospital)

Focusing on health and wellness is cheaper than diagnosis and treatment. Learn how six rural communities with critical access hospitals are facilitating change and fostering hope towards a “culture of wellness” using tools developed by the Rural Health Resource Center. Through the use of replicable tools, participants will learn the benefit of a systems approach in facilitating change and fostering hope for a healthy community and healthy economy.

Session C5: Building Consensus: Addressing Adolescent Sexual Health through State-Local Partnership

Presenters: Mary Hoalstad (Kandiyohi County Public Health), Jennifer O’Brien (MDH), and Deborah Schmitzerle (Kandiyohi County Public Health)

The Coalition for Healthy Adolescent Sexuality in Willmar stands out as a model for bringing diverse stakeholders together to build consensus on a controversial topic. This session will highlight their work and the efforts that went into their success. Instead of “Teen Pregnancy 101”, this session will highlight the partnerships that made this work possible, as well as the process that was used to bring up challenging topics while building consensus. This interactive session will highlight specific strategies on how to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to promote sexual health in a rural community.

2:15 – 3:00 p.m.: Break and resource table viewing
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Concurrent sessions: series D

Session D1: Worksite Health: MDH and Local Public Health as the Catalysts!

Presenters: Joy Ahren (Carver County Public Health), Kim Ball (Washington County Public Health), Khatidja Dawood (MDH), and Stanton Shandeling (MDH)

Worksite health promotion programs target unhealthy behaviors through educational campaigns and policy change. Learn how state and local health departments can be catalysts by supporting businesses as they develop and sustain worksite health initiatives. Representatives from MDH and Washington County Department of Public Health and the Environment will share methods for worksite health promotion programs, resources, information and materials.

Presenters: Marie Margitan (MDH), Brenda Menier (MDH), and Sue Strohschein (MDH)

Social determinants are powerful contributors to both personal and population health. Their complex interactions and the indirect nature of their contributions can detract from our understanding of their importance. In this session the audience will participate in a new board game that provides an entertaining, hands-on opportunity to learn about the social determinants and their importance in protecting and promoting the health of Minnesotans.

Session D3: Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) – repeated

See description above (C3)

Session D4: Capacity Assessment “How-To”: Minus a Million Meetings

Presenters: Jenny Gaffke (Carver County Public Health), and Chelsie Huntley (Carver County Public Health)

As all local health departments in Minnesota begin the newly redesigned CHAAP (Community Health Assessment and Action Planning) process, people are wondering, “How do we really do this?” Two planners from Carver County Public Health have completed a capacity assessment session for their management team, and they did it all in one day! In this presentation they will walk the participants through a mock capacity assessment working session. Participants will complete a portion of the capacity assessment, post their responses, discuss their points of view, vote on priorities and see how this work can form an actual capacity improvement plan! In addition, the facilitators will share some “do’s” and “don’ts” from their own personal experiences.

Session D5: Assessing and Remediating Mold in Flooded Buildings

Presenter: Dan Tranter (MDH)

Mold growth on building materials and in buildings is a very common problem following floods and it is a serious public health problem. This presentation will provide guidance about how to assess buildings for mold problems and advise building owners about appropriate remediation. The MDH Indoor Air Unit evaluated flooded buildings in southeast Minnesota following the 2007 and 2008 floods. This presentation will share findings from these evaluations and lessons learned in the process. Local public health staff who helped their communities to recover from flooding will be invited to offer comments and share stories from their experiences.

6:30 p.m.: Informal dinner / networking
: Free time activities
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.: Physical activity sessions
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.: Pontoon boat rides
8:00 p.m.: Movie Night: airing 3 episodes of the recent PBS documentary series, “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?”

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008

6:30 – 7:15 a.m.: Physical activity sessions
7:00 – 8:30 a.m.: Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45 a.m.: Opening remarks – Bev Bales, Douglas County Commissioner, and Chair of the 2008 Conference Planning Work Group
8:45 – 9:40 a.m.: General session –Mark Seeley, Ph.D., University of Minnesota Climatologist
9:45 – 10:30 a.m.: General session – Donna Zimmerman, Vice President for Government and Community Relations at HealthPartners, and member of the Itasca Project’s Working Group
10:35 – 11:00 a.m.: Break
11:00 – 11:45 a.m.: Closing session – Sanne Magnan, M.D., Ph.D., Commissioner of Health
12:00 p.m.: Conference adjourned/lunch