In a Month Dedicated to Gratitude, be Grateful for YOU!

One of our public health leaders was reflecting once on why it feels so hard to dedicate the needed attention to fully implementing the Foundational Public Health Responsibilities (FPHR). Then we saw the Cost and Capacity Assessment data for Carlton, Cook, Lake, St. Louis, Aitkin, Itasca, and Koochiching counties from 2021, which highlighted a more than $6.5 million gap in funding estimated to our region, and a 68 FTE shortfall to fully implement the FPHR. “Ah, that’s why this feels so hard!” she said. 

The Foundational Public Health Responsibilities (FPHR) from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).

We’re asked each day to do more and more. And in a time where transitions, chaos, and uncertainty is in the air, each and every one of you have absolutely risen to the challenge. Whether you’ve been in the field for decades fostering growth in our programs or you’re new to the field and bringing fresh ideas and energy, I’m so thankful to be doing this work alongside you all. In a month dedicated to celebrating gratitude* I’m grateful for you all! 

Here are some of the ways you have all worked to implement the FPHR in our region, just to name a few: 

• We’re learning the FPHR framework and starting to use common language for how to talk about our work in public health.  

• Cross-jurisdictional partnering both within and across CCLS and AIK: 

  • Communications, Community Partnership Development
    A workgroup with members representing 4 counties,1 Tribal Nation, and the CCLS-CHB collaborated on the Speaking of Cannabis campaign, giving adults with kids in their lives knowledge and tools to talk to teens about not using, and storing cannabis products safely. (It’s being adopted by other counties and partners across the state!) 

  • Accountability and Performance Management
    FPHR-aligned time tracking in Nightingale Notes is a 7-county regional project that is serving Nightingale Notes users across the state. Staff are jumping in with connecting daily activities to FPHR areas, strengthening accountability, performance management, and shared understanding of public health's foundational work.

  • Organizational Competencies
    AIK is strengthening organizational competencies by assessing local IT systems, data workflows, and governance structures to build a shared foundation for interoperable data and information systems.  

• Communications

  • Carlton County Public Health Assembled a Communications Planning Team that is actively working to establish proactive health education and communication strategies.

  • St. Louis County Public Health has grown their social media followers from 0 to over 700 and strengthened a process to send a monthly newsletter, delivering timely updates to partners and community members.  

• Equity
  Cook County Public Health worked with partners to complete an age friendly community survey and listening sessions. They used this information to create an age friendly action plan. This is a great way to use data to enhance equity within a community, ensuring our needs while aging are considered in planning efforts. 

• Community Partnership Development

  • Lake County Public Health has been collaborating with their healthcare system, Aspirus-St. Luke’s, to collaborate on the Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan (CHA/CHIP), enhancing capacity in Lake County. 

  • Aitkin County Public Health (ACPH) is developing a partnership with the local domestic violence advocacy group (HOPE) after CHA data showed that domestic violence is a priority concern among residents. ACPH connected HOPE with opioid settlement funding and ACPH is joining the Coordinated Community Response (CCR) team. 

• Assessment & Surveillance
  Itasca County Public Health used local ATV crash data to identify injury trends and inform community safety efforts. By analyzing incident patterns and sharing findings with partners, the county strengthened data-driven prevention and demonstrated how assessment and surveillance inform actionable local strategies.  

• Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Community Partnership Development
  Koochiching County Public Health invested in CredibleMind, a digital mental health and well-being platform, to expand access to evidence-based self-care and prevention resources for residents, and is available for community partners to incorporate in care plans for our community. 

As we push ourselves to modernize our public health systems, I hope you are all taking time to celebrate the ways we’re achieving this mission each day. Have anything you’d like to celebrate? Comment it below! 

A special thank-you to Erika Guenther for sharing highlights of the FPHR work happening in the AIK region!

*While Thanksgiving is an important holiday symbolizing family and gratitude for many, it also comes with a history of violence. Here are 9 suggested ways of decolonizing and honoring Native People this Thanksgiving.