Healthy You Healthy Hennepin

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Feature Story

Mother holding baby with Minnesota state watermark over photo

Annual report 2023

While COVID remains an important public health issue, it no longer dominates our day-to-day work. In 2023 we were able to apply the lessons we learned during the pandemic to strengthen our department and better serve the current and future health needs of the people of Hennepin County.

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Graphic image of American Indian Birth Justice Collaborative gathering

Creating Birth Justice

Hennepin County is working with many partners to address the maternal health disparities that Black and American Indian people face. Through this work the Birth Justice Collaborative was created.

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Two people talking outside

SHAPE data 2023

The SHAPE survey – conducted every four years since 1998 – asks Hennepin County residents about the factors that influence their health, such as diet, physical activity, housing, health care, and more.

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Raised hand and a rainbow

Success stories of collective impact on housing and well-being

Hennepin County Community Health Improvement Partnership – or “CHIP” – has provided funding directly to people and organizations in the community to work on issues related to housing stability and mental well-being.

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Two males from TCRP

The power of peer support in recovery

Twin Cities Recovery Project (TCRP) Inc is one of the 17 organizations Hennepin County has contracted with to provide opioid services to groups disproportionately impacted by the epidemic.

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Lake with a beach and empty lifeguard chair

Becoming more resilient to climate change

This is how Hennepin County is increasing resiliency to climate change.

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woman looking in outreach bag

Responding to HIV Outbreak Among People Who Inject Drugs

This is the story of how Hennepin County Public Health and our partners responded to the HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs.

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Woman standing in front of Minneapolis skyline.

The making of a mental health professional

Latisha Edwards is a social worker at Hennepin County Cope, a 24/7 mobile crisis response program.

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Hennepin County Public Health 2022 annual report

Check out what Hennepin County Public Health accomplished in 2022.

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Aliveness Project staff standing in front of mobile van

Tackling two epidemics

The opioid and HIV epidemics cannot be addressed in isolation. As part of its opioid prevention response, Hennepin County is partnering with the Aliveness Project, a Minneapolis nonprofit that’s tackling HIV.

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Staff from Metro Youth Diversion Center

Providing opioid prevention services to the East African community

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Health Care for the Homeless staff respond to COVID-19

Health Care for the Homeless supports clients through the pandemic

For many people, Hennepin County Health Care for the Homeless is their only access to health care. When COVID-19 hit, staff figured out how to respond.

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Boxes of masks

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 by providing millions of masks

During COVID-19, Hennepin County provided 2.7 million masks (and counting) to our community -- with the help of over 600 community partners. Here's the "behind the scenes" story.

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Logisticians at work

Wind, rain, snow, slush: logisticians work through it all

Between January 2020 and July 2022, Public Health's logistics team has supported 187 COVID-19 testing events. They’ve also supported 516 vaccine events where 35,676 people have received 71,845 vaccines.

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Monica, community vaccine stipend team member

Supporting vaccine events: a heart for community

Hennepin County Public Health supported more than 160 community-based vaccine events between April 2021 and today.

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community health specialist, Meg

Navigation center

Implementing the navigation center phone line was an important accessibility improvement undertaken by the county and a commitment to equity in the vaccine response.

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Essential services workers

Providing essential services during a pandemic

During the pandemic, dozens of staff provided food, medications, and other essential services to Hennepin County residents who'd tested positive for COVID-19.

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Response task force staff

COVID-19 response task force: frontline staff share their stories

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Case investigator

Case investigation: making public health guidance personal

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Public Health data staff

Data: backbone of the COVID-19 response

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Baby Tracks staff tabling in the community

Immunizing babies, protecting community

Due to COVID, many kids fell behind on childhood immunizations. Baby Tracks is taking innovative approaches to help.

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Kids dancing at House of Dance's studio

Hip Hop and vaccination

Through a unique partnership, House of Dance Twin Cities is using dance and music to bring people together, build trust and friendship, and promote COVID-19 vaccination.

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Women with facemask

Mental health during the pandemic

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Community partner

Bringing vaccination to community

The county has partnered with dozens of community partners to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

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HPCH strategic report

Hennepin County Public Health 2021-2025 strategic plan

The strategic plan charts a course for the future of Hennepin County Public Health and its service to the county.

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Person in YouthLink jacket

The opioid epidemic gets worse during COVID-19

News of the opioid epidemic has gotten lost beneath COVID-19. Here's what's going on.

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Mother and daughter wearing a mask

Take care of each other

A message for people and communities in Hennepin County to take heart and take steps to stay healthy and safe from COVID-19.

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Hennepin County epidemiologist Franny Dorr standing outside

Contact tracing to slow the spread

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Franny Dorr, a Hennepin County epidemiologist, has spent hours on the phone, talking to people with COVID-19 and people they may have exposed.

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Staff wearing facemasks at the Public Health Clinic

Being a clinician during coronavirus

Three staff at the Hennepin County Public Health Clinic describe how they've adapted their work to serve clients safely.

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Avra holding her daughter

WIC supports breastfeeding during COVID-19

When Avra's daughter was nine weeks old, Minnesota had its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Throughout the subsequent shutdowns, one thing's been constant: WIC.

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A parent and a child who are involved in Baby Space

Strong Beginnings

Learn how Hennepin County's Strong Beginnings partnership to trying to help children get the quality childhood care they need to support optimal brain development.

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Hennepin County shown within image of Minnesota

Hennepin County Public Health – 2019 Report

Check out what Hennepin County Public Health accomplished in 2019.

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Two women standing in a front a Twin Cities Mobile Market bus

Grocery store on a bus

Since 2014, the Twin Cities Mobile Market has been bringing hundreds of food items to neighborhoods and housing units where people may find it difficult to access or afford fresh, healthy food.

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Naomy, a mental health practitioner

Practicing mental health care in homeless shelters

Each week, Naomy provides mental health care to people experiencing homelessness in the Twin Cities.

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Picture of a family whose two daughters have taken swim lessons through Make a Splash

Make a Splash

Sisters Olivia and Sylvana had never taken swim lessons before Hennepin County's Make a Splash program. Now they’ve learned to float, kick, glide, and are starting to practice swim strokes.

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A group of teens who are participating in Brooklyn Center High School's Expect Respect Internship

Teen voices

A paid internship at Brooklyn Center High School is empowering youth to act as peer sexual health educators and to identify health issues they can improve within their school district.

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Tryone Patterson, a psychiatric social worker and mental health survivor, sitting on a park bench.

A soldier's story

Tyrone Patterson serves in the Army and provides clinical care to people with mental illness. For many years, he’s also struggled, sometimes silently due to stigma, with his own mental illness.

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Syringe exchange programs help combat the opioid epidemic

Syringe exchange saves lives

Each week, injection drug users visit Hennepin County Red Door Clinic’s syringe exchange program. The program has a surprising number of public health benefits.

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Step to it challenge

Taking strides to better health

Learn how kids, adults, and families are staying active, having fun, and connecting with their communities through the Step to it challenge.

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Breastfeeding benefits moms and babies

Chocolate Milk Day

For two decades, Dr. LaVonne Moore has been on a quiet crusade. Her passion project? Helping women all over the Twin Cities overcome barriers to breastfeeding.

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WIC breastfeeding peer counselors

Moms helping moms breastfeed

Women face barriers to breastfeeding, especially women of color. A WIC program is trying to help by pairing breastfeeding mothers with women who have experience breastfeeding their own children.

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Fadzai completed a health equity intern with Hennepin County Public Health.

Addressing health equity

Moving from Zimbabwe to Minnesota gave Fadzai Manungo eye-opening insights into health equity.

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The Backyard Initiative is a community driven health initiative

Community power

In 2009 an ambitious health and wellness initiative launched in south central Minneapolis. It's driven entirely by the community.

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Suicide is a complex problem that affects people of all ages, races, and income levels.

Her story isn't over yet

In January 2016, Toni Plante's 15-year-old daughter Ana took her own life. Read this article to hear Toni's story and to learn about local suicide prevention resources.

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The SHAPE survey assesses the unique health issues facing Hennepin County residents

A tale of two nerds

From a windowless basement office, Urban Landreman and Mei Ding oversee a survey that assesses the unique health issues facing Hennepin County residents.

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Menthol tobacco products are just as dangerous as their non-menthol counterparts

Menthol manipulation

Arnetta Philips and others are leading a community campaign to show people that menthol tobacco is harmful -- and that campaign is leading to new legislation.

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Hennepin County Child and Teen Checkups serves Medicaid eligible babies, kids, teens, and young adults

The art of connection

Many people have barriers to receiving regular, preventive care. Cheryl Branch, a senior community health worker with Hennepin County Child and Teen Checkups, uses songs, humor, and personal stories to break those barriers.

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Prostate cancer is the second most common men's cancer

Prostate cancer: a daughter's story

Jeanie was 17 when her father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Nine years later, he died from the disease.

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Hoarding disorder affects 2 to 5 percent of the population

Hoarding Disorder

This misunderstood mental illness affects two to five percent of the population.

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Syphilis is a corkscrew shaped bacterium

Stealthy Syphilis

This bacterial infection doesn't always cause symptoms -- and it's increasing in broader segments of the population at an unprecedented rate.

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Sarah Super

Break the Silence

After a horrific sexual assault, this survivor created a forum for other sexual assault survivors to heal.

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Family that had home tested and mitigated for radon

Take the Radon Test

It's invisible and odorless but dangerous. Are you at risk? A simple test will tell you.

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John Hesch, anger management instructor at TCMC

Anger Management

It can be tough to control. These men are teaching other men how.

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Girl smiling

Cool When It Counts

It’s a mid-July mid-afternoon and the movie “Wet, Hot American Summer” is playing at the Uptown.

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QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? healthyhennepin@hennepin.us