Network's Spotlights
Welcome to the Minnesota Health Equity Connections Blog. This space is a tool to celebrate and share our work in health equity.
Welcome to the Minnesota Health Equity Connections Blog. This space is a tool to celebrate and share our work in health equity.
Health Equity Network Spotlight
Check in here to see the spotlights of your networks!
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Share "No one knows everything, but together we know a lot." on Facebook Share "No one knows everything, but together we know a lot." on Twitter Share "No one knows everything, but together we know a lot." on Linkedin Email "No one knows everything, but together we know a lot." link
"No one knows everything, but together we know a lot."
11 days agoSpotlight on: Minnesota Health Equity Networks
In this month's newsletter, the Networks would like to spotlight its own efforts as they welcome new partners and celebrates two years of health equity work in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Health Equity Networks team photos reveal a lot about their approach to advancing health equity across Minnesota. Gathered in front of meaningful locations, such as in front of a mural in Mankato or by a wall sign that reads "Do the Most Good" at a community gathering space in Minneapolis, these images capture a vibrant, diverse, and united team of collaborators dedicated to their... Continue reading
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Building upon strength and culture
about 1 month agoSpotlight on: Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES)
Vibrant colors and beautiful images greet visitors even before they enter the Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) offices in St. Paul. Outside the light-filled lobby, a mural features a young girl draped in a shawl decorated with flags of numerous Latin American nations that the people of CLUES represent. Embedded within the symbolic design, a banner holds the text, “La Cultura Cura,” or “Culture Heals,” in English.
The CLUES building in St. Paul houses the Mexican Consulate, offices for the Abriendo Caminos Behavioral Health Department, space for cultural art exhibits, and... Continue reading
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Being a place for compassionate and inclusive sexual healthcare and education
3 months agoBeing a place for compassionate and inclusive sexual healthcare and education
Network member spotlight: WeARE - The Clinic (Brainerd, MN)
View the full July newsletter: Minnesota Health Equity Networks July Newsletter
Tucked in the middle of a strip mall on Oak Street near downtown Brainerd, WeARE – The Clinic boasts cheery bright green and purple signage. It's across the street from the Brainerd Family YMCA and about a block from the local high school. Welcoming and approachable, WeARE is the go-to resource for compassionate and inclusive sexual healthcare, transformational health education programming, and collaborations that serve reproductive justice in the... Continue reading
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Listening to what youth and community want and need
4 months agoThe lower level of the CornerStone Community and Youth Center in Frazee, MN, is a hive of activity. A 40-foot chalk wall, a pool table, ping pong, foosball, TV, and gaming offer artistic creativity and fun. In the Maker’s Space, youth can cook and eat in a full kitchen, with a pantry and cupboards full of ingredients for budding young chefs and cooks. They can learn to make t-shirts, woodworking, painting, sketching, and pottery. Youth can operate equipment like 3-D printers, laser engravers, Cricut Maker 3, and screen printers. Offered to youth from 4th to 12th grade as a free... Continue reading
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Making human to human connections
5 months agoMaking human-to-human connections
Network member spotlight: Zumbro Valley Medical Society Foundation Street Medicine Program
View the full May newsletter: Minnesota Health Equity Networks May Newsletter
Three years ago, Zumbro Valley Medical Society (ZVMS) started a Street Medicine program. This program brings together physicians, medical students, community partners, and individuals with lived experience to identify and create effective ways to improve health care for people experiencing homelessness in Olmsted County.
We need to adapt to people and their circumstances rather than expect people to adapt to us.” – Beth Kangas, Executive Director, ZVMS
During “street rounds,” a physician and medical student... Continue reading
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Share Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Community Health Services on Facebook Share Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Community Health Services on Twitter Share Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Community Health Services on Linkedin Email Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Community Health Services link
Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Community Health Services
5 months agoNetwork member spotlight: Meeker-McLeod-Sibley (MMS) Community Health Services
View the full April newsletter: MN Health Equity Networks April 2024 Newsletter
Meeker-McLeod-Sibley (MMS) Community Health Services has been working on data-driven health equity initiatives for almost a decade. However, their current work stems from a data gap realized through their most recent Health Equity Data Analysis (HEDA). HEDA focuses on identifying health inequities among specific groups. The analysis showed that Hispanic residents were underrepresented in their area’s data collection.
MMS staff responded by ensuring that the questions used in the HEDA tool were translated and culturally appropriate. They considered the cultural... Continue reading
Health Equity Networks Coordinator Corner May
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Health Equity Networks Coordinator Corner June
Hola/Hello! I am Lil Piñero, Network Coordinator for the Metro Region. I have been at MDH since January 2022. So, why health equity? I was inspired to seek out a position promoting health equity after working on the COVID response. I witnessed how impactful inclusion and belonging can be and how relationship building can knock down barriers right before my eyes. It was a powerful experience and I wanted more of that in my world. |
During my time with the Networks, I have had the pleasure of meeting some amazing people working to advance health equity efforts in their communities. One of those groups is the Dakota Child and Family Clinic. I was invited to visit the clinic and from the moment I walked in the door, I was in awe of how inclusive and welcoming the entrance was. I met a beautifully diverse staff who told me so many stories of how the communities and staff came together to help build the clinic into what it was. I learned about the ways they incorporated equity along every step of their care model. I remember thinking “this is what it is all about, this is health equity at its best in a community clinic.“ I have many organizations and local public health departments that share this passion to advance health equity where they work and where they live. Change is not linear nor fast, but it is certainly possible. My hope is that, along with the many partners I have met, we support each other in the process of moving from occasionally viewing our work with an equity lens to a more permanent vision that includes health equity at every step. If I haven’t met you yet, I hope to meet you. Please feel free to reach out to me. Fun fact: I LOVE Alpacas! - Lil Piñero, Metro Region Coordinator |
Meet Health Equity Networks TC Duong
Welcome, TC!
I am TC Duong, the new Health Equity Capacity Specialist. In this role, I support Network staff, build out tools and trainings, and document the real and tangible outcomes created by building equity capacity. I come to the team from the Blue Shield of California Foundation, where I managed a funding portfolio focused on equity-centered collaborations across sectors, such as health care, housing, and education. |
In California, I co-created a resource called the Equity in Collaboration Toolkit that Network partners may find useful. There are many resources to support equity at the organizational level; however, this toolkit is unique because it supports equity practice related to collaboration. The toolkit includes an assessment designed to capture equity values, practices, and behaviors; a guide to start equity conversations; and a resource list. The assessment is a series of questions to help groups place themselves on a continuum of forming, learning and thriving in equity work. The assessment helps users understand where to begin with the toolkit. After two months of being part of the Health Equity Networks, I have gained much appreciation for the team’s work. They are not only coordinators but trainers and thought partners with local public health, community organizations, and Minnesota Department of Health staff. Our coordinators give space for folks to take a breath, reflect, and appreciate that they are impacting health equity and consider how to move the work further. I look forward to connecting with partners and community members as we continue this work. |
Health Equity Networks Coordinator's Corner September
Reflections and activity highlights from the regional coordinators.
'Tis the season of fall transition! The Networks' Metro Regional Coordinator, Lil Pinero, has taken a new position within the Minnesota Department of Health doing youth substance misuse work. The Networks team is excited for Lil, and we will miss her on our team. With Lil's transition, we've been discussing how we can serve the Metro in her absence. If you have thoughts about this or how the Networks can best serve any region, please reach out to a regional coordinator.
We value your input, as we are always working to build out programming that is reflective of your needs and ideas.
In solidarity,
The Minnesota Health Equity Networks team
What's in a recipe for health equity?
Our team at the Minnesota Health Equity Networks has been deeply engaged in discussions about our vision and future work, imagining what the next few years will bring. These conversations have been both productive and enjoyable. One particularly inspiring discussion led us to envision advancing health equity as if it were a recipe for a dish or even a full meal. We began considering the essential ingredients and the steps required to achieve health equity.
The coolest part of this process was realizing there’s no single right way to make this “meal.” The recipe needs constant adjustment, and sometimes, our efforts don’t yield the desired outcome. When that happens, we reflect on the ingredients or steps that impacted the result and then start again.
We brainstormed some ingredients to include on our recipe card (see below). What else could be included? What ingredients are missing? What directions do we need to add? What has worked well for you?
Thanks for adding to our collective recipe with us,
Shor