Minnesota Infrastructure Fund Projects: Local Innovation, Big Transformation

Transforming the public health system in Minnesota

Innovation that challenges the status quo is needed to develop novel, creative approaches to improving the public health system by fulfilling foundational public health responsibilities. 

Minnesota’s local health departments and Tribal Nations are testing local innovations across the state, through grants from the Minnesota Infrastructure Fund.

Local communities are often best positioned to implement novel approaches to public health because they are on the front lines, identifying the gaps and problems in the current public health system. They are also able to adapt, iterate, and scale innovative approaches quickly for maximum impact.

On this page
Current innovation projects
Completed innovation projects
How were these projects selected?
Apply for funding

Current innovation projects

Collect, share, and analyze population health data through rural, regional collaboration

• Goal: Increase data capacity in a small, rural area through an eight-county data hub, sharing expertise and resources for data assessment, analysis, and surveillance. Sometimes also called the North West 8 Collective Consortium.
• Fiscal agent: Quin County Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Polk-Norman-Mahnomen, Quin County (Marshall, Red Lake, Pennington, Kittson, Roseau)
• FY 2022-2026 (July 2021 to June 2026)

Collect, share, and analyze population health data across health departments, through regional collaboration

• Goal: Expand a regional data and communications team to neighboring local and Tribal public health jurisdictions, to strengthen the ability of all to measure, evaluate, and communicate.
• Fiscal agent: Carlton-Cook-Lake-St. Louis Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Aitkin-Itasca-Koochiching, Carlton-Cook-Lake-St. Louis
• FY 2022-2025 (July 2021 to June 2025)

Learn more: 

• MDH: Arrowhead region: Building a strong foundation for data-informed planning, communications, and decision-making (note: this article refers to a previous iteration of this project)

Effectively and responsibly share population health data between medical care systems and public health agencies statewide

• Goal: Strengthen and expand dashboard to effectively share data between health systems and local public health departments, and pilot the use of electronic health record (EHR) data for informing timely public health efforts. Also called Health Trends Across Communities in Minnesota (HTAC).
• Visit this project online: Minnesota EHR Consortium: Health Trends Across Communities in Minnesota
• Fiscal agent: Hennepin County
• Participating jurisdictions: Anoka, Bloomington, Carver, Dakota, Edina, Hennepin, Minneapolis, Ramsey, Richfield, Scott, Washington
• FY 2022-2025 (July 2021 to June 2025)

Learn more: 

• MDH: Twin Cities metro: Electronic health records can supplement local public health data collection
• Annals of Family Medicine: Health Trends Across Communities: a healthcare system-public health collaboration to advance health equity across Minnesota
• Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics: Health Trends Across Communities in Minnesota: a statewide dashboard leveraging the OMOP CDM to monitor the prevalence of health conditions (8:16)

Explore methods to increase rural, regional communications capacity 

• Goal: Expand communications capacity in a rural area through cross-jurisdictional sharing.
• Visit this project online: North Country Community Health Board Media
• Fiscal agent: North Country Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Beltrami, North Country (Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods)
• FY 2022-2025 (July 2021 to June 2025)

Collect, share, and analyze population health data through regional collaboration

• Goal: Expand a regional model for population health data collection and analysis. Also known as Southeast Regional Data Hub.
• Visit this project online: Olmsted County: SE MN Opioid Data Profile
• Fiscal agent: Olmsted County Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Dodge-Steele, Fillmore-Houston, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Wabasha, Winona
• FY 2022-2025 (July 2021 to June 2025)

Learn more: 

• MDH: Southeastern Minnesota: A region shares data, expertise, and partnership
• ASTHO: Olmsted County pilots a regional population health data hub to improve data accessibility
• ASTHO: Supporting rural counties through a regional population health data hub in Southeast Minnesota (24:42)

Increase access to culturally specific public health information and services

• Goal: With trusted messengers, increase access to accurate, culturally specific, and linguistically appropriate public health information and health care services that align with the community's needs, across multiple jurisdictions.
• Visit this project online: Ramsey County: Trusted Messenger Initiative
• Fiscal agent: St. Paul Ramsey County Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Dakota, St. Paul-Ramsey
• FY 2022-2025 (July 2021 to June 2025)

Create a community-led, cross-sectoral birth justice strategic plan

• Goal: Implement a community-led, cross-jurisdictional, and cross-sector birth justice strategic plan, along with the Birth Justice Collaborative.
• Visit this project online: Birth Justice Collaborative Partnership
• Fiscal agent: Hennepin County
• Participating jurisdictions: Hennepin; Minneapolis
• FY 2024-2025 (July 2023 to June 2025)

Explore methods to increase rural, regional informatics capacity 

• Goal: Explore processes and models to develop regional informatics capacity to rural, multi-county community health boards with independent local health departments.
• Fiscal agent: Aitkin-Itasca-Koochiching Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Aitkin-Itasca-Koochiching, Carlton-Cook-Lake-St. Louis
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Create public health education and communications in Tribal-local partnership

• Goal: In partnership across local and Tribal public health, create culturally-based health education and communications materials.
• Fiscal agent: Beltrami County Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Beltrami, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Coordinate data and community engagement through regional collaboration, in partnership with medical care

• Goal: Implement a regional approach to data and community coordination across multiple jurisdictions and in partnership with a health care system, to ensure community voices help shape public health priorities and interventions.
• Fiscal agent: Benton County Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Benton, Sherburne, Stearns
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Improve Latine community access to mental health services

• Goal: Improve Latine community access to and use of mental health services, with trusted community organizations and across multiple jurisdictions.
• Fiscal agent: Carver County Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Carver, Scott
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Build workforce development program in partnership with universities

• Goal: Create a cross-jurisdictional workforce development program alongside a local university.
• Fiscal agent: Human Services of Faribault and Martin Counties
• Participating jurisdictions: Brown, Countryside (Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift, Yellow Medicine), Des Moines Valley (Cottonwood, Jackson), Faribault-Martin, Kandiyohi-Renville, Le Sueur-Waseca, Meeker-McLeod-Sibley, Nicollet, Southwest (Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone, Rock, Redwood), Watonwan
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Analyze qualitative and quantitative population health data through regional collaboration

• Goal: Create a data hub that combines qualitative data insights, quantitative health care system data, and GIS mapping, across two jurisdictions.
• Fiscal agent: Horizon Public Health
• Participating jurisdictions: Countryside (Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift, Yellow Medicine), Horizon (Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Traverse)
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Explore benefits, drawbacks, and sustainability of full agency integration

• Goal: Analyze the benefits, drawbacks, and sustainability of a fully integrated public health jurisdiction, in order to best serve constituents
• Fiscal agent and participating jurisdiction: Le Sueur-Waseca Community Health Board
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Grow disease intervention collaboratively across Tribal and local public health jurisdictions

• Goal: Pilot a disease intervention specialist delivery model to work collaboratively across jurisdictions and between Tribal and local public health, to better assess and analyze disparities in disease and social determinants of health.
• Fiscal agents: Aitkin-Itasca-Koochiching Community Health Board and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
• Participating jurisdictions: Itasca, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Explore community and organizational benefits of full agency integration

• Goal: Investigate the community and organizational benefits of becoming a fully integrated community health board.
• Fiscal agent and participating jurisdiction: Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Community Health Board
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Explore methods to increase rural, regional communications capacity 

• Goal: Expand communications capacity in a rural area through cross-jurisdictional sharing.
• Fiscal agent: Polk-Norman-Mahnomen Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Partnership4Health (Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin), Polk-Norman-Mahnomen
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Expand correctional health disease investigation and intervention

• Goal: Pilot disease intervention services in correctional facilities across multiple jurisdictions, and expand an on-demand disease investigation services model.
• Fiscal agent: St. Paul Ramsey County Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Dakota, St. Paul-Ramsey, Washington
• FY 2025-2026 (July 2024 to June 2026)

Completed innovation projects

Become trauma-informed organization through community partnership and organizational assessment 

• Goal: Expand methods across participating community health boards to become trauma-informed, healing organizations through community partnerships and by assessing policies, procedures, and systems.
• Fiscal agent: Hennepin County
• Participating jurisdictions: Bloomington, Edina, Hennepin, Minneapolis, Richfield
• FY 2022-2024 (July 2021 to June 2024)

Evaluate establishing safe recovery sites through policy research

• Goal: Evaluate the effectiveness, implications and practicality of establishing safe recovery sites, through cross-jurisdictional policy research and evaluation.
• Fiscal agent: City of Minneapolis Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Minneapolis, St. Paul-Ramsey
• FY 2024 (July 2023 to June 2024)

Operationalize health equity through community collaboration

• Goal: Operationalize health equity through a community-city collaboration to address health and healing.
• Fiscal agent: City of Bloomington Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Bloomington, Edina; Richfield
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

Increase resident health equity, engagement, and opportunity through dedicated team and staff

• Goal: Pilot an Office of Community Engagement and Equity to fund and partner with local nonprofit organizations to promote health equity, community engagement, and opportunity for all residents.
• Fiscal agent and participating jurisdiction: Carver County Community Health Board
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

Develop and test a modernized, rural communications infrastructure

• Goal: Develop and test a modernized communications and marketing infrastructure, in partnership with community leaders, in a rural and multi-county jurisdiction.
• Fiscal agent and participating jurisdiction: Countryside Community Health Board (Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift, Yellow Medicine)
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

Test a consultation model to build data capacity and strengthen community partnerships

• Goal: Pilot a consultation model for building data capacity and strengthening community partnerships.
• Fiscal agent and participating jurisdiction: Des Moines Valley Health and Human Services (Cottonwood, Jackson)
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

Explore methods to increase data capacity 

• Goal: Work across jurisdictions on joint, mutually beneficial projects to enhance data capabilities.
• Fiscal agent and participating jurisdiction: Goodhue County Health and Human Services
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

Design a modern, responsive communications strategy through external collaboration

• Goal: Design a public health communications strategy for the 21st century by contracting with experts and community connectors.
• Fiscal agent and participating jurisdiction: Horizon Public Health (Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Traverse)
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

Explore methods to increase communications capacity, including with community health workers

• Goal: Build communications capacity and explore how community health workers can help carry out and support strategic communications.
• Fiscal agent and participating jurisdiction: Le Sueur-Waseca Community Health Board
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

Explore methods to increase data capacity, including data-sharing and disease reporting across local and state borders

• Goal: Increase capacity in data and epidemiology across jurisdictions while building data-sharing and disease reporting relationships across state borders
• Fiscal agent: Partnership4Health Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Partnership4Health (Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin), Polk-Norman-Mahnomen
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

Explore a regional environmental public health partnership

• Goal: Create a regional environmental health partnership to strengthen services and explore factors that make for successful cross-jurisdictional work.
• Fiscal agent: Polk-Norman-Mahnomen Community Health Board
• Participating jurisdictions: Marshall, Pennington-Red Lake, Polk-Norman-Mahnomen
• FY 2022-2023 (July 2021 to June 2023)

How were these projects selected?

MDH convened a broadly representative application review team that included:

• A SCHSAC representative to the Joint Leadership Team
• An MDH representative to the Joint Leadership Team
• An LPHA representative to the Joint Leadership Team
• A representative from the MDH Office of American Indian Health
• Local public health leaders and SCHSAC members from jurisdictions that are not applying for funds
• External partners with relevant knowledge and expertise

Evaluation criteria include: Building capacity in a foundational responsibility, demonstration of organizational need and of how the proposed approach meets that need, identification of potential lessons learned for how to build capacity for foundational responsibilities statewide, consideration of health equity.

Apply for funding

Learn more: State Infrastructure Fund Projects: Application and Request for Proposals