2008 Minnesota Statutes

145.986 STATEWIDE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

Subdivision 1.Grants to local communities.

(a) Beginning July 1, 2009, the commissioner of health shall award competitive grants to community health boards established pursuant to section 145A.09 and tribal governments to convene, coordinate, and implement evidence-based strategies targeted at reducing the percentage of Minnesotans who are obese or overweight and to reduce the use of tobacco.

(b) Grantee activities shall:

(1) be based on scientific evidence;

(2) be based on community input;

(3) address behavior change at the individual, community, and systems levels;

(4) occur in community, school, worksite, and health care settings; and

(5) be focused on policy, systems, and environmental changes that support healthy behaviors.

(c) To receive a grant under this section, community health boards and tribal governments must submit proposals to the commissioner. A local match of ten percent of the total funding allocation is required. This local match may include funds donated by community partners.

(d) In order to receive a grant, community health boards and tribal governments must submit a health improvement plan to the commissioner of health for approval. The commissioner may require the plan to identify a community leadership team, community partners, and a community action plan that includes an assessment of area strengths and needs, proposed action strategies, technical assistance needs, and a staffing plan.

(e) The grant recipient must implement the health improvement plan, evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions, and modify or discontinue interventions found to be ineffective.

(f) By January 15, 2011, the commissioner of health shall recommend whether any funding should be distributed to community health boards and tribal governments based on health disparities demonstrated in the populations served.

(g) Grant recipients shall report their activities and their progress toward the outcomes established under subdivision 2 to the commissioner in a format and at a time specified by the commissioner.

(h) All grant recipients shall be held accountable for making progress toward the measurable outcomes established in subdivision 2. The commissioner shall require a corrective action plan and may reduce the funding level of grant recipients that do not make adequate progress toward the measurable outcomes.

Subd. 2.Outcomes.

(a) The commissioner shall set measurable outcomes to meet the goals specified in subdivision 1, and annually review the progress of grant recipients in meeting the outcomes.

(b) The commissioner shall measure current public health status, using existing measures and data collection systems when available, to determine baseline data against which progress shall be monitored.

Subd. 3.Technical assistance and oversight.

The commissioner shall provide content expertise, technical expertise, and training to grant recipients and advice on evidence-based strategies, including those based on populations and types of communities served. The commissioner shall ensure that the statewide health improvement program meets the outcomes established under subdivision 2 by conducting a comprehensive statewide evaluation and assisting grant recipients to modify or discontinue interventions found to be ineffective.

Subd. 4.Evaluation.

Using the outcome measures established in subdivision 3, the commissioner shall conduct a biennial evaluation of the statewide health improvement program funded under this section. Grant recipients shall cooperate with the commissioner in the evaluation and provide the commissioner with the information necessary to conduct the evaluation.

Subd. 5.Report.

The commissioner shall submit a biennial report to the legislature on the statewide health improvement program funded under this section. These reports must include information on grant recipients, activities that were conducted using grant funds, evaluation data, and outcome measures, if available. In addition, the commissioner shall provide recommendations on future areas of focus for health improvement. These reports are due by January 15 of every other year, beginning in 2010. In the report due on January 15, 2010, the commissioner shall include recommendations on a sustainable funding source for the statewide health improvement program other than the health care access fund.

Subd. 6.Supplantation of existing funds.

Community health boards and tribal governments must use funds received under this section to develop new programs, expand current programs that work to reduce the percentage of Minnesotans who are obese or overweight or who use tobacco, or replace discontinued state or federal funds previously used to reduce the percentage of Minnesotans who are obese or overweight or who use tobacco. Funds must not be used to supplant current state or local funding to community health boards or tribal governments used to reduce the percentage of Minnesotans who are obese or overweight or to reduce tobacco use.

History:

2008 c 358 art 1 s 1