Statewide Health Improvement Partnership
The purpose of the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) is to improve the health of all Minnesotans and thereby decrease health care costs through increased physical activity, healthier eating, and less use and exposure to commercial tobacco products.
Statewide Health Improvement Partnership Coordinators work with their community partners to make the community a healthier place to play, work, learn, and live. They work with schools, businesses, city planners, corrections, local farmers, and your community to improve healthy eating, active living, wellbeing, and reduce tobacco use.
Current Projects:
Aitkin City Park—developing a concept map/design for the park. Community engagement to begin in spring/summer.
Hill City Community and School Garden are on track to be completed in June.
Aitkin First Lutheran Church Food Shelf will be a Super Shelf project. Larger space and healthy food options, including fresh and frozen. A goal for late summer.
Aitkin SHIP, in collaboration with Aitkin County CARE, is to work to promote the use of effective interventions and best practices to protect brain health, address cognitive impairment and help meet the needs of caregivers for people with dementia.
Aitkin Food Hub/Aitkin Farmers Market- Farm to Buyer Mixer was held on March 14th with about 20 individuals in attendance.
The Aitkin Farmers’ Market applied for the Good Food Access Program Equipment Grant with Gramma’s Pantry to secure funding to purchase an additional refrigerator for the Food Hub to distribute/market boxes and for Gramma’s Pantry to expand/increase their local product at their store as well.
Current Projects:
Community Active Living- Way finding signs for Keewatin and Nashwauk will be installed this spring. Partnered with ARDC Fall 2021.
Community Health Eating- Good Food Guidelines in Deer River area. Northland Food Shelf Coalition meets monthly, 3rd Thursday of the month at 3:30 pm virtually. Healthy Eating in Recovery works with SNAP Ed and Pear Lake to grow food and provide cooking lessons.
School Wellness Committees- Greenway #316 meets regularly. Currently working with district nurse and MDH to revise emergency protocol book for the school district. Deer River #317 has not been meeting. Grand Rapids/Bigfork #318 combined meeting with Safe Routes to School has been meeting regularly with a focus on the mental health of students and staff. Nashwauk/Keewatin #319 have not been meeting. Northern Lights Community School's physical education advisor has partnered with SHIP to help acquire a fleet of mountain bikes to incorporate a Biking 101 class into their PE curriculum.
Workplace Wellness- Itasca County offers worksites tools and resources to make places of work healthier.
One Vegetable One Community will be at the Children’s Fair with cucumbers 4.30.2022
Tobacco Coalition meets every other month. Partnering with Rapid Rising and school counselors to update tobacco policy for school district 318 and to implement a tiered approach for violations to include cessation programs and meeting with students.
Healthcare Partnered with Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital to contract Hunger Solutions to help patients identify local resources to address food insecurity. SHIP also has partnered with Grand Itasca to implement Walk with Ease for persons with arthritis or chronic pain.
Mental Wellbeing. Presenting suicide data and community readiness assessment results to community organizations.
Current Projects:
Active living in the winter
Safe routes to school