The Winona County Community Health Board approved two grant actions related to ongoing response-sustainability work funded by the Minnesota Department of Health.

First, the board unanimously approved acceptance of an additional $38,349 in leftover fiscal-year 2024 grant funds from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Community Health Board program (packet reference: page 43). Emily (public health staff) told the board the funds were awarded to support additional response-sustainability projects and must be spent by June. Board members asked staff to verify specific allowable uses after noticing a voter-registration item in a state grant document; attorney and staff follow-up was requested to confirm compliance before signing, but the board approved accepting the funds.

Second, the board approved spending a portion of that response-sustainability grant to host a community-based mass-casualty reunification training. Staff said the session would be run by I Love You Guys (a national organization providing reunification training), likely hosted at Cotter schools, and aimed at up to 100 K–12 attendees (public, private and charter), local law enforcement and other stakeholders. The quoted cost included travel for instructors from Colorado and instructor fees; staff said one of the instructors lives in nearby Sparta and that the organization had been vetted regionally after recent presentations in Rochester.

Votes: Commissioner Begley moved, Commissioner Meyer seconded acceptance of the additional MDH funding and the motion carried on an aye/nay voice vote. Commissioner Vaguely moved, Commissioner Elsing seconded approval of the grant spending for the mass-casualty reunification training; the motion carried on an aye/nay voice vote.

Why it matters: The additional MDH funds expand available local resources for emergency preparedness and community training; the planned mass-casualty training aims to give local school staff, law enforcement and community partners a coordinated plan for reunifying children and families after a major incident.

Ending: Staff will return to the board with additional spending details at a subsequent meeting and confirm compliance and allowable uses of the grant language flagged by the board.