Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Benton County Public Health wins $800,000 state award, accepts smaller grants and plans community outreach
Summary
The Benton County Community Health Board accepted $800,000 in state infrastructure funding for regional community health assessment work, approved acceptance of a $3,215 Medica award, authorized pursuit of a Medica early-childhood grant (up to $100,000), and outlined community events including the Foley Community Connect Expo and dental service partnerships.
The Benton County Community Health Board reported a series of grant wins and program plans at its meeting. Jacqueline (public health lead) announced that the Minnesota Department of Health selected the Central Minnesota Alliance application and awarded $800,000 to be used over two years ($400,000 per year) to support the region’s community health assessment and improvement planning. The board gave initial acceptance and staff said a contract and staffing plan (including a regional program manager and a data analyst) will be brought back for formal approval.
Separately, the board accepted an additional $3,215 from Medica County funding to cover modest costs for planned outreach activities, including community conversations about childhood development and MMR vaccination outreach, plus small dental events in partnership with Children's Dental Services. Public health staff said prior County Innovations Fund work produced hygiene kits and distributed them to local partners.
The board also approved a motion authorizing staff to explore and submit an application for Medica’s Early Childhood Health Grant (maximum request up to $100,000) to expand rural dental access and early-childhood health programming. Commissioners asked whether those funds require a local match; staff said they did not identify a match requirement for those grants.
Public health staff previewed the Foley Community Connect Expo scheduled for March 22 (9 a.m.–noon) at Foley High School gymnasium, which will offer free or low-cost services including car-seat checks, kids’ vision screenings, children’s dental walk-ins, breakfast, free shoes for children and meal kits. Staff said local businesses and health plans provided funding for event costs and will collect attendee surveys to track reach.
All motions to accept the Medica funds, seek the early-childhood grant application and provisionally accept the state infrastructure funding passed by voice vote; the board will return with contract details and proposed staffing plans for the $800,000 award.
