Welcome to our first edition of A Healthier Southwest/SHIP quarterly newsletter. We will be sharing upcoming events, community partnerships, as well as program highlights and successes that are happening throughout the coming year.
Dementia and Caregiver Activity Kits Available
The Slayton Public Library and the Fulda Memorial Library have dementia and caregiver activity kits available for checkout. The dementia friendly kits are tailored to those struggling with dementia and are focused on hobbies or things they enjoy. The caregiver kits are created for caregivers of people experiencing memory loss.
The materials in these kits are selected to spark memories, create conversations and provide positive and engaging interactions between people with memory loss and their care partners. The kits may be checked out from the library for two weeks. For more information visit the Slayton or Fulda library.
These kits were created out of a unique partnership between the Slayton and Fulda libraries, A.C.E. of Southwest Minnesota-Murray County, Nobles Cooperative Electric, Murray County Alliance and SHIP.
Community Leadership Teams (CLT's)
We would like to extend a big Thank You to our Community Leadership Teams! Our SHIP work is directed by local community leadership teams that bring expertise and connections to the table. The complex, comprehensive nature of our work requires strong relationships, partnerships and expertise at the local level. Through these partnerships we have been able to contribute over $66,000 in SHIP funding to our communities, schools, worksites and healthcare organizations over the past two years. If you would like to have a seat at the table or partner with us please contact Jen Nelson at jennifer.nelson@swmhhs.com. We would love to have you join our CLT team!
Quit Partner
Quit Partner is Minnesota's free way to quit nicotine including smoking, vaping and chewing. They provide one-on-one coaching, free medications, text messages and other helpful tools. They are available 24/7. Visit Quit Partner for more information.
Become CLC Certified
Southwest Health & Human Services and SHIP are partnering to offer scholarships for an online CLC training for area healthcare professionals. The Lactation Counselor online training porvides a comprehensive, evidence-based, breastfeeding management course with a strong focus on clinical counseling and assessment skills.
- CEU's provided
- Six months to complete course
For more information or to apply, contact Jen Nelsen at jennifer.nelson@swmhhs.com. Deadline to apply is January 31, 2022.
ASIST Training
We recently learned about a fantastic opportunity to take ASIST training in March (Bloomington), offered by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
ASIST stands for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. It’s a two day course that emphasizes teaching suicide first-aid in order to help a person who is at risk for suicide stay safe and seek further help as needed. Participants learn to use a suicide intervention model to identify people with thoughts of suicide, seek a shared understanding of reasons for dying and living, develop a safeplan based upon a review of risk, be prepared to do follow-up, and become involved in suicide-safer community networks. The learning process is based on adult learning principles and highly participatory. Graduated skills development occurs through mini-lectures, facilitated discussions, group simulations, and role plays.
In late spring or early summer 2022, the MN Dept of Health and MN Dept of Ag will collaborate to offer training for people who want to learn become certified safeTALK prevention trainers, with a section specific to agricultural communities. ASIST is a prerequisite for becoming a certified safeTALK trainer, so if you’re interested that, the timing for AFSP’s course is really excellent.
Questions about ASIST training: Cassandra Linkenmeyer, 507-721-8246
Questions about safeTALK train-the-trainer course: Tanya Carter, 218-332-5167
A Healthier Southwest is a part of Southwest Health and Human Services and is supported by the Minnesota Department of Health through the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP).
