The program will focus on advancing upstream investment in social determinants of health and affordable housing.
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (March 15, 2023) – Children’s Minnesota is pleased to announce that is has been selected to join the Minnesota Housing and Health Equity Fellows program. The program was developed by the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund’s (GMHF) Housing and Health Equity Initiative. Children’s Minnesota is one of six organizations participating in the Fellows program and the inaugural Minnesota Healthcare Learning Cohort. The Fellows’ Teams will spend the year learning together about community impact investments and practices from across the country to address social determinants of health through housing. They will bring their learnings back to their respective organizations to inform their work on social determinants of health and the connection between health outcomes and housing.
The Children’s Minnesota Fellows includes:
- Lauren Gilchrist, senior director of the Collective for Community Health.
- Sue Slocum, chief investment officer.
- Jim Leste, vice president, operations.
“We are honored to be joining the Fellows Program and be a part of the first Minnesota Healthcare Learning Cohort,” said Lauren. “As the kid experts committed to advancing health equity in our community, we are committed to developing a comprehensive strategy to address social determinants of health for the families we serve.”
The six Fellows’ Teams include health care systems and one health plan:
- Allina Health.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
- CentraCare.
- Children’s Minnesota.
- Essentia Health.
- M Health Fairview.
The full list of the Minnesota Healthcare Learning Cohort and their purpose for engagement with the Housing & Health Equity Initiative is available on the Housing and Health Equity website here.
Research shows that 80% of what impacts the health of children happens where they live, learn and play. The GMHF, which finances affordable housing across Minnesota, has long believed the link between housing, health and equity is the most critical social determinant of health.
“We have seen through our work how a stable home is the most impactful social determinant of health and equity. Housing is a key multiplier for outcomes that improve family and community health including education, income security, safety, connectivity, and even mental health,” says Eric Muschler, Director of the Housing & Health Equity Initiative at GMHF.
This is the first and only state-focused Healthcare Learning Cohort, replicating efforts at the national level like the Center for Community Investment’s Accelerating Investments for Healthy Communities Initiative. This year-long Fellows’ program is a partnership of the GMHF, Minnesota Housing and the Center for Community Investment, a national leader in expanding community investment practices that link housing, health and equity outcomes.
The group of Minnesota Healthcare Learning Cohort Fellows will meet through December 2023 and the GMHF will provide updates on the learning cohort’s work and opportunities that arise from the engagement. For further information, visit the GMHF website.
About Children’s Minnesota
Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children’s Minnesota is one system serving kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, nine primary care clinics, multiple specialty clinics and seven rehabilitation sites. As Kids ExpertsTM in our region, Children’s Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children’s hospital.
Find us on Facebook @childrensminnesota or on Twitter and Instagram @childrensmn. Please visit childrensMN.org.
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