The Statewide Health Improvement Program

Goal: The goal of the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) is to help Minnesotans live longer, healthier, better lives by preventing risk factors that lead to chronic disease.

Focus: Reduction of obesity and tobacco use through broad, behind-the-scenes changes that make it easier for people to incorporate healthy behaviors into their daily lives.

By: Implementing evidence based strategies to make policy, systems and environmental changes in four settings: schools, communities, worksites, and health care facilities.

SHIP Intervention Selections for Le Sueur-Waseca Counties:

• School Intervention - Implement comprehensive nutrition policies including breakfast promotion; healthy lunch and snacks (including classroom celebrations and incentives, fundraising, concessions and vending); school gardens; and farm-to-school initiatives.
• Community Intervention - Implement tobacco-free policies for parks, playgrounds, beaches, fairs, and other recreational settings.
• 2 Worksite Interventions -

  • Implement mechanisms that connect people with existing effective cessation services including quit lines, quitting websites, and face-to-face counseling.
  • Implement worksite policies for tobacco-free grounds including parking lots.

• Heath Care Intervention - Implement breastfeeding practices in maternity care that provides prenatal, birth, and postpartum services.

Policy, System, Environment Changes

• Changes must be sustainable
• Changes must be evidence based
• Programs must be accompanied by policy and environment changes

What SHIP Can Not Do

• Use funds for one-time events (unless promoting policy or environment change)
• Use funds for prizes
• Use funds for programs that do not lead to sustainable change

PSE options/ideas for communities, worksites, schools, health care