“The entire health care reform bill is a package of interventions that puts Minnesota on the road to quality, affordable, accessible health care for all Minnesotans,” says Minnesota Commissioner of Health Sanne Magnan, M.D., Ph.D.

In addition to establishing SHIP, the package:

•  Increases transparency of cost and quality health care
   information
  
•  Develops health care homes and other methods of
   payment reform
  
•  Increases access to care through MinnesotaCare
  
•  Develops insurance reform to enable more Minnesotans to
   pay health care premiums with pre-tax dollars
  
•  Requires more administrative simplifications in health care

Over fiscal years 2010 and 2011, SHIP will provide up to $20 million and $27 million respectively for health improvement throughout the state. Minnesota’s SHIP is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Steps program, which is currently being implemented in four communities in Minnesota: Minneapolis, Rochester, St. Paul, and Willmar.

Through a competitive process, grants will be awarded to community health boards and tribal governments across Minnesota starting in July 2009. Grantees will be required to create community action plans, assemble community leadership teams, and establish partnerships. To help improve the health of Minnesotans, grantees will utilize policy, systems, and environmental changes in four settings: schools, worksites, health care, and community. The program will be evaluated at both the state and local levels to ensure progress is made toward a set of measurable outcomes.

In 2010-2011, SHIP efforts will focus on obesity and tobacco as the key risk factors to target interventions, which Commissioner Magnan says address the top preventable causes of illness and death in the United States.

Jane Korn, M.D., M.P.H., comprehensive cancer control program director at the Minnesota Department of Health, says that SHIP will significantly help advance Cancer Plan Minnesota.  

“Chapter 1 in the plan is all about prevention – reducing the harmful effects of tobacco, increasing physical activity and healthy eating and reducing obesity,” she says. “Many of the most common types of cancer share behavioral risk factors with other chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Forty-seven million dollars in new funding for Minnesota to address prevention is big news!”

For more information on SHIP, call the Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner’s Office at 651-201-5810 or visit http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/opa/2008session.html. 

Information obtained from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH); published with permission from MDH.