DEPARTMENT: Public Health
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
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Authorization To Execute Joint Powers Agreement With City Of Hastings For Wellness Initiatives Funded Through Minnesota Department Of Health Statewide Health Improvement Partnership
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RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 375A.04, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners is, and performs the duties and exercises the powers of, a community health board under Minn. Stat. ch. 145A, and is required to govern and administer those functions as fully as other Dakota County functions, including the responsibility to prevent disease and to promote and protect the public health of Dakota County residents; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, the state of Minnesota legislature passed a health reform law that created a comprehensive and coordinated health prevention strategy that spans across all of Minnesota’s 87 counties and 10 tribal nations; and
WHEREAS, a key component of this reform was to create a Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP), which invests in preventing chronic disease; and
WHEREAS, SHIP is overseen by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and is administered by local public and tribal health partners and Dakota County Public Health receives an annual grant allocation through MDH to coordinate and fund SHIP strategies; and
WHEREAS, human milk is an infant’s first source of healthy nutrition, which supports lifelong positive public health outcomes for both mother and child; and
WHEREAS, an employer is an important support system in achieving sustained lactation goals; and
WHEREAS, adequate lactation accommodations via an employer are a federal legal requirement, but limited resources exist to support employers in accessing technical assistance and other resources to meet this mandate; and
WHEREAS, this initiative with the City of Hastings will support the development of three lactation space(s) for employees and other residents that may need to utilize a lactation space; and
WHEREAS, the initiative will include technical assistance in policy, systems and environmental change to better serve the needs of new parents; and
WHEREAS, SHIP supports community-driven solutions to achieve four main goals including increasing physical activity, improving access to healthy foods, improving mental wellbeing, and reducing the use of, and exposure to, tobacco; and
WHEREAS, SHIP specifically supports and funds community neighborhood organizations, school districts and childcare organizations, health care settings, and other government worksites in wellness policy, systems, and environmental change initiatives; and
WHEREAS, for the past several years, grants have been awarded through a contract process with grantees and this year, Dakota County will enter into a joint powers agreement (JPA) for wellness initiatives via the SHIP grant with the City of Hastings for Worksite Wellness Lactation Support; and
WHEREAS, staff recommends authorization to execute a JPA with the City of Hastings for Worksite Wellness, for the term upon date of execution of the JPA through October 31, 2025, with a total agreement amount not to exceed $6,000.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Dakota County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the Community Services Director to execute a joint powers agreement with the City of Hastings for worksite wellness lactation support, for the term upon execution of the joint powers agreement through October 31, 2025, with a total agreement amount not to exceed $6,000, subject to approval by the County Attorney’s Office as to form.
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