DEPARTMENT: Public Health
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
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Ratification Of Minnesota Department Of Health Strong Foundations Grant Application, And Authorization To Accept Grant Funds And Execute Grant Agreement And Related Contracts
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RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners acts as the Community Health Board and has responsibility to prevent disease and disability and to promote and protect the health and safety of County residents; and
WHEREAS, Public Health has a long history of providing home visiting services to families in Dakota County, utilizing the MDH Strong Foundations grant, and the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) grant to fund these services; and
WHEREAS, MIECHV is a federally funded program that uses evidence-based home visiting services to achieve positive outcomes for pregnant people and parents with young children; and
WHEREAS, the Strong Foundations grant is a combination of state and federal funds for evidence-based home visiting services supporting women, infants, young children, and families in the community; and
WHEREAS, the current Strong Foundations and MIECHV grants are set to expire on December 31, 2022; and
WHEREAS, in order to create efficiencies, MDH released a Request for Proposal that consolidated grant funding sources into one application also titled, Strong Foundations, ensuring stable funding to provide family home visiting services to county residents over the next five years; and
WHEREAS, beginning January 1, 2023, the Strong Foundations grant will be used exclusively to support the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home Visiting (MECSH) evidence-based home visiting model at Dakota County; and
WHEREAS, Dakota County Public Health applied and was awarded $1,259,535 for a five-year Strong Foundations grant for the period of January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023; and
WHEREAS, funding will be determined annually and is expected to remain stable; and
WHEREAS, in addition, MDH awarded Dakota County Public Health an additional $19,477 to cover the salary and travel costs associated with Dakota County’s role as a MECSH Apprentice Trainer; and
WHEREAS, the Strong Foundations grant will fund a total of 10.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) public health nurses, staff, and supervisors, as well as a reflective practice consultant who meets monthly with home visitors and supervisors to discuss best practice approaches to effectively promote health development in children and families.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Dakota County Board of Commissioners authorizes ratification of Dakota County’s application for the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Strong Foundations grant for the period of January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2028; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Dakota County Board of Commissioners authorizes the Community Services Director to accept the Strong Foundations grant funds for the Dakota County Public Health Department, in the amount of $1,259,535 effective January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Dakota County Board of Commissioners authorizes the Community Services Director to execute the grant agreement with MDH for the Strong Foundations grant for the period of January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2028, subject to approval by the County Attorney’s Office as to form; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Dakota County Board of Commissioners authorizes the Community Services Director to execute any necessary contracts that are a result of the need to provide services in relation to the MDH Strong Foundations work, subject to approval by the County Attorney’s Office as to form; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That, unless the grant program requirements change, the Community Services Director is hereby authorized to amend the grant to alter the grant term, accept additional grant funds, and continue grant-funded full-time equivalents (FTEs), consistent with County contracting policies, and inclusion of grant funds in future yearly Recommended and Adopted Budgets, subject to approval by the County Attorney’s Office as to form.
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