Change Management:
North Country Community Health Service, Bagley, MN
The North Country Accountable Communities for Health is a collaborative of North Country Community Health Services, comprised of the local public health organizations in Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard and Lake of the Woods counties. The Idea Circle acted as the grant manager for a two year grant with the goal to improve the region’s capacity to support mental health for at risk youth and youth in crisis. Together, we worked to fulfill this goal through four key objectives based on the Rice County Public Health Model for Mental Health Promotion: Prevention, Promotion, Crisis, and Care/Advocacy. We employed methods informed by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, linking toxic stress early in life with negative health outcomes later in life. Accomplishments of the grant include: building upon best practice models, improved communication across the region amongst providers, and increased capacity to serve youth through staff development.