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Hennepin County, Minnesota

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Public Health Promotion

Active living, healthy eating and a tobacco-free lifestyle improve quality of life and prevent chronic disease.

We focus on places where people live, learn, work and play to help residents make healthy lifestyle choices.

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Workplaces

Take advantage of our programs and services to advance wellness at your worksite. 

Health@Work

Health@Work offers free and affordable trainings, events and resources to help employers in Hennepin County promote healthy worksites and lifestyles for their employees.

Newsletter

Our Health@Work newsletter helps you promote better health in your workplace.

Contact us

For more information about any of the following campaigns, trainings or events, email linda.brandt@hennepin.us or call 612-596-1511.

Join Health@Work's LinkedIn group

Networking breakfasts

Join local worksite wellness coordinators at this annual event for a morning of learning and conversation on current topics in worksite health promotion. A light breakfast is served.

Campaigns and events

Frosty Challenge

Help your employees maintain and not gain weight over the winter. This eight-week campaign includes newsletters, tracking logs, marketing materials and a coordinator manual. The training is annual.

Fruits and Veggies: Score More!

Learn how to show your employees just how tasty and convenient fruits and veggies can be with the biannual training for this four-week healthy eating campaign.

Grow with Gardens

Learn what you need to start a workplace garden or grow produce at your workplace at this biannual training.

Lean + Green

Inspire your employees to take daily actions that lead to better health for themselves and our planet. This is a six-week nutrition, physical activity and environmental health campaign. The training is biannual.

Mother Friendly Worksites

Learn about lactation support and workplace best practices, including related laws, benefits and resources. This workshop is biannual.

Paths to Positivity

Promote mental well-being in your workplace. This five-week campaign is designed to help your employees live happier, healthier lives through connection, mindfulness or purpose. The training is annual.

Step To It Challenge

Motivate your employees to get more active during this four-week physical activity challenge during the month of May. Compete with other organizations in Hennepin County to earn recognition and awards. Visit the Step To It Challenge website

Take Charge@Work

Learn ways to enhance your employees’ career well-being and engagement at this biannual training.

Tools for Success

Learn how to design an effective worksite wellness program. Get tools and resources to make it happen at this annual training.

Wellness by Design award

This award recognizes employers with successful health promotion efforts. Worksites who also minimize their impact on the environment may receive a +Green designation.

2018-2019 Wellness by Design winners

Once again, more than 70 organizations received the Wellness by Design award.

See the 2019 winners (DOCX)

2016-2017 Wellness by Design winners

More than 70 organizations and businesses received the Wellness by Design award.

2014-2015 Wellness by Design winners

More than 80 organizations and businesses received the Wellness by Design award.

Read about the winners (DOC)

Watch award winners' videos

Testimony from past winners

"We really appreciated the award, which is displayed at our front desk. The more attention to this topic the better!"

"Wellness by Design has been a great way to get my company leaders excited about wellness."

"We have used this award to educate our management and employees about how we met the criteria of the gold award. It has helped the "legitimacy" of our wellness program..."

See all past winners 2006-2015 (PDF)

Hennepin County Worksite Advisory Council

Hennepin County Worksite Advisory Council

This group of 15 wellness coordinators from companies in Hennepin County provides input to ensure that our worksite wellness trainings, programs and resources are valuable and effective. If you would like to learn more or become a member of the council, e-mail Kelly Harjes at kelly.harjes@hennepin.us.

Schools

Creating safe, positive environments for learning

Hennepin County's partnerships within the schools and the community are helping create healthy school environments that reduce chronic disease, increase student attendance and achievement, and increase student and staff wellness.

Read more

The importance of public health initiatives in schools (PDF)

Consultations

Health@School staff are available to provide no-cost consultations on the following topics:

  • Active recess and other physical activity initiatives
  • Healthy cafeteria assessments and other healthy eating initiatives
  • Safe Routes to School
  • School climate initiatives
  • Tobacco-free K-12 schools
  • Tobacco-free post-secondary schools

For information, email Catherine Stahl at catherine.stahl@hennepin.us or call 612-596-7467.

Mental health organizations

We work with organizations to help create healthy environments for people with mental illness and for those who may also have substance use concerns.

Use these tools to support healthy behaviors in your organization and help staff address risk factors with the people they serve. Feel free to adapt them to your needs.

Assessment and evaluation tools

Organizational action plan

Sample organizational policies

Tools to identify and address risk factors in individuals

Nutrition training for Minnesota Statute 245D

To complete MN 245D nutrition training, watch the videos in numbers 1 through 7.  Apply what you’ve learned by completing the online nutrition training module in number 8.  Upon successful completion of the online training, print out the certificate of completion at the end of the online module and keep a copy with your records or provide a copy to your manager.

1. Hennepin Today: nutrient-rich foods and portion sizes

2. Fat, sugar and salt, oh my!

3. One family's plan: budgeting, shopping and meal planning

4. Choosing fruits and vegetables

5. Preparing fruits and vegetables

6. Preserving fruits and vegetables

7. Cooking videos: learn new cooking skills and watch recipe demonstrations

8. Online training

Practice what you’ve learned in the nutrition module online. Upon successful completion of the training, print out the certificate of completion on the last screen of the online module and retain a copy for your records and provide one to your manager if needed.

Additional recipes

Handouts and print resources 

Cooking skills-building and easy recipes

Special diets

Special diets

Here are four common special diets ordered by doctors and tips to prepare them. These videos are intended for information only and do not take the place of medical advice or in-person, professional training. If you need more assistance, contact your health care provider or manager. Along with videos and supporting materials, quizzes have been provided to test your knowledge.  You can apply what you’ve learned to real life situations by completing the special diet online activity.

Heart-healthy

Diabetes

Dysphagia and thickened liquids

Practice what you've learned by completing the e-learning activity.

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