January 2023
mspWellness News
Announcing the 2023 Minneapolis Microgrant, Community Partner Funding Awards!
Applications are now open for Microgrants! 

The Minneapolis Regional Chamber and Minneapolis Health Department are excited to announce a new round of Microgrants, Community Partner Funding Awards in 2023! The Minneapolis Microgrant program is an mspWellness program that provides small businesses in Minneapolis with funding and technical assistance for wellness-focused activities and programs that improve employee physical and mental health. 

These grants are available through a partnership between the Minneapolis Health Department and the Minneapolis Regional Chamber. They leverage funding from the Minnesota Department of Health Statewide Health Improvement Partnership grant (SHIP). Grants are awarded to businesses and non-profit organizations that submit proposals focused on changing workplace policies, systems, and environments in one of the designated categories of eligible wellness projects.

Visit mspwellness.com/microgrants for more information and to apply! And, join us virtually on January 25th for an information session to learn more about the Microgrant opportunity.
ICYMI: The Winter Walking Toolkit from the Minnesota Department of Health
In yesterday’s newsletter, the Minnesota Department of Health shared their Winter Walking Toolkit, which has four weekly topics with an email for each week to send to your employees. There are also social media posts and tips to spur more indoor and outdoor walking.

Click here to check out the toolkit for ways to stay active in this Minnesota weather
Designing and Evaluating Worksite Wellbeing Programs Webinar - Feb. 14
Employee engagement is essential to the success of a worksite wellness program.

Join us for an mspWellness webinar in which our guest speaker, Joel Spoonheim, HealthPartners Senior Director of Worksite Health & Population Well-being, will share best practices to consider when designing and evaluating worksite wellbeing programs, which can lead to a greater return on investment. Mr. Spoonheim will also share research highlighted in a recent article that appeared in the American College of Sports Medicine, co-written with Nico Pronk, President of the HealthPartners
Institute.
mspWellness Champion Highlight
Each month, we’re highlighting one of the 2022 mspWellness Champions. Champions are organizations that create, implement, and promote wellness programs as part of their organizational culture, and meet the criteria defined by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber and the Hennepin County and City of Minneapolis Departments of Health. The Champion designation program was created to recognize and celebrate organizations who work to positively affect the health and well-being of their employees and communities. To learn more about the Champion designation program, visit mspwellness.com/champions.
January’s featured mspWellness Champion is Brooklyn Center Community Schools.

Brooklyn Center Community Schools is dedicating resources to prioritize employee wellbeing in 2023, at a time when workers in the education field need it the most.

As a public school district experiencing the negative impacts of the current labor shortage, staff are working more than ever before to fill gaps and meet the ever-present needs of students, families and colleagues. In an attempt to reduce stress and burnout, district superintendent Dr. Baker worked with the administrative teams in the district to implement a new program for employees in 2023 designed to reduce barriers to employee wellbeing at work. The new program designates specific time for all staff groups, away from meetings, classes, and other duties, to engage in wellness campaigns and/or self-care practices. In addition, the district will work to promote the schedule and systems change with grant-funded "wellness bundles" and provide employee chair massages during the school/work day. The district hopes that this designated time will encourage employees to take breaks, practice self care, and engage in the wellbeing activities and practices that feel right to each of them.

mspWellness is thrilled to celebrate and share employee wellness stories like that of Brooklyn Center Community Schools. Stay tuned for more mspWellness Champion features each month in 2023!
Resources & Information
Follow the Minneapolis Health Department on Social!
Follow the Minneapolis Health Department on Twitter and Facebook to get updates and practical knowledge on all things health and wellbeing!
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Living Well by HealthPartners
HealthPartners Community Living Well solution takes a tiered approach to well-being:

  • Individual participants gain insights into their health status and lifestyle risk factors and are supported to make positive change through access to research-based activities and resources to meet them at their level of need.
  • Employers receive strategic planning consultation, robust reporting, and program customizations to drive engagement in their population – leading to a workforce that feels cared for and supported in their well-being all while lowering health risk and increasing productivity.
  • Working in collaboration among employer groups and HealthPartners broader community health and well-being themes are determined and addressed throughout the year.

We invite you to reach out to HealthPartners to learn more about the Community Living Well options!
About mspWellness
mspWellness is a program of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber designed to provide businesses with resources to create and sustain healthy work environments through wellness programs.

The Minneapolis Health Department and the Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health 
Department are partners of the chamber in this effort with support from the Minnesota Department 
of Health’s Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) and Community Wellness Grant, which provides funding as a catalyst for creating healthier communities.