BE IT RESOLVED, that Agreement A199811 with the Kresge Foundation to participate in the project Integrating Health and Human Services: Systems for Equitable & Thriving Communities during the period October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2022, with a receivable amount of $100,000 per year for three years, totaling $300,000, be approved; that upon review and approval of the County Attorney’s Office, the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the county; and the Controller be authorized to receive and disperse funds as directed; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that sponsorship and acceptance of grant funding for the program by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners does not imply a continued commitment by Hennepin County for this program when grant funds are no longer available.

Hennepin Health was awarded a grant from the Kresge Foundation for the Integrating Health and Human Services: Systems for Equitable & Thriving Communities project, with support from a management team that included leaders from Hennepin Healthcare, NorthPoint Health and Wellness, Hennepin County Public Health and Hennepin County Human Services. The grant will provide $100,000 in funding for three years, for a total amount of $300,000, and will also allow a team of leaders from Hennepin Health, other Hennepin County departments and Hennepin Healthcare to participate in a grantee cohort to share learnings and best practices with other entities working on health and human services integration throughout the United States.

With this grant funding, Hennepin Health, together with other Hennepin Healthcare and county departments, will build on its existing integration work using a pilot population focused on Hennepin Health members with significant behavioral health needs in year one, and rolling out the successful portions of the pilot in years two and three. The funding and participation in the grantee cohort will continue to advance integration and disparities reduction work, and will align closely with the health line of business disparities reduction focus area to improve access to culturally specific mental health services and increase community wellbeing.

Initial proposed goals for participation in the grant include: 

• More streamlined experience with fewer barriers for Hennepin Health members (particularly those with significant behavioral health needs) accessing Hennepin Health, Hennepin Healthcare and Hennepin County public health and social services;
• Improved health and wellbeing outcomes, including increased engagement with and adherence to preventive, primary care and supportive services (for initial target population, focused on services supporting mental health);
• Reduced overall cost to the system through increased access to preventive, primary care and supportive services, and reduced need to use crisis and emergency services;
• Reduction of health disparities in health access and outcomes through building capacity for comprehensive behavioral health services offered in culturally appropriate settings; and

• Enhanced use of best practices, through adoption of learnings from the Kresge Foundation and other grant recipients.

   

Impacts/Outcomes: Participation in the Integrating Health and Human Services: Systems for Equitable & Thriving Communities project will provide funding for integration efforts, focused in year one on persons with significant behavioral health needs and more broadly in subsequent years, between health and human services functions across multiple departments at Hennepin County and at Hennepin Healthcare. The grant will also allow team members to participate in a learning cohort of other grant recipients.