WELLSHARE INTERNATIONAL

DOMESTIC PROGRAMMING EVIDENCE-BASED EARLY CHILDHOOD FAMILY HOME VISITING: WELLSHARE WILL REACH 36 SOMALI, OROMO AND HISPANIC FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN PRENATAL TO 5 YEARS WITH TWO YEARS USING THE FAMILY SPIRIT MODEL: -HELPING PARENTS UNDERSTAND CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVING PARENTING SKILLS. -IDENTIFYING DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS EARLY. -PROVIDING COMMUNITY BUILDING AND KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES. -IMPROVING CHILDREN'S SCHOOL READINESS. THE GOAL OF THE FHV PROGRAM IS TO EXPAND AND SCALE-UP SERVICES TO SOMALI, OROMO AND HISPANIC FAMILIES TRANSITIONING FROM AN EVIDENCE-BASED FAMILY HOME VISITING PROGRAM SO THAT MORE SOMALI AND OROMO CHILDREN IN THE TWIN CITIES GROW UP IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT, ARE HEALTHY, AND ARE PREPARED TO LEARN WHEN THEY ENROLL IN SCHOOL. EAST AFRICAN SMOKE-FREE PROGRAM: ESTABLISHED IN 2013, WELLSHARE'S TOBACCO-FREE COMMUNITIES EAST AFRICAN SMOKE-FREE PROGRAM, FUNDED BY THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS), AIMS TO REDUCE THE HARM CAUSED BY TOBACCO AND SECONDHAND SMOKE AMONG SOMALI AND EAST AFRICAN CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND YOUNG ADULTS. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2024 PROJECT YEAR INCLUDES OUR SMOKE-FREE BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL TOBACCO-FREE EVENT POLICIES: COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EDUCATION TO 3,255 INDIVIDUALS THROUGH PRESENTATIONS, PARTNERSHIP-BUILDING WITH A WIDE RANGE OF STAKEHOLDERS, AND COMPLETION OF AN EVALUATION OF CESSATION PRACTICES IN CLINICS SERVING SOMALI/EAST AFRICAN RESIDENTS IN PUBLIC HOUSING. AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING FOR EAST AFRICAN AND HISPANIC YOUTH - 'THE YOUNG ACHIEVERS': THIS WELLSHARE PROGRAM IS FOR AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM FOR EAST AFRICAN AND HISPANIC YOUTH, OFFERS A CONSTRUCTIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUTH TO LEARN, BE CREATIVE, INTERACT WITH POSITIVE ADULTS, LEARN SKILLS TO PREPARE THEM FOR EMPLOYMENT & HIGHER EDUCATION BY WORKING FOR THEIR COMMUNITY ON PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES. THIS PROGRAM IS CONDUCTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, AND COMMUNITY CENTERS. IN 2024, APPROXIMATELY 178 YOUTH PARTICIPATED IN THE 9-MONTH LEADERSHIP, ACADEMIC, AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT PROGRAM. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES: WELLSHARE'S SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO SERVE BOTH YOUTH AND ADULTS BY ADDRESSING OFTEN STIGMATIZED TOPICS IN CULTURALLY RELEVANT AND ACCESSIBLE WAYS. RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS MANY COMMUNITIES FACE IN ACCESSING ACCURATE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES, THE PROGRAM COVERS ESSENTIAL TOPICS SUCH AS CONTRACEPTION, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS, HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNICATION SKILLS, PREGNANCY HEALTH, MENTAL WELLNESS, AND THE BENEFITS OF CHILD SPACING. OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, WHO REFLECT THE POPULATIONS THEY SERVE, DELIVER EDUCATION THROUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS, SMALL GROUP SESSIONS, AND ONE-ON-ONE ENGAGEMENT. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, WELLSHARE ALSO OFFERS STAFF TRAINING, HELPS ASSESS PARTICIPANT NEEDS, AND COLLABORATES ON CO-CREATED INITIATIVES, ENSURING SUPPORT IS BOTH RESPONSIVE AND ROOTED IN THE COMMUNITY'S UNIQUE CONTEXT. HEALTHPLAN PLAN PARTNERSHIPS: WELLSHARE PARTNERS WITH THE MAJOR HEALTH PLANS IN MINNESOTA. HELPING PEOPLE NAVIGATE COMPLEX SOCIAL AND HEALTH SYSTEMS FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF PREVENTIVE HEALTH SERVICES AND THE FULL RANGE OF THEIR SERVICE BENEFITS. WE PARTNER WITH CLINIC SYSTEMS, HEALTH PLANS, SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO REDUCE ACCESS BARRIERS AND DRIVE TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGES FOR GAP CLOSURE IN SOCIAL DRIVERS OF HEALTH AND USE OF CLINICAL SERVICES. MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION/COVID-19 RESPONSE PROGRAMMING: WELLSHARE HAS ESTABLISHED PARTNERSHIPS TO DELIVER CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION SESSIONS AND RESPOND TO OTHER COMMUNITY NEEDS. AT WELLSHARE, WE CONTINUE TO TRAIN CHWS IN DELIVERING LEARNING TO BREATHE, TRAINING FOCUSED ON MINDFULNESS, ATTENTION AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION. WELLSHARE COMPLETED 33 MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION COHORTS. A TOTAL OF 5,380 INDIVIDUALS WERE REACHED THROUGH OUTREACH AND SMALL GROUP ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS AIMED TO PROVIDE AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, INCLUDING ADDRESSING THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH IT. 445 COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE REFERRED TO SERVICES OUTSIDE OF WELLSHARE. A TOTAL OF 371 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED WEEKLY MENTAL HEALTH CLASSES THAT SPANNED 6 TO 8 WEEKS PER COHORT. A TOTAL OF 26,973 INDIVIDUALS WERE REACHED THROUGH LOCALLY OWNED COMMUNITY MEDIA, DELIVERING CULTURALLY TAILORED MESSAGING. THE MEDIA INCLUDED LOCAL COMMUNITY TV CHANNELS, RADIO STATIONS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. WELLSHARE'S COVID-19 RESPONSE PROVIDES A CRITICAL LIFELINE FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES IN MINNESOTA, PROVIDING SERVICES AND INFORMATION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WELLSHARE CHW'S DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 2,400 AT-HOME TESTING KITS AND PPE SUCH AS HAND SANITIZER AND FACE MASKS AS WELL AS OVER 2,000 FLYERS DISTRIBUTED. IN 2024 WITH OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS (E.G., CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, MOSQUES) AND FELLOW PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES TO VACCINATE OVER 400 PEOPLE. WELLSHARE, MANKATO AREA: OUR CHW SERVICE HUB IN MANKATO PARTNERS WITH LOCAL CLINICS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE DIRECT CLINIC TO HUB REFERRALS FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH NEEDS. WE ALSO COLLABORATE WITH CLINICIANS AND COMMUNITY ON HEALTH EQUITY RESEARCH AND OFFERING COVID-19 TESTING AND VACCINE POP UP CLINICS. MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES OF MANY DEMOGRAPHICS IN RURAL AREAS FACE UNIQUE BARRIERS TO COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE THE TWIN CITIES. ADDITIONALLY, GROUP CLASSES ARE CONVENING TO ADVANCE HEALTH EDUCATION FOR YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND ADULT PHYSICAL FITNESS PROMOTION. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: IN RECENT YEARS, WE HAVE ENGAGED WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO SUPPORT STAFF ON THE PATH TO BECOMING COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS (CHWS), OFFERING ACCESS TO SCHOLARSHIP-FUNDED COURSEWORK AND HANDS-ON TRAINING. THIS INITIATIVE HAS PLAYED A MEANINGFUL ROLE IN EXPANDING OUR TEAM'S CAPACITY TO SERVE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ACROSS MINNESOTA, EQUIPPING THEM WITH BOTH THE CREDENTIALS AND REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE TO DELIVER IMPACTFUL, COMMUNITY- CENTERED CARE. DHS-CLAS: THE CLAS PROGRAM AT WELLSHARE INTERNATIONAL, FUNDED BY THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS) AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AIMED TO ADVANCE EQUITABLE, CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE SERVICES ACROSS DIVERSE COMMUNITIES IN MINNESOTA, INCLUDING HISPANIC, SOMALI, OROMO, KAREN, AND NUER POPULATIONS. GUIDED BY NATIONAL CLAS STANDARDS, WELLSHARE IMPLEMENTED 27 FOCUS GROUPS ACROSS METRO AND GREATER MINNESOTA TO GATHER COMMUNITY-DRIVEN INSIGHTS ON BARRIERS TO HEALTHCARE, MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS, AND SERVICE PREFERENCES. EACH FOCUS GROUP WAS LED BY TRAINED COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS FAMILIAR WITH THE POPULATIONS THEY SERVED, ENSURING CULTURALLY RESONANT FACILITATION. THE INITIATIVE ALSO PRODUCED MULTILINGUAL OUTREACH MATERIALS, OFFERED FREE LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE, AND PROVIDED COMPENSATION AND SUPPORT TO PARTICIPANTS, UNDERSCORING WELLSHARE'S COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND INCLUSION.