Goodhue County AMC Award

Goodhue County, in partnership with 10 other counties in Southeast Minnesota, has received a County Achievement Award for its leadership in creating a regional population health data model.

This award from the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) recognizes valuable innovations and improvements in county government; in this case specifically, it was for the region’s creative approach to improving public health systems and data sharing across county lines. 

Major accomplishments from the southeast regional model include: 

• Creating data-sharing agreements to protect the exchange of detailed health data. 

• Hiring epidemiologists and adapting staffing models to meet regional needs. 

• Building dashboards showing data on mental health, substance use, adolescent behavior, and more. 

• Partnering with the MDH to improve access to timely data on suicide, overdoses, and other critical issues. 

• Training local public health staff to understand and use data to guide decisions and policies.  

• Providing counties with access to real-time health data, including trends within Minnesota and Wisconsin.