Policy and Healthy Communities

We help residents care for their personal health and wellbeing.

What we do

Our staff members:

  • Collaborate with other City staff, residents and community organizations.
  • Advocate for policies that support healthy living.
  • Connect you to services and programs that support healthy living.
  • Share good practices for healthy living.
  • Manage community health programs.
  • Invite you to get involved in our work.
Parent and child in community garden

Units

We have four units in our division.

Healthy Living

Our team seeks to reduce health disparities in Minneapolis. We want everyone to live longer, healthier lives.

To meet this goal, we work to:

  • Change issues that hold those disparities in place, such as:
    • Policies
    • Systems
    • Environments
  • Partner with community groups to create solutions that:
    • Improve access to nutrition
    • Increase opportunities for physical activity
    • Reduce commercial tobacco exposure
    • Foster community wellbeing
    • Provide quality healthcare

Learn about our Healthy Living programs

Homegrown Minneapolis

The people in our unit collaborate with the community to:

  • Build a healthy, local food system
  • Support residents who want to grow and share food

Read about Homegrown

See 2023 Homegrown Highlights

We also staff the Minneapolis Homegrown Food Council. We collaborate with this group to:

  • Improve the local food system
  • Involve residents in our work

Read our City's food vision for 2033

Read about the Food Council

School Based Clinics

The people in this unit collaborate with Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) to provide students with healthcare services that are:

  • Confidential
  • Easy to access
  • Open to all
  • Free for students and their families

The school district provides the space. Our staff set up and operate the clinics, including:

  • Hiring and managing the professional medical staff
  • Keeping student health records
  • Running the Teen Health Empowerment Council
  • Promoting the clinics and their services through digital media platforms

Read about our clinics and services

Communications

The people in our unit work to raise the visibility of the City's health programs and policies.

Some of our tools include:

  • Press releases
  • Social media posts
  • Digital and print brochures and newsletters
Two smiling children outside

Child Friendly City

We want every child to grow up healthy and safe.

Contact us

Minneapolis Health Department

Phone

612-673-2301

Address

Public Service Building
505 Fourth Ave. S., Room 520
Minneapolis, MN 55415