The Community Health Department within Human Services of Faribault & Martin Counties is part of the Minnesota state/local Public Health partnership. The partnership’s mission is to…"lead efforts to protect and promote the health of all people in Minnesota.”

State and local government work together collaboratively, along with other community and statewide organizations to protect and promote the health of the entire population by emphasizing the prevention of disease, injury, disability, and preventable death.

The goal of our work is to ensure public health resources and services are provided throughout our community so that all persons have the opportunity to achieve and maintain their best level of health and independence, and lead vital, productive lives.

Locally, this mission is accomplished by taking statewide essential local Public Health activities and implementing them within Faribault & Martin Counties. This is achieved in the most efficient/cost effective manner, while at the same time, assuring the activities fit into the cultural, social, emotional, physical environment within our counties and are carried out in a way that achieves health equity for all.

Understanding and addressing the health needs of the community is a vital role for community health department. Every five years, our health department is required to complete a community health assessment and developed a community health improvement plan (CHIP). As part of this work in 2019, the Stronger Together coalition was formed to complete the health assessment and develop the CHIP. The 2020 CHIP for Faribault & Martin Counties focused on addressing the top health concerns community members prioritized as most important, which include:

• Adverse Childhood Experiences
• Mental Health & Wellbeing
• Substance Use / Chemical Health
• Chronic Disease
• Access to Health Care & Dental Services