SHIP Project GuidePolicy change includes the passing of laws, ordinances or rules at the state, local, or organizational level. For example, a school
implementing a policy that requires healthy food options at school-sponsored concessions stands.
System change involves changes made to the rules within an organization to transform the way things are “typically done.” For
example, a healthcare clinic adding hunger screening to the list of questions at all office visits.
Environmental change comprises of changes made to the physical environment. For example, adding signage to bike trails or
installing a medication disposal box.
Wright County Public Health works with the Minnesota Department of Health's Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) to
support healthy eating, active living, wellbeing, and tobacco cessation projects in workplaces, schools, healthcare, childcares, and the
community. SHIP seeks to create sustainable, systemic changes to make the healthy choice the easy choice for all.
Technical assistance, funding, connections, and additional resources are available for organizations that want to develop new projects
that improve the health of those who live, work, learn, and play in Wright County. SHIP especially focuses on communities
experiencing health inequities. Health inequities exist when there are differences in health among groups of people that are caused by
avoidable, unfair and unjust conditions. When there is inequity, not everyone has the same opportunities to be healthy.
SHIP uses policy, system, and environmental changes to promote healthy eating, active living, mental wellbeing, and tobacco
cessation.
Potential partners include, but are not limited to: healthcare, workplaces, community organizations, community centers, booster clubs,
cities and towns, food shelves, churches and faith-based institutions, and after-school programs.
Those interested in partnering can fill out the (link: www.co.wright.mn.us/1161/SHIP-Project-Interest).
STATEWIDE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PARTNERSHIPSTATEWIDE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PARTNERSHIP
WRIGHT COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTHWRIGHT COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
Updated March 2023
SHIP Project Interest Form
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Community
Garden
Edible Landscape
Community-Based
Organizations,
Municipalities, Schools,
Workplaces, Food Shelves,
Churches, Healthcare
Organizations
Increase food access by providing
opportunities to grow vegetables,
herbs, and fruits
Materials to build the garden
Seeds, plants, and soil
Gardening tools
Materials:
Funding for community engagement to expand participation in
gardening activities
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health and University
of Minnesota Extension to support the planning, construction,
planting, and harvesting of the garden
Super Shelves Food Shelves Increase access to and consumption of
healthier foods
Baskets to display produce
Large equipment, such as coolers and freezers, for healthy items
Signage to promote heathier foods
Changes to physical environment to create more dignified
shopping space
Training to support clients in making healthier choices
Software to improve procurement of fresh produce (with matched
funding)
Implement a client choice model
Develop a healthy donation policy
Implement behavioral economic techniques to promote healthier
decisions
Materials:
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health and University
of Minnesota Extension to:
PROJECT GUIDEPROJECT GUIDE
This guide provides examples of SHIP projects, but projects are not limited to what is listed. To discuss funding and resources in
more detail, please fill out the (link: www.co.wright.mn.us/1161/SHIP-Project-Interest) or contact us at
763-335-0280.
SHIP Project Interest Form
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Starting a
Farmers Market
Power of Produce
SNAP/EBT
Acceptance
Cultural Food
Liaison
Farmers Market,
Municipalities, Community-
Based Organizations
Increase access to and availability of
local food in communities
Signage to promote the market
Electronic benefits transfer (EBT) startup costs
Power of Produce (PoP) Club startup costs
Community engagement to increase market interest and
participation
Exploring Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), mobile
markets, or alternative market models
Supplies:
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to implement
EBT or start the Power of Produce (PoP) Club at the market.
Healthy
Concessions
Community Centers,
Municipalities, Booster
Clubs
Support access to healthier food and
beverages at concession stands by
providing nutritious options Assess current concession stand options
Determine healthy food and beverage options
Create policy changes
Funding to market healthier options through pricing, promotion, and
placement strategies
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Healthy Vending
Machines
Community Centers,
Municipalities, Libraries,
Workplaces
Support access to healthier food and
beverages in vending machines by
providing nutritious options
Marketing healthier options through pricing, promotion, and
placement strategies
Water bottle filling stations (with matched funding)
Assess current vending options
Determine healthy food and beverage options
Create policy changes
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Lactation Room Workplaces, Community
Centers, Libraries
Reduce barriers to breastfeeding for
nursing mothers and provide a clean,
safe, private space for mothers to
express milk
Chair and footstool
Side table
Small refrigerator
Wall paint
Door sign and lock
Develop or enhance an existing breastfeeding policy
Workplace: training for all supervisors to support breastfeeding
Identifying an adequate space for a lactation room
Materials:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Breastfeeding
Friendly Birth
Centers
Hospitals and Birth Centers
Encourage environments, policies and
practices conducive to breastfeeding in
hospitals and birth centers to better
support families.
Assess/reivew current breastfeeding policies and procedures
Improve or develop new breastfeeding friendly practices
Apply for Breastfeeding Friendly Birth Center recognition
Promote hospital/birth center’s breastfeeding friendly practices
Support and technical assistance: Assistance from Wright County
Public Health to:
Food Rx Healthcare, Farmers
Markets, Food Shelves
Screen for food insecurity and if
screened positive, prescribe fresh
produce and referred to a food resource
to collect the produce prescription.
Referrals for assistance with the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), Community-Based FoodRx partners,
Healthcare insurance companies that engaged in FoodRx
program.
Assessment and information materials
Create recipe cards and educational materials
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health
Kitchen Fixes
Community-Based
Organizations,
Municipalities, Workplaces,
Senior Dining Facilities
Prepare and serve healthier food
options to community members
Large equipment, such as refrigerators or cold/hot food tables
Small equipment, such as food processors
Cooking utensils
Training for kitchen staff and/or volunteers to increase knowledge
and skills related to healthier food preparation
Taste testing of new menu items
Create policy or procedural changes within your organization to
promote healthier food preparation
Develop and analyze menu options
Supplies:
Funding can also be used for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Farm to School
Farm to Childcare
Farm to Institution
Schools, Healthcare,
Childcares, Municipalities,
Workplaces, Senior Dining
Facilities
Increase access to healthy, local foods
while strengthening the local economy
Training for kitchen staff and/or volunteers to increase knowledge
and skills related to local food preparation
Taste testing of new menu items
Create policy or procedural changes within your organization to
promote local food procurement
Develop and analyze menu options
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Community
Food
Assessments
(CFA)
Municipalities, Farmers
Markets, Food Shelves
Examine and evaluate specific
components of the food system within
the community, including collecting and
analyzing data relating community-
based agricultures, farmer markets, and
other food retail.
Community Food Assessment toolkits
Provide technical assistance and support to conduct the actual
assessment
Convene community partners if needed
Materials:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Cafeteria
Improvement
Schools, Healthcare,
Workplaces, Community-
Based Organizations,
Childcares, After School
Programs
Ensure audiences have nutritious food
options throughout the day, thereby
reducing food insecurity, obesity, and
poor health
Equipment such as refrigerators, tables, food processors, cooking
utensil etc.
Create/ implanting policy or procedural to promote healthier and
affordable price food.
Develop and analyze menu options
Materials/ Supplies
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health
Water Station
Workplaces, Schools,
Community-Based
Organizations
Increase access to healthy beverages
and reduce waste
Purchase of a hydration station
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to determine
need for and placement of water stations
Safe Routes to
Food
Municipalities, Community-
Based Organizations,
Farmers Markets, Grocery
Stores, Food Shelves
Ensure priority populations, especially
those who do not drive or own vehicles,
have safe and convenient access by
walking, bicycle or taking transit to
nutritious affordable food
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to understand
and address transportation barriers to food access
Active Spaces Schools, Childcares, Youth
Programs
Create a healthy environment at your
organization that supports your
community in being active
Small, portable exercise equipment
Community engagement to assess interest and gather input
Materials:
Funding can also be used for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to create a
policy or procedural change at your organization.
Safe Routes to
School (SRTS)
Schools, Municipalities,
Community-Based
Organizations, Parent
Groups
Make community and school settings
more safe, convenient, and fun for
children to bike, walk and roll to school
Materials needed to implement Crossing Guard Program
Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons
Convene appropriate partners to facilitate discussions on SRTS
Supplies:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Park Planning
City and County Parks and
Recreation Departments,
Community-Based
Organizations, Healthcare
Improve access to parks, trails,
greenways, and open spaces, and
opportunities for physical activity
Community engagement activities
Parks Comprehensive Plan development
Training cultural liaisons in parks
Signage, particularly in languages besides English
Parks Rx program development
Convene local partners
Talk with communities experiencing barriers to park access
Develop a cultural liaison program
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Transit Planning
and Access
Support
Municipalities, Community-
Based Organizations,
Workplaces, Schools,
Community Centers
Increase or expand sustained access to
public transit for communities with a
focus on prioritized populations
Community engagement activities
Environmental changes to increase access
Plan and implement community engagement strategies
Review land use and zoning regulation policies with a health
equity lens
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to to:
Vision Zero
Policies
Municipalities, Schools,
Community-Based
Organizations
Eliminate traffic death and severe injury
through a multidisciplinary approach
prioritizing the safety of people walking,
bicycling, or taking transit
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to plan for,
adopt, and implement a local vision zero policy
Bike-Friendly
Certification
Walk-Friendly
Certification
Workplaces, Municipalities,
Schools, Healthcare
Address and prioritize pedestrian/
bicyclist needs to create safer,
healthier, greener, equitable, and
economical communities
Community engagement activities
Bike racks
Plan and implement community engagement strategies
Perform assessments to identify gaps and opportunities
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Bicycle Sharing
Programs
School, Workplaces,
Community-Based
Organization
Provide transportation options and
access to bicycles to support shorter
trips between places and increase
opportunities for physical activity
Community engagement activities
Bike racks and bicycles
Plan and implement community engagement strategies
Perform assessments to identify gaps and opportunities
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Local Planning
(Land Use,
Zoning,
Comprehensive
Planning)
Municipalities, County,
Community-Based
Organizations
Create plans and policies which guide
and shape the social and physical
environmental surroundings that impact
opportunities for physical activity
Community engagement activities
Plan development
Plan and implement community engagement strategies
Review land use and zoning regulation policies with a health
equity lens
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Comprehensive
School Physical
Activity Program
Schools, Before or After
School Programs
Support physical education and
physical activity for youth
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to plan for
and implement comprehensive school physical activity programs
Outdoor
Classrooms
Schools, Before or After
School Programs
Create opportunities to learn outdoors,
with the evidence that it benefits student
and teacher physical health, mental
health, social-emotional health,
academic success, and community
health
Seating and shading
Generic classroom materials, such as white boards
Speaker systems
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to plan for
and implement outdoor classrooms, with special consideration for
those with chronic conditions
Active Work Day Workplaces Increase opportunities for physical
activity throughout the work day
Mapping walking/biking trails
Bike racks
Sit/stand desks
Finding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to develop
policy, systems, and environmental changes
Employee
Engagement Workplace Build a healthy culture that has benefits
for the employer and the employee
Funding for trainers
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to connect
workplaces to the tools and technical assistance needed to be
successful
Falls Prevention Schools, Healthcare Identify fall risks and create solutions to
mitigate risk
Complete environmental scanning
Promote risk prevention via policy, systems, and environmental
changes
Create assessment tools
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Screening, Brief
Intervention,
Referral to
Treatment (SBIRT)
Healthcare
Screen and follow-up with those who are
experiencing substance use or suicidal
thoughts
Send staff to train-the-trainer classes
Provide trainings for healthcare providers
Adapt electronic health records to incorporate SBIRT screenings
Expand referral lists to additional community-based resources
Funding for:
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Medication/Sharps
Disposal
Healthcare, Pharmacies,
Schools, Municipalities,
Funeral Homes
Provide additional opportunities for
clients and community members to
dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired
medication and sharps
Identify local safe disposal sites and gaps in access to safe
disposal
Educate partners and the community on the purpose and location
of safe disposal sites
Coordinate the implementation of additional safe disposal sites
Funding for medication and sharps disposal boxes
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Anti-Stigma
Campaigns
Healthcare, Schools,
Workplaces, Community
Organizations
Save lives by reducing stigma related to
opioid use disorder
Assess current policy, curriculum, and communications language
as it relates to substance use
Provide educational opportunities to learn about addiction as a
disease
Encourage naloxone carrying and provide trainings
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Comprehensive
Employer-Led
Opioid Misuse
Strategies
Workplaces Save lives by providing support systems
related to opioid use disorder
Utilize Opioids at Work Employer Toolkit
Provide naloxone access in case of overdose emergency
Implement policies that support supervisors and employees
Provide safety education regarding opioid use
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Prescription Drug
Monitoring Program
(PDMP)
Healthcare (including Oral
Health Professionals)
Save lives by reducing unnecessary
prescriptions of opioid medications Implement system to check PDMP
Adopt best practices for opioid prescribing
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Trauma-informed
Principles (TIP)
Schools, Workplaces,
Healthcare
Understand trauma and stress,
compassion and dependability, and
resiliency and recovery
Provide TIP training
Create policy/systems/environmental changes to address and
avoid trauma
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Social Emotional
Learning (SEL)
Curriculum
Schools, Childcare, Youth
Programs
Implement an evidence-based
curriculum on educational method that
aims to foster social and emotional
skills
Curriculum materials
Assessment and planning materials
Materials
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to explore and
implement an SEL curriculum
Social
Connection
Communities, Workplaces,
Healthcare, Schools,
Childcare
Incorporate social connection within
activities through reframing policies and
systems to ensure belonging
Funding for activities to boost social connections
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to increase
social connections within current activities and settings
Meditation
Gardens
Communities, Workplaces,
Healthcare, Municipalities,
Schools, Childcare
Build a meditation garden where people
can experience the calm of nature,
reflect through a labyrinth, and take
refuge from life’s challenges
Benches
Fountains
Seeds and plants
Soil
Gardening tools
Materials
Funding can also be used for community engagement to create a
calming experience well-suited to the specific population served
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to gain
professional connections on building meditation gardens, including
planning, planting, and sustainability
Mental Health
Policy Promotion
Communities, Workplaces,
Healthcare, Schools,
Childcare, Youth Programs
Create and implement mental health
policy and procedures, such as steps to
care for a mental health crisis and red
flag policies
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to explore
ways to create and implement policies that promote mental well-being
Tobacco Point-of-
Sale
Municipalities, Community-
Based Organizations,
Youth Groups, Local
Legislators
Reduce youth and other targeted
groups’ exposure to commercial
tobacco products and marketing
through local ordinance changes
Conduct community-based assessments
Advocate for raising the price of tobacco products, restricting sale
of certain products, reducing density of retail outlets, establish
content-neutral sign regulations, and clean indoor air laws
Offer cessation services
Implement mass media campaigns
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Smoke-Free
Housing
Multi-Unit Housing
Complexes, Property
Managers/Owners, Tenant
Groups, Community-Based
Organizations
Decrease exposure to secondhand
smoke in homes by increasing access
to smoke-free housing options
Conduct assessments
Educate on the benefits of smoke-free housing
Develop smoke-free strategies and policies
Implement and evaluate protections
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Project Type Potential Partners Project Goal SHIP Can Provide
Commercial
Tobacco-Free
Community Spaces
City and County Parks and
Recreations Departments,
Community-Based
Organizations, Youth
Groups
Provide health protection from
commercial tobacco product use and
exposure
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to develop
policy, systems, and environment changes
Quit Partner
Referral
Healthcare, Schools,
Workplaces
Assist those who want to quit using
commercial tobacco products
Conduct assessments
Develop referral systems
Implement communications campaigns
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Comprehensive
Commercial
Tobacco-Free
Schools
Schools, Before and After
School Programs, Parent
Groups
Prevent initiation of commercial tobacco
and nicotine products for youth and
young adults, as well as school
employees
Conduct assessments
Include oral health/tobacco-free messaging in school spaces
Develop counseling and referral systems to promote tobacco-free
living
Funding for signage
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to:
Commercial
Tobacco-Free
Workplaces
Workplaces
Prevent initiation and eliminate use of
commercial tobacco and nicotine
products
Provide cessation aids
Provide on-site cessation classes
Promote Quit Line
Enact a tobacco-free policy that includes vaping
Update current tobacco free policy
Funding for signage
Support: Assistance from Wright County Public Health to