Media Release from Cook County MN - October 17, 2019

Cook County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) is offering two public presentations to explore the findings of a collaborative project to better understand the needs and experiences of families with young children in our community.  Both presentations will be held on Wednesday, October 30th with a morning option held at the Community Center from 9:30-11 a.m. and an evening option to be held at the Grand Marais Public Library from 6-7:30 p.m.

Earlier this year, PHHS joined with ISD 166, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, and the regional pilot program Rural Mamas Connect to further explore the topic.  Over the last six months, PHHS led a series of listening sessions and sent surveys to parents in the community who had birthed a child in the past three years.   Findings were organized into the periods of pregnancy and labor, early postpartum, and raising young children aged six weeks to three years.  Topics explored include:

• Childcare
• Educational topics of interest for parents
• Infant feeding
• Mental health and well-being
• Perinatal care
• Social support
• Technology use

Findings will be used to inform the County’s Community Health Improvement Plan, which identified “Supporting Families with Young Children” as a key priority to improving population health.  We invite everyone interested in learning more about this project and its findings to join us—particularly parents who participated in the listening sessions or completed a survey.  

Each presentation will also include an opportunity for discussion and suggestions for next steps.  PHHS is interested in learning about how these findings resonate with the experiences of parents, families, perinatal and early childhood professionals, as well as anyone interested in supporting young families in our community.