About

Minnesota Prepared is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and other governmental public health agencies across Minnesota. Our mission is to establish, expand, and sustain the state and local public health workforce to support emergency preparedness and response initiatives.

Minnesota Prepared was created in response to needs identified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its work is made possible through grant funding from MDH as part of the CDC’s Crisis Response Cooperative Agreement.

There are two main projects: Pathways to Strengthen the Public Health Workforce and Revitalization of Education and Training, both of which are guided by a shared advisory committee.

Project 1: Pathways to Strengthen the Public Health Workforce

Goal: Broaden the pathway to careers in public health agencies, which address COVID-19 specifically, and emergency preparedness more broadly.

Aims:

1. Establish student internships at state, local, and tribal public health agencies.
2. Implement cross-institutional processes to keep curriculum and training activities current on changing practice needs.
3. Develop a case-study competition that involves COVID-19 and emergency preparedness.
4. Organize a seminar series to increase students’ awareness of careers in governmental public health and emergency preparedness.

Project 2: Revitalization of Education and Training

Goal: Build emergency preparedness and response education and training materials for current public health staff, public health students, and future public health workers.

Aims:

1. Support current workforce needs for public health preparedness and response.
2. Provide public health students training opportunities in preparedness and response.
3. Attract a broader array of new students to public health emergency preparedness and response.