Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA)
The Racial Equity Impact Analysis helps the City consider racial equity outcomes when shaping policies, practices, programs and budgets.
| Public Safety | No |
| Housing | No |
| Economic Development | No |
| Public Services | No |
| Environmental Justice | No |
| Built Environment & Transportation | No |
| Public Health | Yes |
| Arts & Culture | No |
| Workforce | Yes |
| Spending | No |
| Data | Yes |
| Community Engagement | Yes |
This five-year grant aims to (1) address the leading preventable causes of illness and death such as tobacco use or exposure, poor diet, and lack of regular physical activity, and other issues as determined by the State Health Commissioner through the statewide health assessment; (2) promote the development, availability, and use of evidence-based, community level, comprehensive strategies to create healthy communities; and (3) measure the impact of the evidence-based, community health improvement practices which over time work to contain health care costs and reduce chronic diseases. To accomplish these aims, the projects completed under this grant focus on four “focus areas”: (1) healthy eating, (2) active living, (3) commercial tobacco-free living, and (4) mental wellbeing. Projects implemented under these focus areas may take place within seven settings (1) healthcare, (2) schools, (3) childcare, (4) workplace, (5) food access in the community, (6) active living in the community, and (7) commercial tobacco-free in the community.
As described in the Minnesota Department of Health “SHIP Health Equity and Community Engagement Guide,” the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) is committed to advancing health equity in the state of Minnesota. Local Public Health SHIP (LPH SHIP) and their partners collaboratively work to eliminate health inequities in their communities through continuous and robust community engagement where communities identify and implement strategies for change, building a shared understanding of the conditions that create health resulting from systemic and historical injustices; and by working on policy, systems, and environmental change to actualize community power.
Minneapolis Health Department staff:
- SHIP grant Authorizing Official
- SHIP grant Program Manager, Evalyn Carbrey, Senior Public Health Specialist
Though Minneapolis is recognized as one of the healthiest and cities in the nation across many indicators, populations of color and American Indians have significantly worse health status. There are large disparities between communities of color and the overall population in leading preventable causes of illness and death such as tobacco use or exposure, poor diet, and lack of regular physical activity.
In Minneapolis, 1 in every 4, or 24.7% adult persons aged 25+ years are classified as obese, and one-third 32.4% are classified as overweight. As well, 7.6% of adults have been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that they had diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes). As well, chronic conditions remain a persistent problem with residents living in north and south Minneapolis experiencing the highest prevalence of diabetes and hypertension (Hennepin County 2022 Adult Survey of the Health of All the Population and the Environment (SHAPE)).
Data indicators of opportunities for physically activity demonstrate racial disparities in Minneapolis. According to the 2025 ParkScore Index from the Trust for Public Land, significant disparities exist in access to parks. City-wide, 99% of the population is within a 10-minute walk of a park with public access; however, residents in neighborhoods of color have 58% less access to park space as those in white neighborhoods (https://parkserve.tpl.org/downloads/pdfs/Minneapolis_MN.pdf). Native American residents are 1% of the Minneapolis population, yet they are 5% of people killed in pedestrian and bicycle traffic crashes (Minneapolis Vision Zero Crash Study 2018).
The Hennepin County 2022 SHAPE survey demonstrates that the Vast majority of Minneapolis adults and youth are not meeting recommended daily consumption of produce. Food access and food insecurity are likely the primary contributors to this. Seventy-two percent of Minneapolis adults and 86% of youth report consuming less than five servings of produce a day. Fifteen percent of adults reported they worried often or sometimes in the past twelve months that the food in their household would run out before they had money to buy more, and almost 4% of youth skipped meals because their family did not have money to buy more.
Almost 14% of Minneapolis adults report they currently smoke cigarettes (Hennepin County 2022 SHAPE data) and 14% of high schoolers have used a commercial tobacco product in the past 30 days. The majority of tobacco products used by youth are e-cigarettes (Minnesota Student Survey).
Moreover, according to the Minnesota Department of Health, poor mental health, with or without the presence of mental illness, is a risk factor for: chronic disease (cardiovascular, arthritis, diabetes, etc.), increased health care utilization, missed days of work, suicide ideation and attempts, death, smoking drug and alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, injury, delinquency, and crime. Health improves incrementally as mental health improves.
According to Hennepin County 2022 SHAPE data, 19% of adults identified as having high risk of anxiety during the last two weeks, and 14.6% of adults identified as having high risk of depression during the last two weeks. Of those, individuals living at less than 200% of the federal poverty level had significantly higher rates for both risk of both anxiety and depression (22.4% and 19.4%, respectively), compared to individuals living at greater than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty level (10.5% and 7.0%, respectively).
While much data is available, health status at the city and neighborhood level is often difficult to obtain. The Health Department is working in collaboration with the MN Electronic Health Record Consortium, the Center for Community Health, and Hennepin County to obtain health encounter and diagnosis data at the city level. As well, under the SHIP grant, MHD incorporates qualitative assessment and project evaluation to garner information directly from community and project participants.
| Inform | Yes |
| Consult | Yes |
| Involve | Yes |
| Collaborate | Yes |
| Empower | No |
The Minneapolis Health Department is rooted in working closely with community partners to ensure community voices and values guide our projects and are integrated into local health policy, system and environmental changes. Examples of data used to inform SHIP grant funded projects include the following:
(1) Active Living: MHD's active living projects are based on input from:
- Racial Equity Framework for Transportation. The framework was developed in partnership with community through series of meetings (in which SHIP grant funded staff participated). The primary method for data collection was workgroup meetings, where insights from community members were gathered and incorporated into goals, strategies and actions. A list of participants for working groups is in Appendix B.
- The Minneapolis Public Schools Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan December 2023. This plan was shaped by the participation of students, staff, and families. Methods included focus groups, interviews, public forums, pop-up engagement at events, walking audit. See Appendix B for an engagement timeline and survey results.
- SHIP staff completed a Luxton Park Survey in February 2024. 22 people responded - primarily from nearby Glendale Townhomes public housing community. The survey asked questions about program participation, communication, safety walking to and from, and programming people would like to see at the park.
SHIP staff also completed a 27th Ave Walk Audit in August 2024 (street nearby Luxton Park) with residents and staff from Hennepin County, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and Minneapolis Public Housing Authority.
(2) Healthy Eating: MHD's healthy eating projects are based on input from:
- Minneapolis Food Vision and Food Action Plan (2022-2023). This included in-person and online events with over 1,000 community members to gather qualitative data on priority areas of action for strengthening the local food system, improving access to nutritious foods, and promoting healthy eating.
- Tap water engagement survey (2019-2020) - a community-based participatory research process called "Water Magic!". Through interactive surveys and interviews with residents, staff gathered quantitative and qualitative data about perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward drinking tap water versus bottled water and sugary drinks.
- Healthcare Lactation Support Assessment (2024) - involved qualitative interviews with staff at five healthcare organizations including three FQHCs and two hospitals.
- Healthcare partner assessment (2023) - This assessment involved review of each hospital's Community Health Needs Assessment as well as interviews with representatives of 26 healthcare organizations including all hospital system and FQHCs in the city, a number of insurance organizations, community health worker organizations, and organizations that serve FQHCs.
- Food Service Guidelines with Hospitals Assessment (2024): Methods included administering a 57-question online survey and conducting key informant interviews. 8 individuals from 5 institutions responded to the survey and representatives from 4 institutions participated in interviews.
- Produce Rx Evaluation (2024) : SHIP staff analyzed evaluation data collected from 5 Produce Rx pilot projects that had happened under both the REACH and SHIP grants since 2022.
(3): Commercial Tobacco Free: MHD's commercial tobacco free projects are based on input from:
- Smoke free housing listening sessions (2023-2024) - five listening sessions (64 people total participated) from diverse community groups.
- A community survey (2023) (n=175 Minneapolis residents) about smoke-free housing.
- Key informant interviews (2022) (n=8). Participants included a tenant legal advocate, real estate expert, Minneapolis city leadership staff, public housing leader, Minneapolis City Councilmember, rental licensing expert, and an affordable housing provider/advocate.
- An assessment of 30 stores (2024) after tobacco ordinance changes in Minneapolis (ending price discounts and coupons, setting a minimum price for cigarettes, cigars, snuff and snus) to evaluate compliance with the ordinance changes.
(4) Mental wellbeing: MHD's mental wellbeing projects are based on:
- Healthcare landscape assessment (2023) - This assessment involved review of each hospital's Community Health Needs Assessment as well as interviews with representatives of 26 healthcare organizations including all hospital system and FQHCs in the city, a number of insurance organizations, community health worker organizations, and organizations that serve FQHCs.
- Community Health Assessment (2024) - MHD employed a semi-structured interview approach to engage organizations actively working with youth in the Minneapolis and Hennepin County areas. Data collection occurred between December 2023 and January 2024, resulting in 23 completed interviews. Additionally, three separate youth groups from various ages and cultural backgrounds validated and provided input on initial assessment findings.
- Minneapolis Community Leadership Team (CLT) (2023-2025) - Through a review of mental heath data and visioning exercises, the ~15 members of the CLT identified key priority areas to focus on to improve community wellbeing in Minneapolis.
MHD and its partners will leverage the SHIP grant to reduce chronic disease through projects that increase food access, increase opportunities to be physically active, address commercial tobacco use, and improve community wellbeing. Through the SHIP grant, MHD will work with community partners and those most impacted to implement policy, system and environmental changes to improve immediate and long-term individual and population health outcomes.
The Minnesota Department of Health “SHIP Health Equity and Community Engagement Guide” outlines a commitment to health equity and recognizes racism is a public health crisis. The guide states:
The Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) is committed to advancing health equity in the state of Minnesota. Local Public Health SHIP (LPH SHIP) and their partners will collaboratively work to eliminate health inequities in their communities through continuous and robust community engagement where communities identify and implement strategies for change, building a shared understanding of the conditions that create health resulting from systemic and historical injustices; and by working on policy, systems, and environmental change to actualize community power.
SHIP recognizes that racism is a public health crisis. State and LPH SHIP staff shall prioritize and implement strategies and activities with individuals and communities that have suffered from systematic racism and oppression. People of color, American Indians, LGBTQ+ communities, individuals with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, and residents in rural areas all face barriers rooted in decades of systemic inequities that need to be addressed.
Engagement with community and project partners is a high priority for MHD.
Throughout the five-year SHIP grant, we will provide information and share progress in a variety of ways including:
1) Share back a summary of any community health assessment results.
2) Share annual reports, lessons learned, success stories, and other progress reports with project partners.
3) Provide progress reports and highlight key outcomes in partner newsletter articles, at partner meetings, and through other informal communications channels that reach members of the priority populations.
In addition to sharing back information with community members directly impacted by chronic disease, MHD will also collaborate with and share information back with community coalitions that align with the SHIP grant context areas. Examples include the Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council, Minneapolis Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committees, Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition, Highrise Health Alliance (serving Minneapolis Public Housing residents), and the Minneapolis Public Health Advisory Committee.