Factors that influence the improvement of health include many different things, including the social determinants of health which make up 80% of a persons health.   Social Determinants include things such as housing, food access, economic stability, neighborhood and physical environmennt, education, and community and social context.   The health care system only impacts 20% of a persons health, which is why Becker County Energize focuses on Community.   

What are the factors that would cause Becker County to rank highly in poor health outcomes?   

• Limitations in funding to support people to lead the development of healthy and sustainable communities 
• Systemic issues:  lack of power to change policies or systems, structural racism, access to resources 
• Cyclical issues: economic recessions, legislative changes, affordability, supply and demand
• Hopelesseness
• Culture of "status quo"
• "Blind eyes" to disparities or inequities 
• Stress, work/life balance, mental wellbeing challenges
• Negative or stressful relationships
• Stressed systems: examples:  schools ability to impact needs of youth, demand for quality care with lower cost, increasing need for services on same or decreased budgets
• Legislative policies with low impacts
• Communities with lack of services or access to healthy and empowering activities for all
• Unhealthy environments 

What are the factors that would cause Becker County to rank highly in health outcomes?  

• Philanthropic efforts to build community and local resources , healthy activities and opportunity 
• Healthy policy changes in systems, organizations, communities
• SMART building plans in communities and environmental protection
• Improving access to needed resources and services
• Improved relationships between and across communities, organizations, businesses, groups, cultures, races, families and people 
• Empowerment of people to volunteer to create change
• Funding to support people to lead community organizing and efforts for positive change 

• Sanford                                                                                               
• Ecumen
• PartnerShip4Health                                                                       
• MANNA Food Coop
• Becker County Public Health                                                       
• Becker County Food Pantry
• Mahube/OTWA Community Action Partnership                
• Hospice of the Red River Valley
• Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce                                          
• Neighbor to Neighbor
• Becker County Economic Development Authority             
• West Central Initiative
• Stellher Human Services                                                              
• Springboard 4 the Arts
• Land of the Dancing Sky- Area Agency on Aging                 
• Kiwaniis
• Detroit Lakes Community and Cultural Center                    
• Rotary
• ProResources                                                                                   
• Leighton Broadcasting
• United Way                                                                                       
• Lakes and Priaries Community Action Partnership            
• Becker County and White Earth Mobile Mental Health Crisis
• Cities of Frazee, Detroit Lakes                                                    
• Becker County Child Protection
• Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes                                        
• White Earth IHS
• MState Community and Technical College                            
• White Earth Public Health
• Legislators
• Detroit Lakes, Frazee and Lake Park School Districts
• Becker County Childrens Initiative
• Early Childhood Initiative
• Becker County Sherriffs Department
• Detroit Lakes Police Department
• Wellness in the Woods
• Lakeland Mental Health
• Compassion House
• Lakeshirts
• Minnesota Flyers
• SJE Rhombus
• Service Groups 
• Becker County Museum
• Minnesota Housing Partnership 
• Midwest Minnesota Community Development Center
• Rural USDA
• EH Research Institute
• Crow Wing Energize & other community movements 

Building Healthy Communities through Policy, System and Environmental Change:   

1. Policy Changes:   Written statements of organizational position, decision, or course of action including ordinances, resolutions, mandates, guidelines or rules.  Can include states, counties, districts, cities, orgs/bussinesses, groups etc. 

2. System change: Changes in organizational procedures including the creation of services, increasing access to services, improving stewardship and quality of service.   

3. Environmental Change:  Improving observable changes in built, economic, and social environments.  

1. Improve resiliency of youth in Becker County through: improving access to MH/SUD services, improving built environment, improving MH/SUD policy changes in schools,  engaging youth in meaningful activities, and public education campaigns

2. Decrease the negative impact of Substance Use Disorder on individuals, families, groups and communities through collaboration by: improving the resiliency of youth, increasing access to treatment and harm reduction services for SUD/OUD, improving access to resource navigation and recovery programing, and implementing policies that protect youth from harm

3. Improving access to child care to enhance child and economic outcomes: improving access tby engaging churches to build out child care facilities, supporting child care providers in access to education needs, supporting child care provider skill development and work force development.