The Statewide Health Improvement Program has already made some strides in making Freeborn County more healthy, and there are more plans in the works to meet that goal.

Freeborn County is partnered with eight other counties in southeast Minnesota that share $2.7 million for the SHIP grant. Freeborn County SHIP coordinator Ellen Kehr has issued $30,000 to different projects since she started in February. She said she still has about $160,000 to give to projects in the community by June 30, 2011.

“We want to spend this money to impact as many people as possible,” Kehr said. “We’re not just dividing it up.”

Much of the money is yet to be spent because Kehr has been considering and researching ideas given to her. She also hopes that community members will contact her to ask for small grants that will help accomplish initiatives.

The SHIP grant focuses on four areas — schools, community, worksites and health care. There are specific initiatives for each of these but each has a clear goal. In the schools nutrition is the big focus; in worksites it’s wellness of employees; in the community activity is the main focus, and in health care the main focus is referring patients to local providers and services.

“Ideas have to fit the SHIP initiatives,” Kehr said. “We want things that will have a positive effect on health.”

Kehr works closely with other groups in the county to accomplish many of her goals. She works with city councils and school boards in the county, Pioneering Healthier Communities, Freeborn County Family Services Collaborative and the National Vitality Center.

“We don’t want to duplicate efforts,” Kehr said. “So for some projects we work together.”

Kehr was hired by Lois Ahern, Freeborn County’s public health director, to carry out the duties of the grant. SHIP is different than past initiatives in that it is meant to create permanent change and to make it easier to make healthy choices.

“It’s not just another set of programs,” Ahern said. “It’s sustainable systems of policy change to change the way we live.”

One of the main projects Kehr has implemented is the Healthy Freeborn County website at www.healthyfreeborncounty.org. Kehr would like this website to be all-inclusive about activities in communities around Freeborn County, and the main go-to place for those interested in learning about starting a project or projects that are already in place.

“People can e-mail events to me and get them on the site,” Kehr said. “But we’re not putting pancake breakfasts on there.”

The SHIP grant is issued by the Minnesota Department of Health and is meant to work on the top three causes of preventable illness and death in Minnesota — tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor nutrition. The money given to each county is locally controlled so coordinators can decide which projects need money the most.

Kehr said Freeborn County is in a better position than some surrounding counties to implement programs because of the work done last year by the Freeborn County Collaborative and the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project.

“We have a much stronger base than other counties,” Kehr said. “We had a lot going for us that I could just jump in on.”

One project Kehr worked on was the mixed-use garden at Halverson Elementary School sought by the local AmeriCorps. There are 10 plots at the site, but there could be up to 20 someday if the need arises. Kehr awarded a grant of $1,500 for the project, which pays for the water hookup. The project’s long-term goal is to have more mixed-use gardens available to teachers and students to promote the availability and choice of healthier foods in schools.

Another school project will be to provide healthy snack carts for the four elementary schools in Albert Lea. The snack carts would work the same way milk carts do with parents paying once a year for their kids to get milk every day. Albert Lea Area Schools will ask for funds from SHIP to buy the carts, and Kehr will make brochures and posters to market the carts to students and their parents.

School districts aren’t able to many of these projects on their own because of the time and money it takes to research and implement new projects. The SHIP grant is able to award money and implement new ideas to get the end result of healthier students.

Kehr has also been working with worksites that have signed up for her help. She gives surveys to employees and can give grants to companies to cover the time and work to make a wellness program.

“Depending on the size of the company we have different programs,” Kehr said.

Kehr believes the residents of Freeborn County can make small changes and lead healthier lifestyles. She said things have become too convenient and gave the example of people driving more than walking.

“Given time, I think we can change our community,” Kehr said.

SHIP paid for the advertising for the walking moai kickoff and will be providing more funding for prizes later on. The city of Albert Lea has also applied for a grant from the SHIP funding of $3,000 to purchase bike racks to place around the city.

“We want to help provide safer places to walk and bike,” Kehr said.

Kehr works with many other programs in implementing new ideas because she believes things can only become long-term successes if everyone is working together toward the same goal.

“It doesn’t just all change in a minute — we need there to be healthy choices,” Kehr said. “If people have any ideas to help promote our main initiatives they can e-mail or call me.”