May is mental health awareness month. Whether looking internally at the employees within your organization or externally at the communities you serve, mental health and well-being are key components in resiliency, productivity, and creating a thriving community.
Join professionals from the Minnesota Department of Health to learn about how public health frames mental health and well-being, how initiatives such as the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) are approaching well-being, and examples of how nonprofits can apply this strategy to their own work.
- How has your organization defined or understood mental health and well-being?
- Given this framework, how does your organization address mental health and well-being through your mission in the community?
- What does your organization need to address mental health and well-being internally or in the community?
Event Details
The event will be hosted on Zoom. You will need a computer and a phone as a back-up audio method.
Register for the event on Zoom.
This event will have AI captions via Zoom’s transcription function. Please note that these captions are automatically generated by the computer software and may not always accurately transcribe what is said. If you need professional captioning, or have another accessibility accommodation, please email MCN’s program assistant with your request at least two weeks prior to the start of the event. Although we will attempt to meet all accessibility requests, late request may not be fulfilled.
Speaker Information
Anna Lynn is the Minnesota Department of Health, Mental Health Promotion Coordinator. Her focus is on advancing a public health approach to mental well-being and resilience in Minnesota, particularly through policy and community engagement. Minnesota has developed a public health framework for action and Emerging Mental Well-Being narrative to advance public discourse about mental well-being and increase opportunity for investment in promotion and prevention. Anna was a member of the first cohort of 25 ACE Community Resilience Coaches and is committed to supporting community and system responses to trauma. She has a background in mental health, policy, community organizing and data analysis. She served as a research analyst at the Minnesota Department of Human Services for 10 years. Anna received a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from University of Minnesota, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, from Allegheny College.
Kris Haugen is a worksite specialist for the Minnesota Department of Health, and has enjoyed bringing worksite wellness across the state of Minnesota through the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership, coaching local public health partners to provide workplace wellness activities in their communities. She is involved in the formation of the well-being strategy for SHIP, and is interested in the ways mental health, well-being and equity intersect. Kris has a passion for wellness, and has worked in a variety of worksite wellness settings as a program manager of large multi-site organizations, within a hospital system, and in two manufacturing environments. She has worked in both the public and private sector, served as a health coach, and has also worked on the vendor side of the industry. She thrives on helping people self actualize through better health. For her own self care, Kris loves to be outdoors as much as possible by biking, walking and kayaking. She is also a potter and glass fuser, flexing her creative energy in her spare time.
Karen Nitzkorski is the Workplace Wellness and School Coordinator for PartnerSHIP 4 Health, the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership in West Central Minnesota. She has recruited 77 worksites and 16 school districts to participate in their journey towards improved health through increased opportunities for healthy foods, physical activity, breastfeeding support, tobacco cessation and well-being.