St. Louis County Board presents Public Health Achievement Awards

By Dana Kazel

"It starts with us" is the theme of National Public Health Week this year. It's a fitting reminder that that public health practice at any level starts locally as it focuses on goals including preventing disease and injury, promoting healthy communities, and protecting against health threats. 

On Tuesday, the St. Louis County Board recognized four local individuals for their work to improve health in our region. Honorees this year include Dr. Jan Baldwin, Christina Trok, Mel Alvar and Nathan Kesti. 

Dr. Baldwin works for Essentia Health Clinic in Hibbing with Family Medicine in Obstetrics but is recognized for the work she does beyond the walls of her clinic. Dr. Baldwin has been a leader in the Northern St. Louis County Perinatal Substance Use Collaboration, advocating for treating all mothers with dignity and respect, while working to address the complex needs of families struggling with substance use disorders.

She is a strong collaborator and demonstrates originality and innovation in creating solutions to community health challenges. Some examples include supporting the Boys and Girls Club of Hibbing, helping bring the Bennett Park Pickleball Courts to reality, and championing the Inclusive Playground Project at Lincoln Middle School to create a space where children of all abilities can come together and enjoy healthy, active lifestyles.

Kesti is the Outreach Specialist for Downtown Duluth. In that role, he is constantly checking in on and advocating for both downtown businesses as well as individuals, walking an average of eight miles a day. He has helped more than 70 individuals get into housing, 100 individuals into employment, and more than 55 individuals into treatment.

Kesti works in collaboration with CHUM, Damiano, Union Gospel Mission, Duluth Police Department, the Crisis Intervention Group, HDC and more. The person who nominated him praised his compassion and knowledge, noting that when he is out on the street, he not only knows the people but also pays attention so that he knows their medications and can remind them to take their meds.

Alvar has worked in a variety of advocacy roles over the last 20 years, including in her current role as the Safe Harbor Regional Navigator for Northeast Minnesota at the Program to Aid Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA). She provides professional training on human trafficking and sexual exploitation, and convenes space for case consultations for individuals and families that have been directly impacted.

Alvar also coordinates the Southern St. Louis County Sexual Assault Multidisciplinary Action Response Team (SMART), which brings together law enforcement, St. Louis County attorneys, St. Louis County case managers in Children and Family Services, Public Health Nurses, First Witness child advocacy center, Safe Haven, Lifehouse and other community agencies.

Alvar works tirelessly to ensure that individuals are viewed as victims and survivors, not criminals, and ensures that there is a collaborative response to sexual exploitation and human trafficking. 

Trok is the facilitator of the Birth Equity Co-Design project, which addresses the significant disparities in maternal mortality rates and aims to find community-based solutions by engaging individuals impacted by the problem and representatives of organizations within the system to address it.

Trok has played an integral role in bringing awareness and revealing solutions to address the differences, including creating birth education cards and providing education about how to provide feedback to the healthcare system. Drawing on her personal experience, and leading with empathy, compassion and grit, Trok has successfully kept participants engaged throughout the project.

The Public Health Achievement Awards are given out as part of National Public Health Week, which is the first full week of April each year. St. Louis County presents these annual awards as a way to highlight the broad role of its Public Health staff, and the importance of the many partners they work with to improve the health of both individuals and larger groups as they seek to create community- or system-wide change.

"Public health practice is dynamic and population-focused with an aim to being responsive to community needs," said Amy Westbrook, Public Health division director for St. Louis County. "Your local governmental public health system is one to be very proud of and to celebrate. They are an amazing, dedicated group of professionals, and I am honored to work alongside them."

Westbrook noted that their work is more data driven than ever, and highlighted some of the recent work the Public Health Division:

. The Aging Adult Health Team has been helping cities and townships within the County in applying for Age Friendly Community status while also helping the aging population plan for and prepare for emergencies.

. The Maternal and Child Health teams have created outreach campaigns focusing on perinatal Mental Health to provide post-partum resources and education, and raise awareness about the risks of lead paint in their homes.

. The Community Health Unit has sponsored multiple school-based sessions to educate students and parents on the risks of using cannabis and has worked cross-departmentally and within cities and townships to protect youth from cannabis through policy-making.

St. Louis County Public Health is a division of the Public Health and Human Services Department. Public Health nurses, educators, planners, social workers, nutritionists and other staff work through a variety of programs to help pregnant moms deliver healthy babies, and at-risk families to give young children a better chance at positive development. They also help elderly clients maintain independent living, and work with community partners to address factors - such as environment, income and education level, lifestyle and genetics - that affect health and well being.

Public Health also plays a key role in disaster preparedness planning. To learn more, call (218) 725-5210 or visit stlouiscounytmn.gov/publichealth.