Long Covid
MDH was one of the first state health departments in the country to have a program and staff dedicated to long COVID and post-COVID conditions. Program activities have included:
Raising awareness about long COVID and generating informational resources.
Conducting phone surveys to assess the impacts of COVID-19 and the pandemic on the lives of Minnesotans.
Convening a Guiding Council of Minnesota clinicians who care for long COVID patients in primary and specialty care settings across the state.
Partnering with community organizations to assess and address gaps in health equity.
Engaging people with long COVID and their caregivers, local public health, employers, school nurses, and others to share information about long COVID, shape sector-specific resources, gauge unmet needs, and inform our efforts and priorities.
Participating in national workgroups and conferences to increase coordination and awareness across public health agencies, communities, and sectors.
In 2023, the State of Minnesota began funding the MDH Long COVID Program. Program activities were expanded to include outgoing grants and contracts to organizations that serve communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, long COVID, and related conditions. These organizations will help assess the impacts of long COVID in their communities and improve access to quality care and support for those most affected.
The Covid-19 Needs Assessment Project
Under the leadership of Olihe Okoro, PhD, and Janet Kennedy, CEO of Healthy Alliances Matter LLC Company with funding from Minnesota Department of Health and multiple community organizations, a collaborative formed May 2020 to assess the needs of the Northland African Heritage community to increase community understanding and engagement around COVID-19 vaccines, testing, case interviews, contact tracing, and other COVID-19 concerns and to facilitate partnerships among community-based organizations and healthcare systems, in order to support COVID-19 prevention efforts for the African Heritage community.*
The COVID-19 Needs Assessment project utilized Community Research Consultants from the African Heritage community to assist with community-based research to assess pandemic-related needs across differences in age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Some of the strategies included conducting a survey, interviews and focus groups with area African Heritage community members.
