South Country Health Alliance

South Country had a great time participating in May on the Move last month! We had 21 participants, and over the course of the month they took around 5.8 million steps in total!

Thank you to South Central Human Relations Center for organizing such an awesome event!

The results are in!
We want to thank our local partner agencies that accepted our challenge: Owatonna Clinic-Mayo Health, City of Owatonna, Steele County, MNPrairie, and South Country Health Alliance.

The employees of Steele County came out ahead once again with an average of 81,800 steps for the final week of the challenge!
MNPrairie averaged 75,162
South Country Health Alliance averaged 70,327
City of Owatonna, MN Government averaged 68,992
Mayo-Owatonna Clinic averaged 52,268
SCHRC averaged 65,559 steps

It was a great way to kick off the summer!

Every year, SCHRC challenges our staff to get moving during May on The Move.
Walking and moving has benefits beyond physical health-it also can improve your mood, and encourage social connections.
As a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, our staff is focused on how our mental health and physical health impact each other-and this challenge is one way we walk the walk!
If you want ideas on how to get moving, check out https://health.gov/moveyourway for more resources!

Join us at the rural stakeholders' meeting on June 5th!

For more information, click the link below!
https://mnscha.org/about-us-a/rural-stakeholders-group/

MAYRA offers four levels of soccer for players between ages 3-12. Registration opens June 3rd. South Country members can get 25$ off registration fees for up to three events per year!

Click the link below to register!
https://www.mayrasports.com/program/soccer/4677

South Country wearing green for Mental Health Awareness Month! 💚

can be joyful but also overwhelming. If you are not feeling like yourself, it’s okay to seek help. 988lifeline.org/help-yourself/maternal-mental-health/

We all have mental health every day. Achieving or maintaining mental wellness takes work, and research has found several ways that you can keep yourself healthy. Check out these Keys to Mental Well-being from Berkely University Greater Good Magazine
(https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/key).

Check in on your friends and family. Offering support is one of the best things that we can do to get them through difficult times. However, it can sometimes feel uncomfortable, daunting, or just plain awkward. The Roadmap to Friends Supporting Friends (https://www.thementalhealthcoalition.org/friends-supporting-friends-visible/) gives ideas on what support can look like, how to offer support, and where to begin.

Being well connected to other people promotes positive mental health and physical health and gives life meaning. Connecting with others is one of the 10 tools for resiliency (https://mhanational.org/ten-tools) that Mental Health America has put together to help you feel stronger and more hopeful.

Just like you do things to take care of your body, there are things you can do regularly to tend to your mental well-being. This can and will look different for everyone, The JED Foundation (https://jedfoundation.org/practice-self-care/) has a variety of resources to help find ideas to add to your self-care practice.

Earlier this week South Country Health Alliance attended the South Central Minnesota Mental Health Conference. We were a proud premier sponsor of this event.

We are especially proud of Ruth Boubin, one of South Country's employees, for giving a great presentation on cannabis and the importance of educating adolescents about ma*****na use!

Attention South Country members! Meet Delfina!

For more information click the link below!

https://www.delfina.com/south-country-health-alliance

Services and Supports for Adults
Adults on the autism spectrum can benefit from services and supports that improve health and well-being across the lifespan. Visit https://go.nih.gov/nLv8oCK to learn more about autism.

South Country gives a BIG shout out to our administrative staff today! You all are the best! Thank you for everything you do - we couldn't keep up without you!

Older Children and Adolescents
Many people are not diagnosed with autism until later childhood or adolescence. To read more about autism identification, visit https://go.nih.gov/nLv8oCK

Intervention
After diagnosis, interventions and services should begin as soon as possible to support the needs of individuals with autism and make the most of their strengths. https://go.nih.gov/nLv8oCK

South Country is proud to sponsor this upcoming event!
The HealthFinders Gala helps raise money to support the mission of HealthFinders, it is on April 27th from 5-9 p.m. at The Inn at Shattuck in Fairbault.

Go to healthfindersmn.org for more information!

Diagnosis
Autism spectrum disorder can usually be reliably diagnosed by the age of two. If you notice signs, seek an assessment to get the earliest diagnosis, interventions, and services possible. https://go.nih.gov/nLv8oCK

Act now to keep your coverage!

South Country Health Alliance South Country Health Alliance (South Country) is a county-based purchasing rural health plan.

Screening
It's recommended that all children should be screened for developmental delays beginning at their 9-month well-child visit and specifically for autism at their 18- and 24-month visits. Learn more at https://go.nih.gov/nLv8oCK

Check out this event! Join Project Community Connect on Tuesday, April 16 from 1-4 p.m. at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center's Grand Hall.

Go to Project Community Connect for more information!

All are welcome at Project Community Connect! Join us Tuesday, April 16 from 1-4 p.m. at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center's Grand Hall. This is a FREE community resource event. More than 80 service providers will be available to help. Find many resources all in one place, including: housing, employment, disability, food, legal and more.

Highlights include:
- Free bag lunch
- Free haircuts
- Hygiene/household items
- Government ID vouchers, while supplies last
- Free childcare
- Photos by Josh Madson of the Community Collage
- Health education & cancer screenings by Mayo Clinic Health System's Mobile Health Clinic, in partnership with SAGE
- Shoes available for purchase from the Shoe Bus ($2-$5), with a limited number of free shoe vouchers available
- Free transit rides by City of Mankato
- . . . and much more!

Proud to sponsor this great event!

Dancing with the Steele County Stars by Healthy Seniors of Steele County The Diamond Sponsor level includes 10 tickets, program and social media recognition and banner signage. Please let us know if you'd like to designate your sponsorship to support a particular pair of dancers by emailing [email protected].

Today is National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a chance to learn about the impact of HIV on young people and work together to reduce the number of new HIV infections. http://bit.ly/3Yrdshy

About Autism Spectrum Disorder
People with autism spectrum disorder often have differences in social behavior and communication, intense interests, and repetitive behaviors. Learn more about the signs, diagnosis, interventions, and resources: https://go.nih.gov/nLv8oCK

This National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, find the prevention options that work for you: http://bit.ly/3ZGjoEq.

Unchecked, radon in the home can lead to dangerous health effects like lung cancer. Help spread the word! Learn more at www.epa.gov/radon