2009-2010 Group Projects

Working in small groups on an important public affairs project is an integral component of the Policy Fellows program, creating an opportunity for the Fellows to have a policy impact, integrate their experiences and skills, and work together closely. Congratulations to all groups on their excellent work this year.

Addressing Health Inequities in Target Populations

Health Inequities Group Image Vayong Moua, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Maria Ruud, Minnesota House of Representatives
Kari Suzuki, Otto Bremer Foundation
Caroline Palmer, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Adam Robbins, OutFront Minnesota
(Back row, left to right)

Rosa Tock, Government Affairs and Cultural Liaison
Amy Halford, General Mills
Nimco Ahmed, Minneapolis City Council, Office of Vice President Lilligren
Marcela Sotela, Community Mediation Services
(Front row, left to right)

Health inequities are differences in key health indicators between different groups based on a variety of factors including race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, disability, educational background and geographic location. A lifetime of disadvantages can significantly – and negatively – impact the health outcomes for an individual, a family, a community, a generation. As a country we still have not done enough to address barriers to individual health and personal opportunity that in turn affect overall societal well-being.

Our group decided to take a closer look at how health inequities are being addressed in Minnesota, a state traditionally regarded as among the more progressive in the nation with regard to health care. We interviewed several key stakeholders from government, advocacy groups, academia, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. We rapidly came to the conclusion that virtually all public policy decisions in the state have an impact on public health yet a variety of challenges persist around the issue and the community response, including limitations and gaps around data collection, lack of consensus, lack of awareness, and funding difficulties. Minnesota still has a great deal of work to do in responding to the health inequities within its borders.

While we cannot hope to solve the issue of health inequities through this group project what we can do is raise a call to action and educate others about the positive change that can be achieved through coordinated efforts, interdisciplinary approaches, and paradigm shifts. We produced a video that can be viewed online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DR4kpAGnVg.

For more information, contact Vayong Moua at Vayong_Moua@bluecrossmn.com.

Energy Policy Group Image Matt Hunt, Best Buy Corporation
Chris Heineman, City of Kenyon
Anne O’Connor, City of Saint Paul
Kris Johnson, University of Minnesota
Dan Pfarr, Bolder Options
(left to right)

One of the most pressing challenges of the 21^st century is ensuring a secure supply of energy and building a sustainable energy economy while simultaneously addressing the potential crisis of climate change. Minnesota became a leader in tackling this challenge by passing the most aggressive renewable energy and energy efficiency standards in the nation in 2007. But how much progress has our state made since then? How well positioned are we to grow our renewable energy capacity, improve efficiency and reduce energy use and become a technological leader in the emerging green economy?

Our group interviewed experts from the government, non-profit, and the commercial energy sectors around the state to understand the obstacles and opportunities that we face. We gathered important insights from our wide-ranging conversations and highlighted the critical areas on which to focus Minnesota’s energy efforts. We found some agreement on key issues among various stakeholders, and wrote an op-ed suggesting that this common ground serve as the starting point for renewed and vigorous efforts to create a secure and clean energy system for the next generation of Minnesotans.

For more information, contact Kris Johnson at krisj@umn.edu.

GAMC Group Image Scott Torborg, Pfizer, Inc
Jenna Rasmusson, AGA Medical Corporation
John Soshnik, Dorsey & Whitney
(left to right)

GAMC is a Minnesota state program providing “safety net” insurance for the uninsured. 34,000 people are on it at any time, with 77,000 over the course of a year. This population includes adults without children who have incomes below 75 percent of the federal poverty level. In 2009, Governor Pawlenty line-item vetoed funding for the program from March 1, 2010 until June 30, 2011, $380 million per year.

After much legislative wrangling and multiple public affairs moves on the part of the participating hospitals, a final bill was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor on the last day of session. While the law saved GAMC, it fundamentally changed the program and created the general consensus among all stakeholders that the solution was less than optimal.

Our project analyzed this real-time policy event through the lens of the multiple lessons in the Policy Fellows curriculum. We interviewed various stakeholders, followed the legislative process and analyzed media coverage to assess the process, the outcome, and the future. We used key topics from the Policy Fellows program to understand why the situation occurred and how it could be improved.

For more information, contact Jenna Rasmusson at jrasmusson0@gmail.com.

Money Into Classroom Group Image Michael Ceballos, UnitedHealth Group
Christy Hovanetz, Foundation for Excellence in Education
Allison Barmann, McKinsey and Company - Itasca Project
Barb O’Reilly, Minnesota Army National Guard
Ibrahim Noor, Minnesota State Department of Employment and Economic Development
(left to right)

How do we get more money into the classroom? In the context of the state’s current dire financial crisis it is an even more difficult question to answer. Looking to other states for ideas and engaging with numerous stakeholders throughout the Minnesota education community, our group decided to look into school district consolidation as a mechanism to getting more money into the classroom.

With publicly available data we looked into three scenarios, performed high-level estimates, and found real, annual savings (looking strictly at administration and facility costs):

How much could be saved if each school district was at least 1,000 students = $56M

How much could be saved is we had county based school districts = $50M

How much could be saved if each school district operated as efficiently as a top half school district in the same size group, ranked by efficiency = $174M

Our goal is to distribute a White Paper explaining our methods, what we learned, and the savings we estimated. Distribution would include members of the education community, policy makers, as well as other influencers.

For more information, contact Mike Ceballos at michael_a_ceballos@uhc.com.

Land Conservation Group Image Erik Sutcliffe, Integrity Communications and Solutions, Inc.
David Gillette, Twin Cities Public Television
Mark Weber, Minnesota Army National Guard
Dan Miller, U.S. Bancorp
Kirstin Sersland Beach, Metropolitan Council
(left to right)

In response to the growing concern regarding the purchase and development of open spaces into high density housing or retail, our group researched land use options that could be proposed to large parcel land owners who desire to implement their land preservation aspirations, estate planning, and financial goals. We began with a vision of producing an 30-minute educational program detailing the researched land use options, which would air on TPT and include interviews and panel discussions.

We then began interviewing local and national experts in land use and land preservation to explore resolutions to the strain often associated with developers, local government planners, and individual land owners. Although the groups we met with expressed strong interest and saw tremendous value in financially partnering with our project as sponsors and contributors, dollars for this kind of project were scarce and we were unable to produce the project as planned. A scaled down animated short production will be available to local, regional and state government offices as a source of information where local planners can direct landowners looking to sell and preserve their land. This educational takeaway communicates timely and financially beneficial options for land owners other than immediate land sale to private developers and will be distributed electronically throughout the state via relevant county and city channels.

For more information, contact David Gillette at dgillette@tpt.org.

Block E Group Image Dawn Fish, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
Ben Schein, Target Corporation
John Campbell, Target Corporation
Sarah Goldthwait, Weber Shandwick
(left to right)

The mention of “Block E” conjures up a range of images, from a seedy, rundown block with vagrants, to a shiny, new building in 2002, to its nearly empty state today. Today, a confluence of factors present Block E with the opportunity to rise like a phoenix and contribute to revitalization in the theatre district of Minneapolis, amidst the excitement of Target Field and despite current economic challenges.

We accepted the challenge of revisiting Block E’s history, current state, and potential future success. To meet this challenge, we interviewed public leaders who oversaw the transition from the building’s prior life to the construction of the current facility. We also interviewed those who have a stake in the project today, including City of Minneapolis public officials, private sector leaders, real estate experts, and the proprietor of a recently-opened bar/restaurant that is thriving in its new Block E space. Other interviews included members of the media who covered the project and academic experts in urban planning. We also reviewed City Council documents, including the minutes of the meetings that led up to approval of Block E plans, and the tax increment financing plan that funded the building’s 2002 rebirth.

We are grateful to the large number of people who have shared information with our group, and who have helped bring Block E’s past, present and future to life. We will be sharing our projects results with each of them.

For more information, contact John Campbell at JohnC.Campbell@target.com.

Economic Success in Greater MN Group Image Bruce Schwartau, University of Minnesota Extension
Anne Willaert, South Central College
Anne Mason, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
Rima Kawas, Office of Governor Tim Pawlenty
Sara Noznesky, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics
Missing from photo: Jeff Goldberg, KMSP-TV Fox 9
(left to right)

Our group focused on successful rural communities to see if there were commonly shared local policies or attributes that made them successful. After visiting a state official to receive a partial list of flourishing cities, team members visited citizen leaders and officials in Thief River Falls, Worthington, and Lanesboro. We interviewed these communities to understand what made their town special and why they seemed to be thriving.

Although these communities are in different regions of the state and had differing resources, they found ways to be reach their goals. While elected leaders played an important role, it was the entrepreneurial spirit in citizens to change the status quo that really showed in all of these communities. If they didn't have something they wanted, they would try to build it, support the entrepreneur, and encourage others to join in. Leaders in the towns spoke about having a shared vision among entrepreneurs, citizens, and investors to be successful. Organized leadership development helped one city weather the closing of a major employer and develop a new economic base.

For more information contact Bruce Schwartau at 507-536-6308 or bwschwar@umn.edu.