New health commissioner looks to advance health equity in Minnesota

Dr. Brooke Cunningham was appointed in January as the new commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health, replacing Jan Malcolm. Previously, Cunningham was assistant commissioner of healthy equity.

All Things Considered checked in with Cunningham about her vision for the department as it emerges from a public health emergency.

Hear the full interview using the audio player above, or read a transcript of it below. Both have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

What's our status on COVID-19? And what's left to do when it comes to that?

Nationally, we're shifting to a new approach. As you know, our state sites have closed in that new approach. And we're returning in many ways to how health care was in 2019. But I think we're ever more mindful of the challenges that the pandemic presented for the state and for Minnesotans in terms of access to care to health inequities and the funding of public health. And so those are challenges that remain.

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Are there any specific initiatives to ensure we're prepared for whatever the next public health emergency or pandemic is?

I think we are well prepared. We're better than we were in 2019 but let's be frank here, part of the challenge has been that public health has been historically underfunded. Nationally, when you look at the amount of dollars that go to public health, it's only been about 5 percent of our budgets and that holds true for Minnesota.

And so part of what helped us was the infusion of money from the federal government, requesting support from the state legislature and then having frank conversations with partners to make sure that we can provide, again, public health services at us a strong level of quality and access to everyone around the state.

How will you work toward health equity in your role?

We want to make sure that community-based organizations give input into MDH’s work, they're the organization's closest to solutions. And I do want to lift up a couple of things. One, the Office of American Indian Health, that has been through our COVID grants, we were able to establish that office and to really give out grants to tribes to invest in their own public health systems.

We also have a office of African American health in the budget that we hope to see funded by the legislature which will help with addressing health inequities. Those groups are most impacted … so four years from now, I hope to see those offices thriving and thriving in a way that, again, increases our impact as an agency, increases our trust in communities and increases our ability to be a resource. And even allows for space for experiences for young people as we think about the future of the public health workforce.

I would also say that MDH is recognized nationally as a leader in public health and data. I really like to invest in our data analytics to make sure that we are on the cutting edge of those analytics and to make sure we provide actionable data to partners. I think that's critically important.

We saw that with COVID and our dashboards, they were award winning and not only with the partners, but to the public to sort of understand what is happening right now at this current moment.

Why did you choose Jessica Hancock-Allen as the new lead for infection diseases?

She definitely has public health training. She has clinical training and in addition to the knowledge, she has the spirit and the energy to move us forward into the future. We have to focus, as I was saying, on the future of our public health analytics. I have confidence that she will be a strong partner with me in doing that.

How do you build trust moving forward in this politicized climate?

I look forward to the time in June when I can start moving around the state so that I come into connection with Minnesotans so that they have sense of me and that I am learning and paying attention. That is one of the lessons from Commissioner Malcolm, I saw her show up in spaces, which sets humility. And I too, want to move in a way that demonstrates that I am to serve Minnesotans, and to listen and to learn and to be responsive

What are the top couple of things on the top of your agenda that Minnesota Department of Health will focus on?

People equate public health with COVID, perhaps by extension to infectious disease, but there are core other foundational areas and public health, including chronic disease and injury prevention, environmental, public health, maternal child and family health.

We're focusing on the full spectrum of public health services and making sure that we have a public health system that is strong and that has the resources and relationships to work together.

An agency that is putting equity first, is an agency that is, well, right. Our staff have have been through a lot for the three years of the pandemic, there's some organizational healing that we're attending to and so that is key.