...this issue is fundamental to all of us and it's one that can't be addressed in and of itself in a vacuum,
and so with that we have a couple of announcements here on the next Commissioner,
the first one is the Minnesota Department of Health. And again, we've spoken about this constantly,
health is a basic human right plain and simple. We've made progress in Minnesota making sure
we can have health care--public health--and of course, making sure that no matter where,
or who you are, that we have the gaps--there are racial gap--in terms of outcomes, of health outcomes, and
there are gaps in where your zip code is, on whether you're going to get better care or live longer.
So that's why today I'm glad to announce Commissioner Jan Malcolm will continue in her role as
Commissioner of Department of Health. Commissioner Malcolm came to MDH in early 2018 to stabilize the
agency. The continuity of this agency is important to us, and that's why we've asked her to stay on.
Her impacts in public health and health care policy is critical in
helping us build the one Minnesota--and restoring trust as it deals with the care
of get our long-term care facilities and nursing homes. And I just have to take a
moment to say -- some of you are seeing a theme amongst many of the people that have my ear
if you will, who I chose to listen to very deeply. Our mayors and county commissioners. In a lot of cases,
those folks who are at the ground when it comes to health and health delivery,
human services delivery, those county commissioners are absolutely critical in this and I
can tell you that Jan Malcolm's name came up as someone who absolutely has the trust of those
county commissioners -- as someone who knows how to deliver it --and these were folks who would call me
unsolicited and said if you want to make a really good choice, make sure you keep Jan Malcolm in
there, in this agency and it's with that that she has agreed to
stay on to help us transition and get this right in that agency. She certainly
believes in putting people above politics, that's why she's going to continue on as
our commissioner, and with that introduce you to Jan Malcolm. Thank you. [Applause.]
Good afternoon, and thank you so much to the governor-elect and lieutenant governor-elect for this honor
and this opportunity to continue to serve Minnesota as as health commissioner. As the governor-elect just
alluded to the Minnesota Department of Health is the centerpiece of our state's
public health system, along with our local public health agencies health care
providers and so many other community partners all across this state. This is a
health system in Minnesota widely regarded as being among the best in our
nation, even as we grapple with an evolving set of challenges. I've spent my
entire career in health policy, health care finance, health care delivery and
public health leadership and this is where my heart lies.
I am deeply dedicated, not just at understanding the complexity of our
system--and it is complex--but the real measure at the end of the day, is how much health
are we producing for our state, for our citizens, for our neighbors,
for all of us and not just resting on our laurels as a historically healthy
state, but dealing with those health inequities that the governor-elect has
just mentioned. One of the things that really excites me
and humbles me about this challenge, is the innumerous breadth of the responsibilities
of the Minnesota Department of Health and our public health partners.
We literally touch everyone in this state every day, usually in ways that are quite invisible to the public,
but the ways in which we can influence health and build health in our state are a remarkable asset.
We monitor for, and respond to, a very wide range of disease outbreaks and environmental health risks,
we study patterns of health risks and illnesses, and inform Minnesotans about
the protective actions we can all take to improve our own health.
We study the health care system itself, the economics and policies of health insurance and health care delivery.
How does it work? What results is it producing? Where are the opportunities to improve health and reduce cost?
That's where we need to focus. We promote active and healthy living, working across sectors
with business, labor, education, the faith community and health care and communities all across this state
to make it easier to eat healthy, be active, have
opportunities, quit commercial tobacco and really seize the opportunities that
we have to build a healthier One Minnesota. As we do this work, our
constant theme is to look upstream to prevention. To ask, what are the conditions that make individuals,
families and whole communities healthy, and how can we work together to better create
those conditions in an equitable way for all Minnesotans. And though we often don't
think about them, we in fact in Minnesota face a wide and sobering range of public
health challenges. Some of them are old familiar, you may think we have left them
behind -- that's not the case, like infectious diseases and the importance
of keeping up at protections through high vaccination rates, that reach all
communities not just some. Those familiar challenges also include tobacco and
nicotine addiction which are seeing a very concerning rise just recently
driven by e-cigarette use and vaping, especially among our kids.
There's also the ongoing challenges of obesity and the chronic diseases that
emanate from it. Some of these challenges have been present for years
and others have been also with us for years, but are just now really reaching
the public consciousness, reaching epidemic levels of concern, especially in
communities experiencing severe health disparities. These would include things like
opioid use disorders and opioid addiction, alcohol abuse and suicide in
communities across our state. We also need to attend to the prevention and
to respond to incidents of a elder and vulnerable adult abuse and neglect, as
the governor-elect mentioned. I'm particularly glad to have the
opportunity to continue building on the good work of the department and our partners over the last year,
to improve our regulatory processes which definitely needed to happen, but also to broaden the
policy discussion about how we modernize the laws and the protections that exist for vulnerable adults.
We face new awareness and greater understanding of environmental challenges -- several of us here --
are speaking about the importance of the environment to our economy, to our very fabric and to
our health. The more we know about the science, the more--the, the clearer it is to us that there are -- that
there remain environmental health risks that need to be migrated in our water, our air and our land.
We also face global health challenges, from which we are not immune. Things like antibiotic resistance
and climate change.
It's a sobering list of issues to address. But, the good news is we have all the tools
need, to come at this in a holistic way working across silos as the
governor-elect has said to partner with all of those sectors in our communities
that actually create those conditions that produce health, we all have a role to play
in ensuring that all Minnesotans achieve full health. Whether that is closing gaps in health insurance
and access to care and most importantly the close those gaps in health outcomes.
I so appreciate the opportunity to continue this work about which I'm
so passionate and to work with this wonderful team. I look forward to this
state making even bigger steps forward in the future through the leadership of the
Walz-Flanagan team. Thank you so much.