2005 COUNTY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Winners

 

·         Drug Court
Blue Earth County
In 2004, Blue Earth County implemented Drug Court with the mission of reducing crime through the rehabilitation and recovery of drug and alcohol offenders.  Drug Court coordinates the efforts of the judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, law enforcement, social services, probation and treatment specialists to quickly identify and intervene with selected non-violent substance-abusing offenders in order to break the cycle of substance abuse, addiction and crime.
The Honorable Judge Kurt Johnson of the 5th District Court is the central figure in a team effort to keep participants engaged in treatment, to reward progress for meeting goals and to sanction noncompliant behavior.   Drug Court participants receive intensive monitoring from the court, are placed under strict community supervision, undergo frequent drug testing and engage in long-term substance abuse treatment.  In addition, drug courts assist participants in enhancing life-skills which may include things such as job training, education, family counseling, etc.  Drug Courts encourage participants to take control of their own recovery, but they also have clear and definite rules, which if broken, are swiftly dealt with by the judge.

 

·         Youth in Transition
Hennepin County
Hennepin County implemented a program for youth in long term foster care (LTFC) to assist them in the difficult transition from foster care to independent living.  The program Youth in Transition Conferences (YTC) is a youth driven, strength based approach to assisting the youth in identifying their personal strengths as well as independent living skills they need to acquire.  The youth invites people who can support them in developing and implementing their transition plan.  As the “circle of support” is picked by the youth, the program is culturally sensitive and includes both formal (schoolteacher, religious leader, social worker) and informal (extended family, friend, neighbor) relationships. Youth ages 16-18 years old are targeted for having a YTC.  Additional conferences are scheduled as needed until emancipation to monitor the success of the plan.  The long term foster care social worker helps the youth to stay focused on the goals and supports the with goal attainment. 

 

·         Crossroads and Odyssey Chemical Dependency Treatment Programs
Olmsted County
Approximately two years ago, in response to the rapid increase in the manufacturing and use of methamphetamine in the Rochester area, DFO Community Corrections, Olmsted County Social Services and the Adult Detention Center began a multidisciplinary effort to create and implement a more effective treatment program for offenders who are addicted to stimulants.  In early 2004, the Crossroads pre-treatment detoxification, stabilization, extended assessment and education program was formed through a contract with local treatment provider, and existing contracts with medical and psych professionals in the jail.  At the time, there was nothing like it in Minnesota, and a variety of jurisdictions from across the state have either visited us or requested additional information so they could try to implement something similar in their areas.  In June of the same year, the intensive, long-term out-patient treatment program for the same population, called Odyssey, started taking referrals as well.  This program is also unlike anything else we are aware of in Minnesota and we are continuing to treat this difficult population, along with helping other areas develop their own similarly collaborative response to this very serious problem.  In May of this year, we were awarded a significant grant from the Department of Public Safety – Office of Justice Programs to fill in the gaps of service we were previously unable to deliver, and to increase our adherence to, and implementation of, Evidence-Based Practices.  To date, we have successfully graduated five offenders from Odyssey and both programs are continuing to serve as a model of how multidisciplinary collaboration can allow counties to achieve great success in the face of problems that can be overwhelming for any single department or agency if done alone.

 

·         Emergency and Community Health Outreach (ECHO)
Ramsey County
ECHO (Emergency and Community Health Outreach) exists to ensure that people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) receive life-saving health and safety information.  It is a supplemental to existing emergency preparedness plans with some important differences.  ECHO seeks to reach LEP populations in some of the languages they understand best.  That means translating critical messages and disseminating them through the most effective channels in each community.  ECHO’s mission is to educate LEP populations on health and safety preparedness now, so that in a real crisis they are ready to act.  The ECHO collaborative includes more than three dozen public health and safety agencies, ethnic advisory organizations and non-profit groups.  It is spearheaded by Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health, Hennepin County Public Health Protection, the Minnesota Department of Health and other agencies charged with public health emergency preparedness. 

 

·         Methane to Energy Facility
Sherburne County
The idea of the Methane to Energy Facility, located in Sherburne County, became a reality due to the significant efforts of a few people.  The willingness of all parties involved to approach this project with the knowledge that the end result would be a contribution to the community and benefit to the environment, rather than an economic gain, was crucial to the success of the partnership and project.  Within its two and a half years of service, the facility has maintained above 95 percent efficiency.  As a result, the facility succeeded in increasing its energy output from 11.3% (estimated) to an actual 15% within the first year of operation.  The partnership is currently working on putting a fourth engine into production.  The Environmental Learning Center has also been a great success.  Many surrounding schools and local groups have taken advantage of tours, classes and seminars that have taken place there.  Considering that Elk River Landfill is proposing a major expansion to their facility, this would allow for the addition of new and innovative renewable energy sources along with the best available technologies for resource recovery.