Healthy Community Initiative

By Mariana Cruz, Néepa Hyde, and Byrd Lenzen as Guest Columnists for the Northfield News Over the course of 10 years, Northfield YouthBank has granted $200,000 to nearly 80 youth-led projects. Continuing the program’s dedication to uplifting the voices and ideas of young people in Northfield, the local YouthBank chapter launched a grant round in […]

by Carrissa Glarner as a Guest Columnist for the Northfield News Before I completed Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training, the idea of talking to people about suicide intimidated me. If it had arisen in conversation, I might have worried I’d say the wrong thing and avoid the topic. But after completing the 90-minute online training […]

HCI has a new look! Along with our refreshed logo and website, we have rolled out a new domain name – hci-mn.org – and revised mission and vision statements that reaffirm our commitment to creating healthy communities where all children, youth, and families thrive. “This year, HCI’s staff, board, and community partners reflected on our rich […]

HCI’s program staff has been hard at work making sure that our immigrant and refugee neighbors have access basic needs, transportation, and legal support. We are grateful for their efforts and for all the individuals and groups in Rice County that are stepping up to help, including those featured in this WCCO-CBS news story. Click here […]

School should feel like a safe place, for every child. As a member of the Education Partnerships Coalition (EPC), HCI joins education leaders from across the state in calling for schools to be respected as “sensitive locations” so all students can feel safe at school. Read more in this op-ed published in the Minnesota Star […]

Healthy Community Initiative has been hearing a lot from community members in the past two weeks asking what they can do to help their neighbors. Here are some suggestions and links: Community Action Center The Community Action Center helps people across Rice County through their locations in Faribault and Northfield. Click here to download a […]

By Lisa Malecha as a Guest Columnist for the Faribault Daily News Throughout my career in mental health I have served on many local committees, including the Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board of Directors for several years. Recently, I joined the Breakthrough Coalition, with the vision of having a community where youth and families have […]

HCI formed more than 30 years ago to create healthy communities where all children, youth and families can thrive. All. That starts with respecting the inherent dignity in all people. It means seeing the worth and wonder in people who may speak a different language, come from a different city, state or country, or who […]

In fall 2025, the Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) worked with Rice County Public Health’s SHIP program to install a lactation pod at the Northfield Community College Collaborative (NCCC). This new space gives student parents, staff and visitors a private and comfortable place to nurse or pump breast milk. NCCC offers many services like academic advising, […]

This past semester, St. Olaf students partnered with the Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition (RCCMHC) through St. Olaf College’s Civic Engagement Center, examining how exposure to substance misuse-related incidents influences perceptions of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). Specifically, students explored whether this exposure shapes empathy and willingness to support or participate in […]