News from the Mill District Neighborhood Safety Walkers

The Mill District Neighborhood Safety Walkers meet every Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm on the steps of the Guthrie across from the Mill City Farmer’s Market and walk out from there. 

As a special new feature, each walk this summer will begin with a special appearance and remarks by a municipal department head, an elected or appointed official, or another important civic figure. 

This Wednesday, June 7th, Commissioner Damon Chaplin of the Minneapolis Health Department will join the safety walkers at 5:30 pm to make special remarks.

Prior to joining the Minneapolis Health Department earlier this year, Commissioner Chaplin served as the Health Director for the New Bedford Health Department where he fostered community partnerships to address pertinent local health issues and developed model executive orders to protect employees working at companies with poor workplace conditions. He is a leader in his field, having served on the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO) Board of Directors. As NACCHO’s Director of Region 1, Commissioner Chaplin represented local health departments in CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, and VT and worked to advance their public health priorities on a national scale.  He also worked as the Director of Local Public Health initiatives at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. There, he provided statewide leadership and direction to health departments interested in creating public health districts.

Commissioner Chaplin also led the Department’s 13 Largest Cities Project Initiative to build sustainable practices, improve health equity, and drive community engagement within vulnerable populations. Through his work, Commissioner Chaplin has been dedicated to fighting the opioid epidemic. He served as co-chair for the Greater New Bedford Opioid Task Force, which acquired $4.5M in federal funding to help reduce opioid use in marginalized communities. He also served as a member of the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The Minneapolis Health Department works to ensure that Minneapolis is a city that is a healthy place to live, work and play.  Some of the programs within the Commissioner's department that we may learn more about could include:

        • Community violence prevention and opioid response
        • Emergency preparedness
        • Energy efficiency and environmental sustainability
        • Healthy living and food security
        • Lead hazard control and healthy homes
        • Maternal and child heath and school-based clinics

Please join us on the steps of the Guthrie this Wednesday, June 7th at 5:30 pm to meet and hear from Commissioner Chaplin.