#UMNMCH student Sheila Kennedy (MPH 2025) reflects on her work with the Minnesota Model Jail Practices Project. In her work, Sheila has leveraged her extensive experience as a midwife and medical director in order to promote patient-centered, empathetic care for patients of all backgrounds.
I was pleased to have been chosen to be deployed to work with the core team of the MN Model Jail Practices (MJP) Project, a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Department of Pediatrics, with an overarching goal of mitigating the negative impacts of parental incarceration. This project aims to improve parent-child relationships, reduce recidivism, increase child well-being, and improve public safety. The main area of focus was working with the MN MJP Learning Community, a network of MN jails and community partners, who have committed to share best practices, resources, and lessons learned relating to the project aims and goal.
I began my work with the MJP team by reviewing their biannual data collection from each of the participating sites. By doing this, I was able to gain a better understanding of who was being served, how the work was being done, what was working well, and what areas needed more support. The reports contained both quantitative and qualitative information, so I created summaries and a high-level overview of the feedback which I presented to the core MJP team. This helped inform their focus for the following quarter. Additionally, I facilitated small group discussions during the quarterly in-person day-long meeting of all the sites, which included a review of the data summary and subsequent conversation. One of the ideas that arose from the quarterly meeting was a need to disseminate information about this program to both inmates and to potential community partners. To remedy this, I created and distributed personalized flyers for each learning community site that they can use and distribute as they wish. In the spring of my deployment, I did a second biannual data collection review. It was interesting to see the changes and improvements that some sites achieved. Lastly, I did a deep dive into the Basecamp website where Learning Community participants found information, shared resources, and viewed the calendar for upcoming events. I found it was not very user-friendly, so I provided feedback to the webmaster with multiple suggestions for process improvement strategies.
In my work with the MJP team, I drew extensively from the L.I.F.E. framework. Having a firm MCH knowledge base gave me the foundation to think critically about this project. It became clear that interdisciplinary teams are essential in public health, as there are so many players and voices and perspectives that need to be taken into account. Family-centered care was the north star for this long-term project and guided interventions. And finally, working in communities and within systems was at the heart of the work.
In addition to my MPH pursuits, I serve as a Nurse Midwife and Medical Director at Southside Community Health Services. As Medical Director, I oversee the clinical team, ensuring high-quality care for all patients. I also lead the Women’s Health Program, providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare to diverse and underserved populations. My work focuses on immigrant and minority health, with a deep commitment to supporting patients who have experienced trauma. I am also trained in forensic exams for survivors of sexual and domestic violence, and have studied the ancient Maya Abdominal Massage technique to facilitate healing and reconnection of mind, body, and spirit after trauma. My profession has taught me invaluable lessons about trauma, human nature, resiliency, as well as the need for social connection. These experiences deeply informed my work with MJP, as that is what the work centers around – strengthening the bonds between parents and children, acknowledging that inherent inequalities in our current judicial system inflicts trauma on individuals and families, and understanding how essential connection can be to healing.
BIO
Sheila is pursuing an MPH in MCH at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Minnesota in 2017.
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