Team Purpose Fostering an understanding of the social conditions that affect health is a new goal in Healthy Minnesotans Public Health Improvement Goals 2004 .
Some researchers argue that economic inequality is now the most powerful predictor of ill health.
Consequently, last year the National Institutes of Health declared the relationship among social status, race and health to be one of its top priorities. In Minnesota, this new public health improvement goal is seen as a developmental goal. However, since this is a new area within the public health improvement goals, public health organizations do not necessarily have systems in place or effective strategies developed to begin to address these concerns in their communities. In addition, work should focus on identifying and implementing action steps that health related organizations and others can take to address this issue, including providing basic materials to make it easier for organizations to communicate with their constituencies about the issue. This activity is part of Minnesota's Turning Point Program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation .