Spotlight Interview: Kathy Reitmeier & Ashley Braun

Kathy Reitmeier has been a nurse for over 30 years. She has experience in a variety of different settings, including labor and delivery, hospital care, long-term care, and same-day surgery. Kathy has been working for Polk County Public Health Department as a Public Health Home Visiting Nurse for 13 years. Kathy has always been focused on public health prevention and enjoys working with families directly. 

Ashley Braun has been a registered nurse and certified lactation counselor (CLC) working at Norman-Mahnomen Public Health Department in the Family Home Visiting Program for over six years. Prior to her current role, Ashley had experience in a variety of different areas in nursing. Public health is truly her calling and she enjoys connecting with families in the community every day.

The Polk, Norman, and Mahnomen Counties Community Health Board serves as a collaborative partnership to support the health and well-being of residents across all three counties in Minnesota. Its mission is that together, we can promote health, prevent disease, and protect families across the lifespan. Each county continues to operate its own public health department—Polk County Public Health and Norman-Mahnomen Public Health—with dedicated staff who supervise and provide services within their respective jurisdictions.

Through the Community Health Board, these departments come together to align their efforts, share resources, and support one another in delivering high-quality, consistent services. The Family Home Visiting Program, which serves a large rural population, provides support to families with children from birth to age 2–3, depending on the specific program. This collaborative structure allows services to be coordinated across county lines, helping ensure that all families have access to care.

The Polk, Norman-Mahnomen Community Health Board (PNM CHB) implements the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home Visiting (MECSH) model, an evidence-based, nurse-led program designed to support families during pregnancy and the early years of a child’s life. This model provides both families and Public Health Nurses with a structured framework that helps build strong, trusting relationships over time, at no cost to the family. Each public health department will receive referrals to their county offices and public health nurses will set up initial visits using the MECSH model to meet families where they are most comfortable, beginning with more frequent visits early in pregnancy and gradually spacing them out based on each family’s needs. This approach allows for individualized, family-centered care that is completely voluntary.

Serving a large rural region, the program also supports nursing staff in overcoming geographic barriers by providing transportation or traveling directly to families. The MECSH model emphasizes prevention and early intervention, helping families build skills, strengthen their confidence, and access resources so they can adapt and successfully manage their parenting journey.

At PNM CHB, there are four types of Home Visiting Programs offered to families:

• Postpartum and Newborn Visits: This program is offered after a family returns home with a newborn to provide support, assess the baby’s development, and provide helpful community resources.
• Family Home Visiting: This program is provided to support parents and caregivers through pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. Public Health nurses will provide personalized education and resources such as prenatal and postpartum support, family well-being, breastfeeding assistance, child safety, and more. 
• Special Health Care Needs: This program is offered to families with children who have specialized health care needs. Public Health nurses will provide guidance, education, and connections to resources.
• Maternal Child Health (MCH) Visits: This program is offered to families who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the programs provided through the MECSH model, but are seeking support in developing parenting skills, fostering healthy family routines, and strengthening overall family well-being.

Additional Support:

• Period of PURPLE Crying Program: This is an evidence-based shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma (SBS/AHT) prevention program that helps parents understand that increased crying in the first few months of a baby’s life is normal, even when it feels overwhelming. It gives parents and caregivers strategies to cope safely and reminds them that this phase will pass. The letters in PURPLE stand for Peak, Unexpected, Resists Soothing, Pain-like Face, Long Lasting, Evening. This is an acronym that helps remind families that the crying has a beginning and an end. This program is offered to all families enrolled in a family home visiting program. 
• Referrals: PNM CHB provides referrals to outside support and agencies as needed. 
• Transportation Support: Transportation is a huge barrier to families within Polk, Norman, and Mahnomen counties. All counties provide optional transportation support to access their medical, behavioral, or dental appointments and services. 
• Promoting First Relationship Program: This is a social-emotional learning (SEL) education program focused on promoting healthy relationships, and PHN CHB can implement this for all their family home visiting clients as needed. 
• Vitamin Angels Program: This program provides nutritional education and prenatal vitamins to all female clients who are pregnant or at a child-bearing age.
• Cradle of Hope Program: This program, provided through a partnership between Cradle of Hope and the PNM County Family Home Visiting Program, offers application-based support to pregnant women and families with infants under four months who are experiencing a crisis. It helps meet urgent needs by providing financial assistance for essentials such as rent, utilities, and childcare, as well as material items like portable cribs and other baby supplies.

Kathy shared a powerful story about a woman who unexpectedly became a foster parent to a relative’s newborn. With very little notice, she felt unprepared to care for an infant and questioned whether she was the right fit. Through the PNM CHB Family Home Visiting Program, she received support from a collaborative team that included Kathy as the public health nurse and an early intervention education teacher. Together, they provided regular visits and guidance to help her navigate this major life transition. Eight years later, that same foster family has adopted the child and they are thriving! This story is a meaningful example of how coordinated, team-based support can make a lasting impact on families. In a rural community, where resources can be more limited, this team identified the family’s needs early and ensured they had access to the support and services necessary to succeed.

Ashley reflected on the impact of Family Home Visiting, noting that as a Public Health Nurse, you don’t always get to see the “seeds” you plant with families and their children. Occasionally, she receives messages from past clients sharing updates on their lives and expressing gratitude for the support she provided. Each of these messages serves as a meaningful reminder of why she loves the work she does and reinforces the lasting impact that Family Home Visiting can have on families.

Kathy mentioned that serving rural Minnesota in Polk County, the PNM CHB Family Home Visiting Program works to reduce barriers for clients by handling much of the coordination and logistical support, especially given limited transportation and access to care. Kathy emphasized the importance of meeting individuals where they are most comfortable and establishing relationships with families early in the process. She also noted the importance of being a trusted, safe person for families and ensuring services are delivered in a culturally centered and respectful way.

Ashley shared her experiences working with Norman-Mahnomen County Public Health, noting that even these counties differ significantly from Polk County in their approach to client outreach. All families with newborns are offered services, and Ashley makes a point to be attentive to each family’s needs, researching and sharing resources that may be helpful. Since both counties lack a local birthing hospital, families often need to travel 45–60 minutes for care. This makes it especially important for Ashley to provide education and share essential information to help families prepare for “what if” situations.

At Polk County, Kathy is currently working on several exciting efforts, including becoming a certified Car Seat Technician, continuing to support Community Baby Showers, and connecting families with resources such as the Mothers & Babies Program for stress management.

At Norman-Mahnomen County, Ashley highlighted her role as a Car Seat Technician, offering free check clinics for families in the community. She also supports the “Bundles of Love” program, made possible through partnerships with dedicated community volunteers. These bundles include culturally centered, handmade items such as cloth diapers, bibs, diaper bags, and more. Ashley takes great pride in this work, which has allowed her to build lasting friendships with community volunteers and strong, meaningful relationships with the families she serves.

There are many ways to connect with Polk, Norman, and Mahnomen County Public Health, the Community Health Board, and its Family Home Visiting Program. 

Learn more about all their amazing work below:

Websites:

• Norman-Mahnomen Public Health
• Polk County Public Health

Social Media

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polkcountypublichealth/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polkcountypublichealth/ 
• TikTok: @polkcountyhealth

Kathy’s biggest advice is to simply show up. Families truly value the time and consistency it takes to build strong connections through home visits. She also emphasized the importance of listening to families’ needs and approaching each interaction with empathy. Establishing a trusting, reliable relationship is the foundation for success across all of the programming offered.

Ashley’s advice for anyone looking to make a difference in their community is simple but powerful: be kind and offer help wherever you can. In a rural setting, every act of support matters, and it is inspiring to see how people consistently show up for one another. She emphasized that even small gestures, such as listening, volunteering, or sharing resources, can have a meaningful impact and help create a stronger, more connected community for everyone.