Funded Projects

Voices of Goodhue: Teen-led Health Podcast

Project Year

2025

City & State

Red Wing, Minnesota

Program Name

CATCH Implementation

Topic

Adolescent Health

Program Description

Problem: Goodhue County's 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment Online Health Topic Prioritization Survey identified health communication and trust in public health as a top issue impacting community health. This is not surprising as 70% of Americans have been exposed to health-related misinformation with nearly half unable to distinguish accurate information from false information. In Goodhue County, only 45% of children enrolled in Medicaid got the Child and Teen Checkup they were eligible for. The internet and social media serve as the main source of information for adolescents. This is especially true for adolescents not meeting regularly with their healthcare provider or attending school. There is a need for accurate health education provided by local experts to Goodhue County youth. Primary Setting: The podcasts will be recorded and produced under the mentorship of the Pine Island School District Wellness Coordinator, Tom Horner, and others who have experience producing podcasts. The podcasts will be uploaded to Spotify and advertised on the social media platforms of Mayo Clinic Health System, RiseUp Red Wing, Goodhue County Health and Human Services (GCHHS), and other community partner organizations. The Community Youth Council of RiseUp Red Wing will distribute links to the podcast series to peers through social media. Number of Children Affected: As of 2023, 7,782 people ages 5-17 years lived in Goodhue County, with 2,631 of those residing in the city of Red Wing. Enrollment at Red Wing High School for the academic year 2024-2025 is 755 students and enrollment at Twin Bluff Middle School is 513 students.  Project Goal:   Increase access to accurate, evidence-based medical information provided by healthcare professionals and public health experts for Goodhue County youth ages 12-18 years through the production of a youth-led podcast series exploring health topics identified as high priority by local youth and the Goodhue County Community Health Needs Assessment.  Objective 1: Produce six youth-led podcasts from January to March 2026 on topics identified as high priority by local youth focus groups. Objective 2: Achieve at least 200 podcast streams within 2 months of uploading the podcast series. Objective 3: By the end of May 2026, our youth-led podcast series will increase healthcare and local resource knowledge among Goodhue County youth ages 12-18 years on six specific healthcare topics by 20% as measured by pre- and post-intervention 5-point Likert scale questionnaires administered to focus groups. Proposed Intervention: A coalition of community partners including RiseUp Red Wing, Mayo Clinic Health System-Red Wing, GCHHS, Tom Horner, and others will develop a podcast series that shares healthcare information on topics identified as high priority by local youth. The podcast series will be youth-led and targeted to youth ages 12-18 years. Six high priority healthcare issues affecting youth will be identified by youth focus groups formed within our community partner organizations. The Goodhue County Community Health Needs Assessment will serve as a guide for identifying high priority healthcare issues facing local youth. Each podcast episode will be broadcasted every 2 weeks between January to March 2026 under the mentorship of a local podcaster that works with youth in the school system. Each topic will be recorded on a 30-minute podcast where a local expert will answer questions asked by youth on local health issues. Episodes will be uploaded to Spotify and disseminated by youth on social media and by local community partners. We will measure the total number, ages, and gender of listeners on Spotify.  Anticipated Outcomes: The podcast series will increase healthcare knowledge of local adolescents and inform them about available resources in the community while also building trust in local medical experts. 

Project Goal

Our youth-led educational podcast series will increase the healthcare knowledge of Goodhue County youth ages 12-18 years and inform them about available healthcare resources in the community. 

Project Objective 1

Produce six youth-led podcasts from January to March 2026 on topics identified as high priority by local youth focus groups.

Project Objective 2

Achieve at least 200 podcast streams within 2 months of uploading the podcast series.

Project Objective 3

By the end of May 2026, our youth-led educational podcast series will increase healthcare and local resource knowledge among Goodhue County youth ages 12-18 years on six specific healthcare topics by 20% as measured by a pre- and post-intervention 5-point Likert scale questionnaire.

AAP District

District VI

Institutional Name

Mayo Clinic Health System Red Wing

Contact 1

Seth Gregory, MD