Jeanna Kujava, PHN 

Jeanna Kujava is a public health nurse, and the Kittson County Public Health Director. Kittson County includes over 4,000 residents and is located in the far northwest corner of Minnesota neighboring Manitoba, Canada to the north, Roseau County, Minnesota to the east and Pembina County, North Dakota to the west. 

Transportation barriers were identified in the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment completed by Kittson Healthcare and Kittson County Public Health. Challenges accessing transportation to attend preventative wellness visits and specialty medical appointments, further sparked community conversations.

In 2022, the support and mentorship from neighboring community volunteer transportation programs led to the establishment of an advisory committee. Today, the advisory committee includes representatives from four of the largest cities in Kittson County, Hallock Area Senior Center leadership and partners from the Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging, and the Northwest Regional Transportation Collaborative.

As the fiscal host, Hallock Area Senior Center supports the growing community volunteer transportation program that exists today serving residents living throughout Kittson County. Working together and alongside our neighbors, recently contributed to a successful Age-Friendly Minnesota grant bringing the goal of acquiring an accessible vehicle to Kittson County a reality.