Saturday, June 7, 2025
6/7/2025
Team EPIC - Project Abstract Summary Team EPIC is a community coalition servicing Roseau County, which is located in the northwestern part of Minnesota, bordering Canada. Roseau is the county seat and is 370 miles (6 hours) northwest of Minneapolis. There is limited local access to shopping opportunities. The nearest mall is located over two hours away and the nearest Walmart is over one hour away from the center of the County, and 2 hours away from the edge of the county. The 2010 U.S. Census indicated that Roseau County is almost a “Frontier County” with only 9.8 persons per square mile, and a population of 15,629. The county’s racial breakdown by percentage is: White – 94%; Asian persons – 2.5%; American Indian and Alaskan Native persons – 1.3%; Hispanic or Latino persons - .7%; Black persons - .2%; and two or more races – 1.3%. Income levels are considered to be moderate or below. According to the 2013-2017 American Community Survey, 9.2% of Roseau County’s population lived below the poverty level, and the median household income in Roseau County was $56,273 (compared to $65,699 statewide). The per capita income was $27,935 (compared to $34,712 statewide). There are 4 school districts in Roseau County: Badger, Greenbush, Roseau and Warroad. Each community has its own set of community norms, challenges and strengths. The county is the home of several major regional employers including Marvin Windows, Polaris Industries, and Central Boiler. These industries provide employment to over 4,000 people. Many of these employees are shift-workers, which creates a challenge for many families. Lake of the Woods (the 5th largest freshwater lake in the United States – behind the 5 Great Lakes) is located partially in Roseau County. The county’s water and wilderness are a draw to many tourists year-round. Boats and snowmobiles have easy access to Canada throughout most of the year. Locals spend much of their non-working time enjoying outdoor recreational pursuits such as hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, hiking and bike riding. Drinking alcohol, using tobacco and using other drugs are seen by many as just normal ways of entertainment, even for youth. According to the Roseau County Student Survey of Roseau County 8th, 9th and 11th graders, 22% used tobacco in the past 30 days and 17% used alcohol which are both higher than the state rates of use. Team EPIC works to engage youth and empower them to be leaders and advocates in prevention. Since Team EPIC has been working on prevention in Roseau County, the county has not seen an increase in marijuana use among youth while the usage rate in the state of Minnesota as a whole has increased. The youth coalition members are beginning work on advocating for smoke and vape free community events and areas (disc golf course, parks, walking trails, etc.), and plan to educate businesses on the new statewide Tobacco-21 law, and advocate for vaping products to be moved behind the counter. The mission of Team EPIC is to prevent underage drinking, substance abuse, and associated problems through community collaboration, education, support, intervention, healthy alternatives, and building assets among students, families and the community. Team EPIC works in collaboration with key stakeholders to support young people with opportunities for positive relationships and access to supports to help with improving coping skills, self-regulation and mental wellness to decrease likeliness of using substances for coping and continues to work on sustaining membership and partnerships with the community groups, key stakeholders and schools with increased focus on engaging people from the Laotian and American Indian communities to work to bring primary prevention to Roseau County in a way that is engaging and relevant for people of different backgrounds and cultures.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).