State Solutions is a national program office for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focused on maximizing enrollment in Medicare Savings Programs (e.g. QMB, SLMB, and QI1). This project provides technical assistance and policy analyses to State Solutions to identify and evaluate incentives created for increasing enrollment in the Medicare Savings Programs as a result of the implementation of the Medicare Part D drug benefit and low-income subsidies. The project will produce a series of issue briefs and develop and implement the agenda for a national invitational summit on this topic.

The Maine Nutrition Network (MNN) Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE)Plan FY 08 consists of multiple projects that impact three main goals. These goals include sustaining a collaborative of state and local partners to accomplish innovative nutrition education program; support environments in which Maine children choose active lifestyles and make informed food choices that support optimal health; and provide opportunities for Maine adults to make appropriate food choices and have increased accessibility to food and physical activity choices that support optimal health. The Office of Integrated Access and Support and the Maine DCD collaborate with Muskie to effectively reach these goals through training and technical assistance to schools and communities that reach Maine people who are eligible to participate in the Food Stamp Program.

In 2005, the Department of Health and Human Services, (DHHS) and Muskie School jointly developed a proposal for the DHHS to enter into a five-year agreement wit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The purpose of the grant is to develop a coordinated, strategic approach to reduce the incidence, and morbidity of injury through surveillance and prevention efforts. More specifically, this agreement will enable the Maine Injury Prevention Program (MIPP) to: Build a solid infrastructure for injury prevention; collect and analyze injury data; design, implement, and evaluate interventions through collaboration with partners; provide technical support and training; and reduce the burden of injury in Maine through public policy. The purpose of the one-year agreement is to fund program management to carry out the following activities: strategic, data-driven program planning and development, facilitated stakeholder involvement, technical report development using new surveillance data, grants management, technical assistance to organizations implementing injury prevention and control programs, stakeholders and staff on conducting evaluation; selecting best-practice interventions, program development (using logic models), using new injury surveillance data, reviewing progress towards project goals and objectives, and preparing and submitting reports to CDC.

Maine DOE as applicant is partnering with Muskie to perform activities in three focus areas: 1)Provide training for Child Nutrition (CN)food service professionals and Childcare Providers to enable them to prepare and serve nutritious and appealing meals based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans with a focus on increased fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. 2)Provice multi-faceted, integrated nutrition education for children by offering training, technical assistance, curriculum materials, and resources to support classroom nutrition education and increased opportunites for physical activity be enrolling up to 120 elementary and middle school teachers in MNN's Maine-ly Nutrition Project. 3)Provide youth leaders with multi-faceted, nutrition education activities to effect positive changes in food consumption patterns and physical activity behaviors eith their peers.