MinneStories: Stories of Minnesota’s Newborn Screening Program

The Minnesota Department of Health sought to build a long-term recording project to highlight the impact of its Newborn Screening Program on Minnesota families. They hoped to record, preserve. and share the stories of families with conditions that can be identified by their newborn screening program. StoryCorps led an on-site workshop, providing hands-on training as well as tools and resources to help the department build their own reminiscence program.

What we provided

• A one-day My Legacy workshop for 12 staff members, including genetic counselors, health educators, and administrative staff
• Equipment recommendations and sound quality tips
• Take-away resources on interview techniques, preparing participants, facilitating meaningful conversations, and best practices for archiving and sharing stories.
• Support and guidance around long-term program design

Outcomes

• Designed and launched a website for the project where families could find information on how to record their stories
• Shared eight edited clips from the project