SLM Consulting, LLC

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas! SLM Consulting wishes you a joyful holiday season and a happy new year!

12/18/2025

At SLM Consulting, we know the vital role community engagement plays in better understanding and improving the health needs of the population.

That’s why SLM Consulting offers health needs assessment and improvement planning. Through convening partners, collecting data, and identifying strategies, our team helps communities understand their health issues and take action to improve them.

Learn more at https://www.slmconsultingllc.com/services.

12/16/2025

2025 brought changes and challenges to our nation’s public health system at federal, state, and local levels. On top of navigating governmental changes, the public health field also faced changes in society like a growing aging population, advancements in technology, Medicaid policy changes, and more.

As 2025 nears its end, the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice published a paper titled ‘Where Do We Go From Here? The Way Forward for State and Local Public Health”. Read it here: https://journals.lww.com/jphmp/fulltext/2025/11000/where_do_we_go_from_here__the_way_forward_for.26.aspx.

12/12/2025

Today is Universal Health Coverage Day, a day to raise awareness and advocate for the hundreds of millions of people lacking access to essential health services.

Let’s work together to be the change. From spreading the word to joining forces, there’s many ways to take action on this Universal Health Coverage Day. Learn more at universalhealthcoverageday.org.

12/10/2025

At SLM Consulting, we’re grateful for partnerships with fellow public health professionals. For years, we’ve valued the opportunity to work with Jennifer Noll Folliard MPH, RDN and Health + Nutrition First on a variety of projects.

From needs assessment to strategic planning, we truly appreciate collaborating with Health + Nutrition First to elevate the public health field.

12/02/2025

An important message from our friends at Immunize South Dakota

It’s National Influenza Vaccination Week! Haven’t gotten your flu shot yet? The best time is
right now. ⌚️

Flu season peaks between December and February—there’s still time to protect
yourself and the people you love.🩵🛡

11/27/2025

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things." –Maya Angelou

Wishing you a healthy and happy Thanksgiving from SLM Consulting!

11/24/2025

While it may never be enough, on this Public Health Thank You Day, sending a huge thank you to everyone who works to protect and advance public health. Our nation’s ability to live healthier, longer lives rests on our commitment to supporting public health initiatives and the individuals who carry them out. The breadth of public health challenges that impact the world reinforces the value of the public health workforce. hashtag hashtag

11/21/2025

The SLM Consulting LLC team engaged Sandra Melstad, Jennifer Noll Folliard, and Nicole Reuland to partner with the South Dakota Department of Health Office of Lifespan Health to complete a statewide needs assessment focused on South Dakota’s maternal and children’s health needs. From assessment planning to implementation and communicating results, our team was proud to support this project and engage with communities to best understand the state’s challenges and opportunities to improve maternal and child health.

Learn more at: https://doh.sd.gov/press-releases/south-dakota-department-of-health-announces-completion-of-statewide-maternal-and-child-health-needs-assessment

11/20/2025

This year’s theme for National Rural Health Day is ‘Moving the Power of Rural Forward’. Today and everyday, SLM Consulting is proud to support public health initiatives that strengthen public health systems, promote health equity, and improve outcomes for all communities.

Together, let’s continue to move rural health forward. Learn more at about National Rural Health Day at https://powerofrural.org.

11/18/2025

Our Founder, Sandra Melstad, Ph.D., MPH, is one of the eight authors in a recently published paper titled “Should Leading Causes Be Leading Solutions? Integrating Chronic Disease Surveillance into Data Modernization Efforts.” The paper examines the role of chronic disease surveillance and the need to elevate its role data modernization efforts. Changes require that chronic disease and infectious disease serve as equal partners in larger efforts to understand and improve population health.

Read more at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40971484/.

11/18/2025

Discover the new results and implications of Dept of Ed consensus regarding professional degree programs and public health education.