Healthy Families America—Lincoln Community Health Services Division—Maternal Child Health Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Giving Babies a Brighter Beginning!

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Model Healthy Families America (HFA) is an evidence-based home visitation model implemented by Prevent Child Abuse America in 1992 after decades of research. MISSION: To promote child well-being and prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children through home visiting services.

Healthy Families America—Lincoln History Our Maternal/Child Health Division has been providing home visitation services for more than 40 years. Transitioning to the HFA Model in 2011 allowed us to combine public health nursing with social work for health and safety outcomes: Outreach workers & nurses both serve as home visitors Nurses attend periodic joint visits with outreach workers to assess pregnancy and newborn health, our “wrap-around” approach

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Stats From 2011-2014 our program has: Screened 1627 high risk mothers Performed 648 family assessments Enrolled 331 families into the program Provided 13,704 home visits

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Staff We have 14 Home Visitors including 7 Public Health Nurses 7 Community Outreach Specialists 5 Home Visitors are Bilingual or Multi-lingual Languages include: Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, French, & American Sign Language 11 Home Visitors are Certified Lactation Counselors (CLC’s)

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Partners Referrals are received from many partnering agencies: Presumptive Eligibility Medicaid Hospitals Physician Offices Schools Child Protective Services Human/Social Service Agencies Cultural Centers

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Client Demographics RACE PRIMARY LANGUAGE 66% - Caucasian 75% - English 13% - African American 13% - Spanish 10% - Asian 6% - Vietnamese 8% - Unreported 2% - Other 3% - American Indian 2% - French 1% - Karen ETHNICITY 1% - Arabic 78% - Non-Hispanic/Latino 22% - Hispanic/Latino A child’s environment has an enormous impact on how the cells within the brain get connected or “wired” to each other. The child’s experiences determine what connections are made. 75% - Single Mothers 15% - Teen Mothers

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Client Satisfaction Home visitor respectful in regards to race & ethnicity Always: 98% Sometimes: 2% Never: 0% Home visitor respects cultural background Always: 97% Sometimes: 3% Overall Quality of Services Excellent: 84% Good: 13% Fair: 3% Satisfaction with Information Excellent: 78% Good: 22% Fair: 0% A person who has a smaller cortex functions more in their mid-brain region, which is survival mode, rather than in the cortical and limbic areas of the brain, which is rational thinking, emotions, and feelings.

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Client Satisfaction AREAS LIFE HAS IMPROVED SINCE HOME VISITATION BEGAN: 94% - Taking Care of My Child 92% - Health Care of My Child 84% - Social Support System 80% - Ability to solve My Problems 78% - Coping with Stress 76% - My Happiness Babies with strong, positive emotional bonds to their caregivers show healthy brain development

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Program Services Offered prenatally through 3 years old (can be in until age 5) Weekly visits with intensity decreasing as child gets older Partners for a Healthy Baby Curriculum Screen and make referrals for: Developmental Delays Substance Abuse Family Violence Mental Illness Family Planning

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Program Services Pregnancy/infant care/postpartum care. Recognizing and caring for baby’s needs. What to expect as child grows. How to encourage normal development. Diet, nutrition, exercise, breastfeeding. “Baby-proofing” home. Problem-solving advice. Continuing their education. Linking to community resources. Working on goals that the parent sets.

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Program Services GOAL: ENROLL PRENATALLY Connect mother to medical home Encourage regular prenatal care Reduce stress: work to overcome challenges/unmet needs Educate on pregnancy & child development Establish a support system

Healthy Families America—Lincoln Program Outcomes 100% of children were current on all Center for Disease Control & Prevention recommended immunizations 100% of children were current on American Academy of Pediatrics recommended well child exams. 97% of children met or exceeded heir developmental milestones. 95% of families did not have substantiated reports of child abuse and neglect.

Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Giving Babies a Brighter Beginning!