Healthy Start is a free home visiting program that provides education and care coordination to pregnant women and families of children under the age of three. The goal of the program is to lower risk factors associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, infant mortality, and poor developmental outcomes. Healthy Start is dedicated to the health and well-being of local pregnant women, infants, fathers, and their families.
Healthy Start’s home visiting services are based on risk factors, not income. Services are available to pregnant women and mothers, new fathers, fathers-to-be, father figures, or caregivers with children under the age of three.
Potential Healthy Start clients are screened using a simple set of questions to determine if a woman and/or her baby could benefit from home visiting services. A Healthy Start screening will be offered when a pregnant woman has her first prenatal visit or when the baby is born at the hospital.
Healthy Start offers education and support to help moms have a healthy pregnancy and baby. A professional assessment is completed and services are provided tailored to each family’s individual needs and resources.
Services include:
- Breastfeeding education and support
- Case management
- Community referrals
- Nutritional assessment and education
- Car seat checks and fittings
- Smoking cessation education and support
- Home or office visits or telephone support
- Childbirth Education
- CPR and First Aid
- Parenting education and support
- Psychosocial counseling
- Baby spacing and reproductive life planning