1. Baby One Program: Delivering preventative primary health care to young families in Cape York Indigenous communities

2. Apunipima Cape York Health Council
Cape York is the large landmass north of Cairns in the north-eastern most part of Australia. Apunipima offers Primary Health Care services to 11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities

3. Baby One Program

4. Baby One Program
15 home visits
Pregnancy through first 1000 days after birth
Delivered by trained Health Workers
Contains key health messages pertinent to development at the timing of the visit

5. Purpose
Providing education that is relevant, accessible, understandable, and culturally appropriate.
Building contact and relationship with families
Empowering young families to make positive health changes

6. Content Dangers of alcohol and smoking Self-care Family violence
Hygiene
Nutrition
Oral health
Benefits of breastfeeding
Benefits of immunisation
Early milestones
Speech and language development
Hearing health

7. Some positive outcomes
Immunisation rates, and keeping up with the schedule
Education opportunities for adult flu vaccination

8. Some positive outcomes
Rates of smoking on Cape York remain very high
Increase in number of mothers seeking help to quit smoking
Current amendments to the Baby One Program to target fathers in education around smoking

9. Fruit & Vegetable Vouchers
The Baby One Program offers incentives for attending regular clinical health appointments
Selected ante-natal and Child Health clinic visits, including some immunisation visits, attract a voucher to redeem fruit and veggies from the local shop

10. Language development Signs and symptoms of Otitis Media are included
Strong focus on language enrichment and development
Betty Hart & Todd Risely theorized that the speed children learn new words is established by age Hart, B., & Risely, T.R., “The Early Catastrophe”, in Meaningful differences in the everyday experiences of young American children (1995), Brookes.

11. In summary Family empowerment to effect positive change
Improved engagement with health care professionals
Improved attendance for clinic check ups and immunisations
Increased exposure to healthy foods
Increased attempts at smoking cessation

12. Baby One Program: preventative primary health care for young families in Cape York communities