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

2. 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.

3. 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

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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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.

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