Healthy
Start
LEVY COUNTY HEALTH
DEPARTMENT
For information on local Healthy Start programs call
Karen Hart ext 251
The Healthy Baby Hotline: 1-800-451-2229
The hotline
is confidential and calls are free.
Counselors can answer questions about prenatal care, infant health care,
family planning, and drug and alcohol use.
Calls are answered from 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 midnight. Counselors speak English, Spanish and
Creole.
The
If your child
has special needs that are not being met or you are worried that your baby is
not getting a good start in life, call the Florida Directory of Early Childhood
Services. Calls are answered in English
by resource specialists from 8:30 in the morning until 5:00 in the evening on
weekdays.
Healthy Start Services
Help give your baby a
healthy start. You and your family are
the most important people in your our baby’s life. What you do will make a big difference on how
your baby will grow and develop. You
want to be a good parent and Healthy Start can help.
Healthy Start is a
program that offers screening of pregnant women and newborn babies, and help to
find services you may need to have a healthy baby. It is open to all pregnant women, children
under one year of age, and their families.
It is available throughout the state.
After your baby is born,
you should be asked to give permission for a Healthy Start Infant (Postnatal)
Risk Screening. The purpose of the screening
is to find out whether there is anything about your pregnancy or delivery and
your baby’s health at birth that could affect your baby’s first year of
life. If you are not asked about the
screening, ask your health care provider to tell you about it.
If you agree, the
information on your baby’s birth certificate will be used to answer the
questions on the Healthy Start Infant (Postnatal) Risk Screening. All you have to do is give your permission.
The items on the birth certificate that will be
reviewed include: your baby’s weight; whether your baby was in the neonatal
intensive care unit; your race and marital status; when you started getting
prenatal care; and any use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco during pregnancy. The answers to there questions are strictly
confidential. They will only be used to
help provide you and your baby the best possible care.
The Healthy Start Infant
(Postnatal) Risk Screening is scored.
Points are given to those items that can cause problems with your baby’s
health and development. Based on the
score and discussions with your health care provider you can decide whether you
or your baby want extra help. The
program is voluntary. You will not keep
your baby from receiving other services for which he or she is eligible if you
decide not to participate.
If you say yes, a Healthy Start Care
Coordinator will contact you. She will
explain the results of the screening and answer any questions you have about
your baby’s score. She will talk with
you about any special needs you or your baby may have and help you find
services in your neighborhood. She will
give you the name and telephone number of a person you can call if you have any
questions or need help in the future.
This process is called care coordination.
If you or your baby need
special services, the Healthy Start Care Coordinator will help you find
them. The services that are available in
each community will vary. They may
include: resource parent programs; breastfeeding support groups; child
development programs; parenting classes; and child care. These services are called Healthy Start
services.
If you live in
You want your baby to
grow up strong and healthy. Let Healthy
Start help you.
Reference:
This article
distributed with the permission and assistance of Karen Heart, Levy County
Florida Healthy Start Care Coordinator.
The Florida
Department of Health Healthy Start Program website:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/mch/hs/hs.html