HOLMES / WASHINGTON COUNTY HEALTHY START SUCCESS STORY

This family is a success story because it shows the many facets of Healthy Start care coordination including home visiting. After many months of not providing home visitation services due to COVID 19, home visiting resumed in June 2021. During an initial home visit, we found a family that needed many services and would benefit greatly from Healthy Start services of care coordination, parenting education and support, as well as referrals to community resources for the mother and the child. This family needed the Department of Children and Families Economic Self Sufficiency Services (ESS), such as Medicaid and Food Stamps, Mental Health Services, and Early Steps services for child developmental delays.

With the Dell Laptop that the Chipola Healthy Start Coalition provided to all Healthy Start participants, Holmes/Washington Healthy Start was able to help this family get Medicaid and Food Stamps by utilizing the laptop to assist the family with the ESS services application. The child was 27 months of age when Healthy Start first began providing services and the child had never had a well child checkup or immunizations. This family did not have Medicaid and they were not aware of the Immunization services offered at the Holmes/Washington County Health Departments. The mother needed mental health services. Also, this family needed transportation services. Healthy Start was able to coordinate the services above within our community through community partners. Since that time, transportation has been provided to this family. Other services provided includes mental health counseling and Early Steps for further skills assessments based on Ages and Stages Questionnaire scores for growth and development. Because Healthy Start has been in this home, the health and developmental outcomes for this family have been improved, and barriers to healthcare access have been reduced. This was Healthy Start care coordination at it’s best!

Amanda Shull and Valery Lawton provided the Care Coordination, Healthy Start Services, Community Partner Referrals, and followup.