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Healthy Start Services - Meeting a Growing Need
Since 2001, the number of direct services provided to women and children enrolled in the Healthy Start system has more than doubled. Healthy Start direct services encompass all services provided including care coordination, initial contact, initial assessment and enhanced services.

Once pregnant women and infants are screened and determined to be eligible for the Healthy Start program, they are assigned to one of the Healthy Start Contracted providers who serve the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Miami- Dade County. The initial contact is the first encounter with the client. The care coordinator makes an assessment to determine continuation of Healthy Start care coordination and wraparound services.

A pregnant woman or infant who has been referred for continuation of Healthy Start services is given a thorough assessment to further determine their risk and provide approriate intervention to offset those risks. This assessment is provided in person at the client's home or other locations which are convenient for the client.

After screening, eligible women receive care coordination, which links them to to those services which most appropriately meet their needs. Fiscal years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 saw a major increase in the amount of care coordination provided to our clients.

A total of 21,495 unduplicated pregnant women and infants received one or more Healthy Start wraparound services from July 2006 - June 2007. Healthy Start wraparound services include: nutrition assessment/counseling, psychosocial counseling, parenting education and support, childbirth education, breastfeeding education and support, smoking cessation counseling, or interconceptional education and counseling.


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