RD184 - Report on Healthy Families in Virginia (Corrected and Re-published November 14, 2007)


Executive Summary:
The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), in collaboration with Prevent Child Abuse Virginia (PCAV), has prepared the following legislative study examining the possible expansion of the Healthy Families program in Virginia. Healthy Families is a national initiative designed to provide support to all new parents. With an overarching mission, the Healthy Families model encourages collaboration of all community partners working with young children. Key services offered include an initial brief screening and in-depth assessment of pregnant women or parents shortly after birth to determine their strengths and their needs.

Research examining the Hampton Healthy Families Partnership has demonstrated that community wide investment in the Healthy Families model can yield positive outcomes. Since the inception of the Healthy Families program in the City of Hampton in 1993, outcomes measuring community health have shown positive movements. Hampton has seen dramatic decreases in both its infant mortality rate and its various child abuse and neglect indicators. The Comprehensive Services Act (CSA) expenditures in Hampton
have also grown at a remarkably slower rate than the rest of the Commonwealth. By expanding other Healthy Families programs across the state, it is believed similar results will be observed.

The following report provides an overview of PCAV’s strategic plan for Healthy Families Virginia, a description of the evaluative process for site expansion, a review of the Hampton Healthy Families Benchmark study, and a summary of focus groups held with various members of the Hampton Healthy Families Partnership. Based upon all aggregated research, the following recommendations have been made:

• Maintain the current level of funding to ALL Healthy Families sites;

• Providing funding to significantly expand the scope of services for at least 4 existing programs;

• Prioritize for expansion those programs with a track record or clear ability to realize the “initiative concept” as part of the Healthy Families model and where strong local support exists as evidenced by local funding, private partnerships/funding, and vigorous boards; and

• Prioritize for growth those Healthy Families programs located in communities exhibiting significant risk factors.