Health Dept. named HLA affiliate

VW independent staff/submitted information

The Van Wert County General Health District, which is a Healthy Families America affiliate, has been accredited as a provider of high-quality home visiting services to pregnant families and families with infants and young children. The announcement was made Friday by Prevent Child Abuse America.

Healthy Families America is the signature program of PCA America and has been providing home visiting services for nearly 30 years. Expectant and new parents are facing new stressors and have questions about their child’s development. HFA connects families through community partners like hospitals and pediatricians to support parents, meeting within the familiarity and convenience of the family’s own home. HFA is an accessible, voluntary and well received service.

“HFA sites utilize evidence-based best practices to provide individualized support to families when needed most, and linkages to community services,” said Melissa Merrick, President and CEO of PCA America. “We congratulate the Van Wert County General Health District, and we commend the staff for their leadership and commitment that has contributed to this most notable and highly regarded achievement.”

The accreditation process is based upon a stringent set of 12 critical elements grounded in more than 30 years of research. The process involves an in-depth examination of the site’s operation, as well as the quality of the visits made by HFA home visitors.

“We commend the Van Wert County General Health District for opening itself up to such an intensive review process,” said Kathleen Strader, National Director of HFA. “We believe that all families and all communities deserve access to quality home visiting services.”

“Van Wert County General Health District’s Healthy Families America/Help Me Grow program is a lifeline for families, offering early support, education, and resources that help every child reach their fullest potential,” said Van Wert County General Health District Health Commissioner Dr. Daryl Dowdy. “We are proud to serve the residents of Van Wert City & Van Wert County. Healthy Families America/Help Me Grow is one of the most powerful investments we make in the health and stability of Van Wert County families.”

“By supporting parents during pregnancy and the earliest years of a child’s life, we’re strengthening child development, reducing long‑term community health risks, and building a foundation for lifelong success,” he added. “Every home visit, every developmental screening, and every connection to resources moves our community forward.”

One of the primary goals of HFA home visiting is to promote nurturing, responsive parent-child relationships. Home visitors in each community receive extensive training on a wide range of topics important to just about every new parent, such as: caring for a new baby, ensuring the baby is receiving the nutrition needed, promoting healthy child development, and coping with a myriad of other potential stresses, such as financial, housing, partner relationship, etc., that may become heightened with an addition to the family.

PCA America was established in 1972 with the belief that child abuse and neglect is preventable. The not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization is committed to preventing child abuse in all forms through education, research, public awareness, and public policy development. Today, PCA America supports a network of state chapters across the United States.

PCA America implemented the Healthy Families America (HFA) initiative in 1992. HFA serves families of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, meeting the needs of close to 600 communities in 38 states, D.C., the U.S. Territories and Israel.

Healthy Families America is an effective and proven evidence-based home visiting program according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.