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NewsHealth district also offers many servicesJuly 3, 2007Heraldnet.com Recent articles in The Herald point to the challenges facing young parents who lack the knowledge and skills to successfully nurture their babies. The programs named in Melissa Slager's June 24 article ("Plenty of help available for pregnancy, childbirth") assist expectant moms and new parents. Your readers need to know that the Snohomish Health District also provides support services that deserve mention. The Nurse-Family Partnership Program serves first-time, low-income teen mothers through an intensive, nurse home visit program based upon Dr. David Olds' Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse Visitation Program, a national model of home visiting. The mother receives up to 65 home visits from pregnancy until her child is 2 years old. The First Steps Program helps low-income pregnant and parenting families with a child up to 1 year of age. Through either home or clinic visits, nurses educate high-risk women about access to prenatal care, immunizations, smoking cessation, environmental dangers, mental health issues and drug and alcohol use. The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition and nutrition education program aids pregnant women, infants and children up to 5 years of age who have nutrition risks and qualify financially. WIC gives these families nutritious food, nutrition education, health assessments and referral to preventive health services. The Partners in Child Care Program advises child care providers with information on health and safety issues. A cross-disciplinary team provides on-site assessments, accredited continuing education classes for the providers, and consultations with child care agencies. The Basic Food Nutrition and Education Program assists individuals and families in choosing active lifestyles and healthy food within a limited budget. Key program elements include dietary quality, shopping behavior, food security and food safety. I welcome Ms. Slager to explore these interventions fully, and to observe public health in action. Gary Goldbaum, MD, MPH Health Officer Snohomish Health District |
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