LEONARDTON, MD (August 26, 2014) – The St. Mary’s County Health Department is seeking proposals from organizations credentialed as a provider/site by Healthy Families America to implement the Healthy Families program model for St. Mary’s County families. The national Healthy Families model provides regular home visits from the beginning of pregnancy through the first five years of life for families that may be at higher risk for adverse childhood experiences. The evidence-based Healthy Families initiative has been demonstrated to:
- Reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s)
- Increase utilization of prenatal care and decrease incidence of preterm, low weight babies
- Improve parent-child interaction and school readiness
- Decrease dependency on welfare and other social services
- Increase access to primary care medical services
- Increase immunization rates
The St. Mary’s County Health Department is seeking a vendor to implement and provide Healthy Families services to residents of St. Mary’s County. The vendor will serve families in St. Mary’s County who have been identified as having risk factors according to the national Healthy Families model. For more information about the Healthy Families program model and request for proposals, please visit the health department’s website at www.smchd.org/rfp.