WILMINGTON – Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) has announced that the Healthy Families America (HFA) affiliate, Clinton County Health District Help Me Grow/MIECVH program, has been accredited as a provider of high quality home visiting services to families who want to improve their child’s health, nutrition and developmental outcomes.

HFA is a signature program of PCA America that has been providing home visiting services for more than 20 years. Expectant and new parents have common questions about their child’s development. HFA connects with families through community partners like hospitals and pediatricians to find the answers to their questions, meeting within the familiarity and convenience of the family’s own home. HFA is an accessible, voluntary and well-received service.

In order to complete the accreditation process the following three steps: a site self-assessment, an external peer review performed by a team of at least two HFA-certified reviewers, and an accreditation decision made by the HFA accreditation panel.

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.

The Help Me Grow program is under the direction of the Clinton County Health District. Monica Wood is the contract manager, home visiting supervisor is Erin Mustard and home visitor is Mallery St. John. “The accreditation process is a very lengthy, detail oriented process with a focus on providing quality services to families served,” shared supervisor Erin Mustard. “I’m glad that our team has accomplished this task.”

“Evidence-based home visiting programs help give children the best possible start in life and increasing participation can help lower infant mortality rates, increase kindergarten readiness and improve parenting skills,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stated in a release on March 8. “Strong children grow into strong adults, so an investment in these proven programs is an investment in our state’s future.”

Clinton County Health District Home Visiting program currently provides services to 24 families throughout Clinton County and often has a waitlist for services. The site begins services prenatally until age three.

For more information about this program, please call 937-382-7221.