Healthy Families
Healthy Families is a FREE, voluntary family support service that helps parents create a healthy, nurturing home for their new baby. The program started in 2000 as a collaboration of 15 private and public agencies in the Grand Forks region who provide support services to Healthy Families program. Healthy Families expanded to the counties of Burleigh and Morton counties in 2008.
Who can participate?
Families living in Grand Forks, Nelson, Burleigh and Morton counties of North Dakota are eligible to participate in the Healthy Families program.
Area hospitals, clinics and social service agencies screen parents either before or within two weeks following the baby’s birth to identify parents who could benefit from Healthy Families support. A family assessment worker then visits these new parents to determine their needs and offers information about ways Healthy Families can help.
Services offered
Different levels of services are offered based on the needs of the participant. Trained family support workers offer new parents and their families support and information about:
- Pregnancy wellness
- Breastfeeding
- Parenting skills
- Positive parent-child interaction
- How to recognize and respond to different stages of infant and child development
- Well baby visits, immunizations and developmental screening to access the health of the child.
- Stress reduction techniques to help families adjust to the challenges of parenting.
Family support workers provide these services through regular home visits. They serve as role models for new parents, offer a listening ear, parenting advice and help them connect to resources in the community. Participating families can receive these services until their child is three years old.
Why is Healthy Families Important?
Parenting is a tough job. Research continues to show that the kind of care a baby receives during the first three to five years of life has a long term impact on their quality of life as an adult.
The goal of Healthy Families is to make it possible for all children to grow up in a safe, healthy and nurturing environment that is free from neglect and abuse.
Contact us
Jody Bettger Huber, Program Director
Email: jhuber@lssnd.org
1616 Capitol Way
Bismarck, ND 58501
Phone: (701) 223-1510
You can also be screened and pre-registered at any Grand Forks, Nelson, Burleigh of Morton county hospital or clinic.
Resources
www.preventchildabuse.org
www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org
www.PCAND.org (Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota)
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