To: John H. Armstrong, Florida State Surgeon General and Governor Rick Scott, of Governor Rick Scott
Keeping the Healthy Start Program within the Florida Department of Health Okaloosa County
On July 2, 2013 the Healthy Start Program was notified by Dr. Karen Chapman, Director of the OCHD, through an e-mail that as of November 30, 2013 the OCHD would no longer continue to be the Provider of Healthy Start services. Healthy Start was established in 1991 when the Governor and First Lady convened a group of community leaders and challenged them to build local coalitions to reduce Florida's alarmingly high infant mortality rate. Healthy Start was built on Governor Chiles' experience as chairman of the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality and helps at- risk mothers receive the care they need for a healthy pregnancy and baby. Governor Lawton Chiles believed every child deserved a healthy start in life and worked with communities to build strong local coalitions to provide high-quality prenatal care for mothers and health care for children. Okaloosa County Healthy Start Program has provided invaluable assistance such as:
Healthy Start
• Care Coordination and Outreach
• Breastfeeding and Childbirth education
• Parenting education and support
• Smoking Cessation Assistance
• Nutritional Services and Counseling
• Psychosocial Counseling
• Home Visits
• Car seat safety classes and bicycle helmet safety education
• Many other services to address individual identified risks
MomCare: A Medicaid-funded program authorized by a special waiver from the federal government called the Sixth Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (SOBRA).
•Identify any client needs
•Ensure health insurance for the newborn
•Increases Healthy Start screening rates
•Increases participation in the WIC program
•Assigns a primary care provider within 30 days
•Increases family planning services
The 2001 Florida Statutes, Title XXIX Public Health, Chapter 383 Maternity and
Infancy Hygiene
383.216 Community-based prenatal and infant health care.--
(1) The Department of Health shall cooperate with localities which wish to establish prenatal
and infant health care coalitions, and shall acknowledge and incorporate, if appropriate,
existing community children's services organizations, pursuant to this section within the
resources allocated. The purpose of this program is to establish a partnership among the
private sector, the public sector, state government, local government, community alliances,
and maternal and child health care providers, for the provision of coordinated communitybased
prenatal and infant health care. The prenatal and infant health care coalitions must
work in a coordinated, non-duplicative manner with local health planning councils established
pursuant to s. 408.033.
Healthy Start
• Care Coordination and Outreach
• Breastfeeding and Childbirth education
• Parenting education and support
• Smoking Cessation Assistance
• Nutritional Services and Counseling
• Psychosocial Counseling
• Home Visits
• Car seat safety classes and bicycle helmet safety education
• Many other services to address individual identified risks
MomCare: A Medicaid-funded program authorized by a special waiver from the federal government called the Sixth Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (SOBRA).
•Identify any client needs
•Ensure health insurance for the newborn
•Increases Healthy Start screening rates
•Increases participation in the WIC program
•Assigns a primary care provider within 30 days
•Increases family planning services
The 2001 Florida Statutes, Title XXIX Public Health, Chapter 383 Maternity and
Infancy Hygiene
383.216 Community-based prenatal and infant health care.--
(1) The Department of Health shall cooperate with localities which wish to establish prenatal
and infant health care coalitions, and shall acknowledge and incorporate, if appropriate,
existing community children's services organizations, pursuant to this section within the
resources allocated. The purpose of this program is to establish a partnership among the
private sector, the public sector, state government, local government, community alliances,
and maternal and child health care providers, for the provision of coordinated communitybased
prenatal and infant health care. The prenatal and infant health care coalitions must
work in a coordinated, non-duplicative manner with local health planning councils established
pursuant to s. 408.033.
Why is this important?
This is in support of keeping the Healthy Start Program within the Florida Department of Health Okaloosa County. The loss of the Program within the Florida Department of Health Okaloosa County will have an adverse effect on the community.It would be most beneficial for the clients served by the Healthy Start Programs to have access to wraparound services in a central location.