WESTERLY – Thanks to a grant from the R.I. Department of Health, VNS Home Health Services is now able to provide pediatric services to families in Westerly through Healthy Families American.
HFA is a nationally recognized evidence-based home visiting program designed for families who are at-risk for adverse childhood experiences, including child maltreatment.
The program with families who have histories of trauma, intimate partner violence, as well as mental health and substance abuse issues. Services begin prenatally or right after the birth of a baby and are offered voluntarily long term (3 years after the birth of the baby).
The HFA model, developed in 1992 by Prevent Child Abuse America, is based upon 12 Critical Elements derived from more than 30 years of research to ensure programs are effective in working with families.
Research on the program has shown a variety of positive outcomes, including reduced child maltreatment; increased use of prenatal care; decreased pre-term, low-weight babies; improved parent-child interaction and school readiness; decreased dependency on welfare; and increased access to primary medical care.
