Public health agencies planning to implement a nurse home visiting program for families receiving prenatal and child development services require assistance in identifying and using federal and state sources of funding for such programs. The National Center for Children, Families and Communities of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center has reviewed all sources of funding for nurse home visiting programs and provides this information to its sites. This documentation of funding sources and information needed to achieve funding, such as Block grants to states, Medicaid targeted case management, interface with HCFA regional offices, and the like will be discussed. Factors unique to a successful home visiting program – the Children First Program – will also be presented. This legislatively mandated program is now about to begin its fifth year and has experienced considerable support within the state and also considerable questions about operations. Strategies used by public health leaders and those directing the Children First Program will be discussed. An important feature of being able to respond to numerous inquiries has been a clinical management information system that provides readily accessible data on structural, process and outcome features of the program. Senior public health department and other external state leaders asked for and received specific reports on details of the program including data analyses that showed resource use, program impact across the state, and comparisons with other similar programs. Implications of the change to ready access to data for policymaker responses will be a focus of the discussion.
Learning Objectives: Describe factors important to the changing Federal and State policy environment and the effects on public health programs; identify funding sources for nurse home visiting programs and how to achieve participation
Keywords: Quality of Care, Public Health Policy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: University of Colorado Health Sciences center and Oklahoma State Department of Health
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.