Recorded presentation

Sherry Gaines, PhD, RN¹, Judith Wold¹, Margaret Bean, MS, RN², and Janie M. Leary, BSW¹. (1) Childcare Advantage Network, School of Nursing, Georgia State University, MSC 2A0965, 33 Gilmer Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30302-4019, 404-663-9284, sgaines@gsu.edu, (2) Health District 1-1, Georgia Department of Human Resources, 1305 Redmond Circle, Building 614, Rome, GA 30165-1391

Faring worse than many states on child health indicators, Georgia is in dire need of widespread child care health consultation to promote the healthy development of children. Public Health Nurses are well-positioned to provide these consultative services. However, Georgia’s Public Health Nurses are challenged by severe budget cuts and a mandate that they secure revenue to supplement current funding. In partnership with the Childcare Advantage Network at Georgia State University, nurses from one of nineteen health districts are creating a revenue-generating child care health consultation system. This partnership focuses on adding value in child care while strategically and financially supporting consultation. The purpose of this project is twofold: (1) to build a self-sufficient and sustainable child care health support program and (2) to provide a model for others who have a similar goal. As a result of this partnership: (a) county nurse managers in the District attended a nurse executive workshop, preparing to support child care health consultation, (b) at least one Public Health Nurse from each county completed a federally funded Child Care Health Consultant program, (c) nurse administrators negotiated fee-for-service contracts with child care programs, (d) partners are applying for funding to support initiatives such as obesity prevention, child care emergency preparedness, and social-emotional development of children, and (e) a survey of local child care directors examined their needs relative to child care health consultation. Additionally, this partnership led to Georgia’s Division of Public Health Nursing identifying child care health consultation as one of its highest priorities.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe a revenue-generating model for child care health consultation that adds value to child care while contributing to the sustainability of consultative services.
• Discuss the benefits of an academic-community partnership for building child care health consultation programs that contribute to the healthy development of children.

Keywords: Child Care, Child Health Promotion

Related Web page: www.gsu.edu/~wwwcan

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation