Newborn Home Visits, a preventative program that has been shown to improve infant health, is one of those programs that helps emphasize the Health Department motto “An ounce of prevention.”
Public Health Nurses call to schedule visits with any baby residing in Richland County during the critical first six weeks of life. Besides checking the baby’s development, Home Visit Nurses provide counseling to mothers on any health questions they might have concerning the baby or their own postnatal health. During Newborn home visits, a nurse will measure and weigh the baby and check for growth and devlopment.
One of the biggest benefits is offering education to the parents. Often all a mother needs is the reassurance that her baby is developing well and she is providing proper care and feeding. For new mothers there can be a lot of questions and the Home Visit offer an opportunity to reassure the mother.
The program also offers a unique opportunity to work with the entire family, something that only a Home Visit can accomplish.
If a problem is discovered, nurses can assist in providing referrals to the Health Department’s BCMH Program (see below) or other agencies that can provide help.
Most home visits are with healthy, happy babies. But when the home visit nurses do see a problem they have the resources to step in quickly and help both the baby and the parents.

For more information or to schedule a home visit, call Public Health Nursing, 419-774-4540.