Help Me Grow Information from the Health Department
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HELP ME GROW
Richland County "Help Me Grow" Central Intake and Referral
419-524-2660
(formerly known as Early Intervention/Early Start)

The purpose of this program is to provide services to pregnant mothers and those with babies under 3 years old who have special needs.  We help each child develop to his/her fullest potential.  Research has shown that getting help early is very important.  In fact, the earlier the better.  Providing needed services at an early age has a positive effect on a child's future.  We want to ensure that all children enter school ready to learn.  

Formerly known as Early Intervention and Early Start, Help Me Grow is the Ohio Family and Children First Initiative. Help Me Grow includes (1) Prenatal Home Visits, (2) a Newborn Home Visit, (3) the Home Visits Program, and (4) Specialized Services. The program is funded by the Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Early Intervention Services and the Richland County Youth and Family Council.

HELP ME GROW PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
1) Prenatal Home Visits
This program helps mothers access prenatal care and other community resources to promote a healthy pregnancy and baby. Also provided is education on a baby's growth and development, parenting skills, and safety.

2) NEWBORN HOME VISIT
This program provides for a free home visit by a Registered Nurse from the Health Department to mothers of newborns. The nurse will weigh and measure the baby and answer questions that the parents may have about the health of the baby and mom. She will also provide information on growth & development, child care skills, safety, and nutrition. The nurse will also provide referrals to additional community services and/or supports if desired.

How the Newborn Home Visit Program Works: Soon after your baby is born, a registered nurse from the Mansfield-Richland County Health Department will call to see if you would like a newborn home visit.  There is no charge. The nurse will provide your family with the following services:

* Monitor the child's growth and development.
* Provide age-appropriate educational materials with activities you can do with your baby.
* Address any concerns related to the mother or child's health or the child's growth and development.
* Recommend and make referrals for another opinion or special help, specialists, or services in the area that will assist the parent in meeting child and family needs.

Additional home visits may be scheduled for premature and low birth weight infants until they are growing well.

Babies differ in appearance, in the way they feel about things and in the way they learn.  Often, their growth and development is not steady.  Sometimes they will go forward, then stay the same or even go backward before continuing again.   As a new parent, you can help your new baby as he reaches out toward the world around him.

3) HOME VISITS PROGRAM
This program attempts to identify children potentially at risk for delays. The goal is for a qualified Service Coordinator to work with a family on a continuing basis to help each child develop to his or her fullest potential. This service is free of charge. Services can begin before or after birth. Some of the risk factors that may interfere with the caregiving, health, or development of the child include: single parenthood; low income; inadequate health care; no health insurance; teen parents; unsafe living conditions; premature birth; maternal prenatal substance abuse (including tobacco); and severe pregnancy or delivery complications.

4) SPECIALIZED SERVICES
A program for a child who has a developmental delay such as: difficulty learning; a physical delay; vision or hearing problems; a communications delay; or problems doing things for themselves such as feeding or dressing themselves OR the child has a medically diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay (i.e., Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy).

Local Agencies Participating in this Program
Currently Help Me Grow Specialized Services are being provided thru The Rehab Center, Richland Newhope, and Mansfield MedCentral Hospital. The Help Me Grow ongoing home visits are provided thru the Community Health Access Project, the Urban Minority Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Outreach Program, the Neighborhood Youth Corps, The Early Childhood Center, Shelby Home and Public Health, Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department, and Richland County Children's Services.

Parent Involvement
Research shows that babies begin learning while they are still in the womb.  After birth, they are like little sponges ready to soak up information.  An infants early experiences the first three years of his/her life affect the way their brains learn, think, and how they behave the rest of their lives.  Parents are their first and most important teachers. From the very beginning of the process, parents are involved in providing information and helping to determine the needs their family has and the goals that should be set.  They  continue to be involved the whole time in helping to assess what works and what needs to be improved upon.

Services
If a child is in Help Me Grow Specialized Services, they, of course, receive therapy in the areas they have delays in.  Such as speech therapy if they are having problems with communication.  If necessary, other services provided by Help Me Grow may include parent support, transportation, respite care, service coordination, parenting education, child development information, nutrition, and health care.  Also, there may be help with finding housing and employment and completion of the parent's basic education.  If needed, there is also assistance with treatment for substance abuse and domestic violence and mental health.  Services can begin as early as when a women first finds out she is pregnant.