by Jody Bettger-Huber, Director, Healthy Families

  

Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota seeks opportunities to expand the Healthy Families program, firmly believing our outcomes speak for themselves and that efforts should be made to replicate these accomplishments in areas of North Dakota beyond the four counties where Healthy Families is currently providing services -- Grand Forks, Nelson, Burleigh and Morton. With this goal in mind, we have been involved in two specific legislative advocacy efforts during this year's North Dakota Legislative Assembly.

 

Senate Bill 2357 was introduced with the intent of providing an appropriation to the Department of Human Services for six programs associated with the Family Impact Initiative. Included in SB 2357 was $350,000 for the expansion of Healthy Families into two additional sites. The Senate Human Services Committee was supportive and recommended a Do Pass (5-0 and 1 absent). The bill then went to the Senate Appropriations Committee where a Do Not Pass was recommended 9-4.  When it reached the Senate Floor, the bill was defeated 19-27.

 

Healthy Families also advocated for increased home visitation services through House Bill 1004, which is the Department of Health's budget bill. With the Governor's approval, the Department of Health added $1.4 million dollars for home visitation into its budget. These funds were to be provided by the Federal Home Visitation Legislation under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program that needed legislative action to receive spending authority.Several amendments were made to the bill by the House Appropriations Committee, including removing funding for home visits. HB 1004 passed on the House Floor with the funding removed.  

 

Following crossover of this legislation to the Senate, an amendment was introduced to add funding for home visits back into the Department of Health's budget. HB 1004 has been heard by Senate Appropriations and is presently in a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee at the writing of this newsletter.  

 

If successful, HB 1004 funding may open up the possibility for Healthy Families to expand, although it should be noted that the Department of Health is looking at any evidenced based models, of which Healthy Families is one of a short list of proven programs that will be considered.

 

Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota and the staff of Healthy Families are extremely grateful to legislators, advisory committee members, early childhood advocates and lobbyists, community partners and parents who supported Healthy Families and evidence-based home visitation through these two bills.  

Katherine Daniels, left, family assessment worker, and Anna Colter, family support worker, with a donated crib in Grand Forks.

 

 

 

 

A safer night's sleep 

thanks to Cribs for Kids! 

 

Healthy Families' Grand Forks/Nelson Counties site and Burleigh/Morton Counties site (Bismarck area) will each be receiving 10 Graco Pack n Play portable cribs along with fitted sheets and a swaddler to distribute to familes in need of a safe sleeping environment for their infants this year.  

 

The purpose of the program is to reduce the number of infant deaths by providing an appropriate sleep environment through parent education and safe cribs.

 

"We are so excited to be part of the this program and look forward to our continuing partnership with Cribs for Kids and to be able to educate the families of North Dakota to keep our children sleeping safely," said Jody Bettger-Huber, Healthy Families director.

 

On March 3 the staff at the Grand Forks office participated in a crib safety and SIDS training given by Kjersti Hintz, RN, BAN, maternal and child health nurse consultant for the ND Department of Health. The Bismarck site received the cribs and similar training in 2010.

 

Healthy Families is a free, voluntary family support  

initiative designed to ease the transition to parenthood.  It provides support and education directly to families in their homes. The goal of Healthy Families is to  promote positive parenting and improve the health and well-being of mothers, fathers, infants and young children in Grand Forks, Nelson, Burleigh and Morton Counties. Visit our website
 lssnd.org/healthyfamilies. 

 

To learn more  

about Healthy Families  

America visit 

healthyfamiliesamerica.org.

 

Jody Bettger-Huber     Program Director  701-530-2512 jhuber@lssnd.org                   

Grand Forks                    Jolaine Knain  - Family Support Worker
Katherine Daniels - Family Assessment Worker/ Family Support Worker
Anna Colter  -Family Support Worker

Bismarck                             Jean Rexine- Family Assessment Worker/Family Support Worker
Jamie Bernhardt- Family Support Worker

 

On Feb. 24, two family support workers from each site had the opportunity to participate in an exciting training on adolescent parents in the Twin Cities. The training was presented by Sue Fust who works for Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Prevention and Parenting (MOAPPP www.moappp.org).