Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Family Home Visiting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Scott County home‑visiting programs report improved prenatal outcomes, expanded capacity
Summary
Scott County public health officials reported 2025 outcomes for family home visiting programs, saying the county served about 371 clients with 2,455 visits, highlighted stronger birth and developmental outcomes for prenatally enrolled families, and outlined plans to expand partnerships and bilingual staff.
Lisa, the county’s community health services administrator, opened the community health board presentation on May 5 with an overview of the department’s 2025 report to the community and an interactive public dashboard used to track program metrics.
Mary Kay, who presented the family home‑visiting data, described three local models: MESH (a state‑administered maternal/infant sustained home visiting model), Parents as Teachers (prenatal to kindergarten focus), and a traditional evidence‑informed model for shorter engagements. She said Scott County’s full capacity in evidence‑based and traditional models is 143.5 family slots.
By the numbers for 2025, Mary Kay reported that the county received roughly 370 referrals and served 371 clients (162 infants and 185 families) across home‑visiting programs, delivering 2,455 visits. She said 17 babies were born to prenatally served participants in 2025 and that prenatally enrolled families showed stronger outcomes on several measures.
Mary Kay highlighted screening and preventive services: 72% of parents screened had no depression concern, and of those who screened positive, 61% were connected to supports; 89% of infants were always placed on their backs to sleep; and 89–98% of children in the program were up to date on well checks and immunizations. She said 71% of children in the program had no developmental‑screen concerns and 92% had no social‑emotional concerns on screening.
The presentation emphasized evidence‑based impacts: higher prenatal care access, lower rates of low birthweight for prenatally engaged families, improved breastfeeding rates, higher developmental screening completion, and increased parental confidence and protective factors. Mary Kay also described efforts to reengage families who move or decline services and noted that about 20% of closed cases moved out of the county.
Looking ahead, staff said they will produce a full family home‑visiting outcomes report this summer, continue Parents as Teachers accreditation work, expand bilingual staffing (a Spanish‑speaking nurse in MESH and a Spanish‑speaking health visitor in Parents as Teachers), and partner with St. Francis Birth Center to connect new parents to services.
The presentation closed with anecdotal client stories underscoring program benefits for maternal mental health, breastfeeding support and early intervention referrals. No formal board action was required; commissioners thanked staff and offered comments.
