County home‑visiting programs outline referrals and new provider supports for pregnant and postpartum families

Paula Schultz, program coordinator for Family Health and Supports in Northern St. Louis County Public Health, described the county’s family home‑visiting offerings and how providers can refer clients.

"We have a universal family home visiting program, which is voluntary," Schultz said. She outlined Northstar Families — a program that pairs public‑health nurses with a licensed alcohol‑drug counselor to support pregnant, postpartum and parenting families at risk for substance misuse — and said that public‑health nurses may continue services up to two years or until the child’s second birthday. She also described MESH, an evidence‑based home‑visiting program also provided through the public‑health team and available until the child is 2.

Schultz said the county maintains a referral form (to be posted in the meeting chat) that can direct clients to universal services, MESH, Northstar Families or a newly described "Heart to Heart" program targeted to people with a history of hypertension, preeclampsia or related cardiovascular risk. She said Heart to Heart is a provider‑referred stream and that she would share a brochure and the referral form after the meeting.

Attendees discussed declining referral volumes to public health and the importance of better outreach and cross‑agency communication. Lind and others emphasized adding program links to the Northland Perinatal Resources page and making sure plan‑of‑safe‑care documents are accessible across providers.

Paula and Kelly asked agencies to share the referral form and to connect when they encounter families who might benefit from extended home visiting or targeted cardiovascular follow up during the perinatal period. The group noted that National Home Visitors Week is upcoming and planned outreach could coincide with that awareness effort.