Fun Facts about Healthy Families:

• We have been providing family-focused support for over 25 years.
• We have Spanish –speaking home visitors and ASL fluent home visitors.
• Healthy Families is a national program – it first originated in Hawaii! Although our home visitors only serve people in Marion County, if you are reading this and do not live in Marion County, we may be able to connect you with a different site near you!
• Throughout the year, we plan lots of fun events for the families and kids that we work with including, Pictures with Santa, Graduation Dinner, monthly social connections group, and our annual Healthy Families picnic.

To stay updated on all of these events, “like” HealthNet’s Facebook or follow HealthNet on Twitter. We will be posting lots of pictures, updated information, and helpful parenting articles. Or, if you or someone you know may be interested in participating in our voluntary program, please call 317-957-2600 to learn more!

People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history.” –Dan Quayle, former United States Vice President

Every year people make their new year’s resolutions—those secret self-promises that typically have the most positive and genuine of intentions, but somehow frequently don’t make it to manifestation. This year I have chosen to avoid the tradition of a resolution and have chosen instead to see the New Year as an opportunity to have that tremendous impact on history, as Dan Quayle put it.

I’m not saying I plan to go save the world tomorrow, but I would like to have tremendous impact on someone’s personal history. That’s where I would alter Dan Quayle’s thought. As HealthNet employees, we see and take opportunities to positively impact someone’s own personal history—their individual time line. I was curious as to what the odds are for this impact to occur just within our HealthNet family. Allow me to show you the math (and let’s hope I get it right; I’m in social services, not mathematics!).

There are approximately 600 employees serving 56,600 or more patients.

600 employees x 56,600 patients = 33,960,000

This means there is potential for 33,960,000 impactful moments (mathematically speaking)!

Millions of impactful opportunities are possible this New Year; and to me, this calls for a holiday revolution. I challenge you to make your resolution about one of those millions of opportunities and make it count. Who’s with me?!

Cheers, HealthNet…to making it count!

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. –Nelson Mandela 

As a proud member of the millennial generation, the news of former South African President Nelson Mandela came to me via the true blessing that is my precious smart phone. As I rapidly began typing his name into search engines to learn more, I came across a beautiful quote that spoke to me as a HealthNet employee.

As a Family Support Specialist with BIB/Healthy Families in the metro Indianapolis area, I have the privilege of seeing and experiencing a variety of cultures, languages, parenting practices, interpretations, and perceptions on a daily basis (and typically I can have all of those experiences before lunch!). It is part of what I love about my job. I have also seen other HealthNet employees have the same diversity-infused experiences at the clinics, administration office, and various outreach agencies. And perhaps without even knowing Mandela’s quote, I have seen those people speak to patients, participants, and other community members in a way that is easy to see words going to someone’s heart, not just their head.

In the last 10 years or so (forgive me, more than 10 years ago I was an adolescent or pre-adolescent), I have noticed a lot of emphasis on words and public word choice surrounding the holiday season. Whether it is choosing to say “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Holidays”, or “Seasons Greetings”, there seems to be a significant amount of emphasis on what words we choose to share a warm sentiment with another person.

So my challenge to you this holiday season, as well as the other 9-10 months of the year, is to internalize Mandela’s sentiment: whether it is literally speaking to someone (or attempting to speak to someone) in their native language, or if it is showing cultural sensitivity and consideration,  speak to someone’s heart. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up in the most ‘heart-felt’ conversation that you never even saw coming.

Warm Wishes from this Millennial!

To make a donation to our Better Indy Babies/Healthy Families programs, please click here. Give before midnight on Tuesday, December 31st, and your donation will be tax-deductible for 2013.

I distinctly remember a “game” my grandfather used to play with me that taught me more life values than most childhood games I ever played; I believe he called it “Bug Hunting.” He was a fisherman and taught me that buying bait was a waste of money, since it was more fun (and free) to go and find worms in the dirt. Finding worms became a competition between my brother and I, making the whole game more ‘profitable’ for my grandfather, since we always ended up with more worms that way. The game evolved on a warm Sunday afternoon, however, when I was about 5 years old. As it turned out, my aunt is absolutely petrified of worms, and my grandfather knew it (I did not at the time). The game evolved from finding the bugs, to my grandfather using my devoted obedience to him to scare my aunt. He brought me close to him, saying “Aunt Jenny loves worms, Tori. Why don’t you go give her one? She’d love it! And if she runs away and screams, it’s just part of the game, so you have to chase her until she takes it from you to win!” Being five, I believed every word. I ended up chasing my screeching aunt through a field for about 10 minutes. Needless to say, I never “won”.

But being an adult now, I remember this game and now see it as a life lesson in personal management. Allow me to explain:

While I can go on a personal ‘bug hunt’ to find what it is that “bugs” me (finding my own personal triggers for anger, frustration, etc), there will always be other people who will find them for me. That’s the beauty in human interaction: allowing others to teach you something you did not know about yourself before you met them. There are certainly days I have felt that I could have gone without learning about a certain trigger, particularly if it was one for feeling annoyed, I later appreciated the opportunity and education.

A lot of people find the holiday season to be both a blessing and a curse, which is the perfect recipe for a ‘bug hunt’ to occur. So this holiday season, give yourself some time to go on your own ‘bug hunt’ to proactively find your own triggers and develop ways to overcome them or, better yet, eliminate them. Talk to your friends, family, coworkers, or community professionals such as your Family Support Specialist on stress management techniques, coping skills, and ways to make the holidays inclusive, safe, and fun for the whole family.

Happy Hunting and Happy Holidays!

Can you share a success you have had in working with fathers?

Recently, a father that I meet with moved his family into a new home in a safer neighborhood!  This is a guy with a violent past, a history of emotionally distant relationships, unemployment, and drug use.  I’ve had the privilege linking him to community resources, working on relationship and communication skills and being a constant support as he discovers what being a man means to him.  Contrary to popular belief, men are not emotionally brain dead! They are capable of engaging their children and they are capable of forming meaningful relationships with other men.

We often discuss the parallel process between the relationships between staff and parents, and parents and their children; do you notice that same parallel process in your personal familial experiences, especially working with fathers?

Fathers father the way they were fathered.  Today’s young fathers carry the weight of the generations before them.  While a father’s desire to nurture and care for his child may be instinctive, the knowledge of how to do so is not!  Without having experienced what it means to be loved by a father, many dads are in the dark about how to love like one.  One of the most profound realizations for many fathers is that they have a choice to break the generational curse of fatherlessness and raise their child to know the love of a father.  Part of my role often involves being a positive male voice that encourages and believes in what these individuals are capable of.

Have you found any pertinent resources for fathers in Indianapolis that you use often?

There are some excellent resources in Indianapolis that Home Visitors should be linking fathers to.  Fathers and Families is a terrific resource. Kids Voice, Inc. offers legal services for fathers.  Additionally, there is a newly formed Indiana Coalition on Fatherhood (ICOF) dedicated to facilitating collaborations between agencies and provide resources for fathers.

What role does a man play in the prevention of child abuse and neglect?

A committed father makes a world of difference.  The statistics are staggering; and they speak for themselves.

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. (US Dept. Of Health/Census)
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. (US Dept. Of Health/Census)
• 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes. (Center for Disease Control)
• 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. (National Principals Association Report)

In seeking to facilitate the best possible future for the families we serve, it is absolutely crucial that we focus on the father as part of the family.  All too often, dad is an afterthought.  In reality, an invested father many be one of the most significant catalysts for safety, health, and success in the life of a child.

As a part of Healthy Families Indiana, we recognize the importance of fatherhood, and deal closely with fatherless families. As a child abuse and neglect prevention program, we especially take notice of the effects of fatherless homes as it relates to child abuse. Compared to living with both parents, living in a single-parent home doubles the risk that a child will suffer physical, emotional, or educational neglect. The overall rate of child abuse and neglect in single-parent households is 27.3 children per 1,000, whereas the rate of overall maltreatment in two-parent households is 15.5 per 1,000. (U.S. Census/U.S. Department of Health)

In response to these statistics, we continue to recruit male home visitors. Alan Goffinski, our current male home visitor, has committed to finding new ways to focus our program for fathers, and “de-genderize” our approach. He challenges us to have a less female biased view on child abuse prevention. He is assisting us in increasing our overall knowledge on the unique challenges of fathers, and the specific barriers men face. It is very important to have more male home visitors; as a result, some women will experience their first positive male relationship. Fathers will have the opportunity to be culturally represented as a part of the program; which increases rapport building and establishing trusting relationships. Alan Goffinski agreed to be interviewed about his experiences so far with the Healthy Families Program:

What do you see as your mission/role as being the only male home visitor at Marion I, Healthy Families?

I view my role to be much the same as other Family Support Specialists.  We all are doing our best to connect to individual families in a significant and holistic way that allows us to be a positive force affecting their health and well-being physically, emotionally, and mentally. As a male FSS, I get the unique honor of connecting to many young men and walking with them into a new phase of life, fatherhood.  Fatherhood is still significantly under-appreciated and undervalued thing for many of the populations that we serve.  I get to be a positive voice and example in a culture that still has a lot to learn about supporting men and encouraging their involvement in the lives of their children.  Beyond that, I also get to serve as a voice among my peers, offering insight into how to best engage new fathers.  After all, the program is called “Healthy Families” not “Healthy Mom and Baby.”

What is the biggest barrier you face in being a male home visitor?

There are definitely some preconceived notions among the population we serve as to what their home visitor will be like.  Much of society thinks that raising children is a woman’s job!  For those in the program who are open to having a male caseworker, it usually turns out to be a very good thing for the family.

What do you find to be the greatest barrier for the fathers you serve?

I come across fathers time and time again that feel they are not able to adequately support their families because of legal problems.  I have met with fathers who have difficulty getting a job because of a felony resulting from a high school fight they were mixed up in a half decade ago. Many young men are not aware that there are legal resources available to them.  Additionally, connecting fathers with employers willing to hire individuals with felonies on their record is crucial.  Beyond all of that, it is important to remind dads that there is more to fatherhood than providing financially.  Most important is the realization that their children need parents that they can rely on and will be a consistent and positive presence in their lives.

What has been the biggest challenge you have experienced in working with fathers?

The biggest challenge working with fathers is how young men view themselves and their role as a father.  Young men have the odds stacked against them.  For starters, many young men are falling into a generational pattern of being emotionally and physically distant from their children.  We’ve all heard the phrase, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”  The reality is, every day I meet with fathers who were never fathered.  Therefore, they have little idea how to be a good father. Try to think of the last time you saw a positive father figure in media.  The truth is, it is far easier to spot the bumbling, emotionally distant, pseudo-dad.  As a male caseworker, I find my biggest hurdle is convincing dads that it is a good thing to crawl around on the floor and baby talk with their child, to be emotionally invested, and to embrace what it really means to be a daddy!

For part two of Alan’s interview, check out the blog this Thursday! 

Post by Denise Kaspar

Healthy Families America is a nationally recognized evidence-based home visiting program model designed to work with overburdened families who are at-risk for adverse childhood experiences, including child maltreatment. HealthNet’s Healthy Families program has been providing home-based family support services for approximately eighteen years.  Healthy Families America has a strong research base, which includes randomized control trials and well-designed quasi-experimental research.  To date, research and evaluation indicate impressive outcomes. Reviews of more than fifteen evaluation studies in twelve states produced the following outcomes:

• Reduced child maltreatment
• Increased utilization of prenatal care and decreased preterm and low birth weight babies
• Improved parent-child interaction and school readiness
• Increased access to primary care medical services
• Increased immunization rates

The primary goal of prenatal care coordination is early entrance and continued participation in prenatal and postpartum care to reduce low birth weight, preterm labor, and infant mortality.  Prenatal Care Coordinators and Community Health Workers provide home-based support services and referral to human services for pregnant women and their families at risk for poor pregnancy outcomes due to physical, social, psychological, financial, or environmental factors.  HealthNet’s prenatal care coordination program, Better Indy Babies (BIBs), has been providing these services for well over twenty years.

Better Indy Babies’ goal is to decrease the incidence of low birth weight and infant mortality.

Research was completed on a similar program in New York City and it was found that home visiting programs during the prenatal period reduces the incidence of low birth weight.

Additionally, both of HealthNet’s programs increase school readiness – first through assisting mothers to have a healthy birth outcome and then assisting overburdened families to enhance parent/child interaction and improve family functioning.

HealthNet’s home visiting services help promote physical well-being and motor development, social and emotional development, approaches to learning, language development, cognition and general knowledge.  Our services recognize and honor the special role that parents play in shaping the lives of their children and can help create families and communities and children ready to learn.

Click here for more information about Better Indy Babies/Healthy Families.

Together, HealthNet’s Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families programs provided more than 10,955 visits to at-risk homes in Marion County. With your help, we can do even more.

Here’s a sobering statistic.

Just released data, complied by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, reports that Indianapolis ranks near the bottom — 46th in the nation — in infant mortality, with a rate of 9.7. Thankfully, that’s DOWN from the previous year’s rate of 11.3.

Although still higher than most other developed countries, the U.S. infant mortality rate has declined by 34 percent since 1990. Developments in maternal health and advancements in medical technology partially explain the trend. Despite improvements, racial disparities persist, with African-American (11.6 per 1,000 live births) and American Indian (7.6 per 1,000 live births) infants experiencing higher mortality rates when compared to their white counterparts. And the effects of poverty play a significant role too.

Those takeaways ring true especially for our Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families staff, who are all about helping kids get a great start in life.

Check out the report. It’s worth the read. We commend the Casey Foundation for raising awareness about key issues that can lead to better lives for all Hoosier kids. The question is, what can we, here in Indianapolis, do to keep Indy’s infant mortality rate going DOWN and help our community flourish?

There are lots of challenges to consider. Neighborhoods. Safety. Jobs. Health. Resources. Education.

Each of those is a big challenge, but each needs to be addressed in concert so that more families have more opportunities for a higher quality of life. We owe it to our kids to start the conversation.

Did you grow up with Sesame Street? For more than 40 years, the program has been a staple in millions of households. It taught us the alphabet, brought music into our lives, guided our social development, and even helped us cope with some of life’s toughest moments – like death and divorce.

But above all, Sesame Street focuses on preparing young children for success in school and life. That’s why Sesame Street Live, Entercom Communications and its radio stations WZPL and WNRT have partnered with us to promote awareness for HealthNet’s Better Indy Babies at Saturday’s 2 p.m. performance.

Over the years, Sesame Street’s mission has been to bolster the school-readiness of children around the world. But first, children must have a safe place to live and a good home environment to nurture their growing minds and bodies if they are to succeed in life. Better Indy Babies plays a huge role in making that happen for many Indianapolis families.

Better Indy Babies (BIBs) began in 1989 to battle the infant mortality rate in Indianapolis which was one of the worst in the country.  Better Indy Babies is a prenatal care coordination program providing services in areas surrounding our primary health care centers. The purpose of the program is to improve the health status of women participating in HealthNet’s OB program in order to reduce infant mortality rates and the incidence of low birth weight infants.

The BIBs program performance data documents a 30% reduction in infant mortality rates, a 20% reduction in preterm deliveries, decreased neonatal intensive care use, and increased self-esteem and parenting skills.  Satisfaction surveys also verify that program participants feel positive about their prenatal experience and that barriers were reduced as a result of their participation in the program.

So, if you’re looking for a fun activity for your family this weekend and want to help Indy kids grow and thrive, be sure to get tickets to Saturday’s performance and stop by our booth. We’ll have games and prizes for the little ones!

In the meantime, take these fun quizzes and test your Sesame Street knowledge!

• Sesame Street has been the source of some of the most beloved children’s songs ever. How many can you remember?

http://mentalfloss.com/node/13479/take

• If you were even a semi-regular watcher of Sesame Street in your formative years, chances are you have great memories of the characters and sketches on the show that made you love learning. See how much you remember.

http://beyondthebox.org/take-the-ultimate-sesame-street-quiz/

• If you were a Sesame Street character, which one would you be? Take this personality quiz and find out!

http://www.blogthings.com/thesesamestreetpersonalityquiz/

As parents, we sometimes are so busy taking care of our children that we lose track of some of the details of their lives.

Take 5 minutes and test yourself with this 16-question quiz recommended by our Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families staff. It will help you to see if you are having enough conversations, spending enough time, and showing enough interest to share in your child’s life each day. A parent needs to know his or her child better than anyone else in the world!

1. If your child could paint his room any color, what would it be?
2. What does your child want to be when he or she grows up?
3. Who is your child’s best friend?
4. Does your child think he or she is too big or small for his age?
5. What does your child think others think about him?
6. What does your child like best about school? Why?
7. What does your child dislike about school? Why?
8. Who outside your family has influenced your child the most?
9. Who is your child’s hero?
10. How does your child feel about you?
11. What would your child change about his family?
12. Does your child think you are fair?
13. If your child had $5 today, what would he or she buy?
14. What is your child’s favorite toy?
15. What would your child change about you?
16. If asked, “What do you do well?” what would your child say?

Find a time to sit down with your child, check your answers and see how well you did!

Helping Vulnerable Kids and Families Succeed

ALL parents need reminders from time to time on how to be the best mom or dad they can be for their kids. HealthNet’s Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families teams work with at-risk Indy parents during the critical early years of their children’s lives. They help increase parent knowledge of early childhood development, improve parenting practices, provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, prevent child abuse and neglect and increase children’s school readiness.  Kudos to these programs for making Indy a healthier place for children!