Questions  

1. What is the Health Start Program?

2. When will the Lay Health Worker Visit?

3. What will my Lay Health Worker do for me?

4. Is the Health Start Program the same as the Healthy Families Program?
   

What is the Health Start Program?

The Health Start Program utilizes lay health workers to provide education, support, and advocacy services to pregnant/postpartum women and their families in targeted communities across the state.  The lay health workers, live in and reflect the ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of the communities they serve.  Families receive home visits and case management with oversight by nurses and social workers, through the enrolled child’s second year of life. 

When will the Lay Health Worker Visit?

The Lay Health Worker will visit your home at least once a month while you are pregnant. After your baby is born and you return home the Lay Health Worker will visit you at least 7 times. The first visit should be before your baby is 2 weeks old. The other visits will take place when your baby is: 2 months, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months of age. Your lay health worker will visit you more often if needed. The home visits will continue until your baby’s second birthday.

Back To Top

What will my Lay Health Worker do for me? 

The Lay Health Worker will provide prenatal education including information on danger signs, fetal development, labor & delivery, emotions/feelings, nutrition, exercise and smoking cessation. They will make sure that you are receiving prenatal care and will accompany you to the doctor’s office if needed. Your Lay Health Worker will refer you to AHCCCS and Baby Arizona  as well as other needed resources and they can help you complete the forms. They will help with any issue that may impact the health of your pregnancy or the care of your child. Once your baby is born you will receive information on a variety of topics including, but not limited to; breastfeeding, infant/newborn care, infant nutrition/diet, labor & delivery, emotions/ feelings, car seat safety classes. When your baby is four months old, the Lay Health Worker will do an Ages and Stages Questionnaire to make sure your baby is developing as expected. Additional developmental screenings will occur again when your baby is 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months of age.

Back To Top

Is the Health Start Program the same as the Healthy Families Program? 

No, the Health Start Program is within the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the goals of the Program are to increase prenatal services to pregnant  women, reduce the number of very low birth babies, increase immunization rates and increase awareness by educating families on nutrition, child development and preventative health care. The Health Start team at each site consists of Lay Health Workers and a Registered Nurse and a Licensed Social Worker who work together to ensure that clients are receiving the most appropriate services for their situation. 

Healthy Families Program is within the Department of Economic Security, and the goals of the Program are to prevent child abuse and neglect, enhance parent/child communication and promote child health and development . The Healthy Families workers provide home visits and link eligible families to community resources as needed. According to the November 2003 Family Builders Program Annual Report, “the most common services provided were basic needs (e.g., shelter, financial assistance, food, clothing, utilities assistance), behavioral health services, housing, and parent training.”

Back To Top