It's a New Day in Public Health.
The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.
Healthy Start
Contact the Maternal and Child Health Section
- 850-245-4465
-
Fax
850-245-4047 -
Mailing Address
Maternal and Child Health Section
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A13
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1721
Healthy Start is a free home visiting program that provides education and care coordination to pregnant women and families of children under the age of three. The goal of the program is to lower risk factors associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, infant mortality and poor developmental outcomes.
Healthy Start offers:
- Home visitation.
- Prenatal and parenting education.
- Interconception education including reproductive planning.
- Stress management education.
- Care coordination to help families learn about resources available in the community and assistance in accessing those services.
Find a Healthy Start Coalition Location Near You
History of Healthy Start
Florida's Healthy Start initiative was signed into law on June 4, 1991 and provides for universal risk screening of all Florida's pregnant women and newborn infants to identify those at risk of poor birth, health, and developmental outcomes.
Healthy Start Standards and Guidelines
Healthy Start Standards and Guidelines are intended to guide implementation of Healthy Start. Healthy Start coalitions and providers are accountable for delivering services in compliance with these standards as outlined in administrative rules in the Florida Administrative Code.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Healthy Start System
Chapter 2: Information Security Requirements
Chapter 3: Prenatal and Infant Risk Screening
Chapter 4: Coordinated Intake and Referral
Chapter 5: Healthy Start Initial Assessment
Chapter 6: Healthy Start Program
Chapter 7: Healthy Start Services Prenatal Education
Chapter 8: Healthy Start Services Parenting Education and Support
Chapter 9: Healthy Start Services Interconception Education and Counseling
Chapter 10: Healthy Start Services Stress Management Education
Chapter 11: Healthy Start Services Care Coordination
Chapter 12: Substance Abusing Pregnant Women, Substance Exposed Children and Their Families
Chapter 13: Perinatal Depression Screening
Chapter 14: Intimate Partner Violence Screening
Chapter 15: Substance Use Screening
Chapter 16: Tobacco Use Screening
Chapter 17: Child Development Screening
Chapter 18: Healthy Start Services Breastfeeding Education and Support
Chapter 19: Healthy Start Services Childbirth Education
Chapter 20: Healthy Start Services Nutrition Counseling
Chapter 21: Healthy Start Services Psychosocial Counseling
Chapter 22: Healthy Start Services Tobacco Education and Cessation Counseling
Chapter 23: Healthy Start Coding
Chapter 24: Healthy Start Board of Directors
Chapter 25: Fiscal Accounability
Chapter 26: Community Involvement
Chapter 27: Outreach - Participant Identification, Provider Recruitment, and Community Education
Chapter 28: Healthy Start System Assurances
Chapter 29: Performance Based Contracts and Memoranda of Agreement
Chapter 30: Quality Management / Program Improvement
Chapter 31: Transition and Interagency Agreements
Appendix: Standards and Guidelines
Appendix A: Glossary: Terms and Definitions
Appendix B: Abbreviations
Appendix C: Examples of Documenting Assessment Forms
- Healthy Start Encounter Form
- Domestic Violence Screening Form
- Family Support Plan for Single Agency Care Coordination, page 1
- Family Support Plan for Single Agency Care Coordination, page 2
- Prenatal Screen Instructions
- Psychosocial Assessment Form
- Quitline Referral Form
- Client and Family Information Referral Form
- Prenatal Healthy Start Care Coordination Record Review Form
- Infant Healthy Start Care Coordination Record Review Form
- Healthy Start Care Coordination Record Review Summary Form
Appendix D: Prenatal and Infant Risk Matrixes
Appendix E: Confidentiality and Security Statement of Understanding
Appendix F: Other Resources
- FAHSC Coalition Assessment Tool 1/2000
- Cultural Competency and Community Development Resources
- Breastfeeding
- Matrix of Healthy Start Standards and Criteria
Healthy Start Screening Forms and Information
Prenatal Risk Screening Forms
Infant Risk Screening Form
Healthy Start Reporting
The Healthy Start Reports provides prenatal and infant risk screening and service reports to county health departments, Healthy Start coalitions, and Florida Department of Health staff.
Health Management System: Entering Medicaid Insurance Information
This user guide addresses how to enter Insurance information in the Health Management System.
For a printable presentation that outlines the Healthy Start side of HMS, please click the link below.
Connect with DOH