KENTUCKY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ASSOCIATION, INCORPORATED

The Kentucky Health Departments Association maintains that local health departments through the Early Childhood Development initiatives have been fundamental contributors toward the improved outcomes in areas of child abuse prevention (families enrolled in the HANDS program have less incidents of abuse and neglect than the general population), improvements in the quality of day care centers through the Healthy Start initiative and the prevention of spina bifida in infants (decreased from 7.9/10,000 births in 1996 to 3.0/10,000 births in 2002) through increased folic acid supplementation during pregnancy (self reported daily folic acid consumption among women aged 18-44 increased from 29.0% in 1997 to 40.4% in 2002).  Local health department staffs are well trained and prepared to continue the process of optimizing prenatal and postnatal environments for ultimate physical and mental development.  They work at the grassroots level to oversee and implement effective strategies recommended to improve the health and well being of children. The health status and the availability of family resources of pregnant women, infants and children are routinely assessed and baseline preventive services are scheduled. 

By placing increased emphasis on prevention, local health departments assure services are uniquely designed for the special health needs that characterize this valuable, but vulnerable, population. The local health departments’ prenatal, infancy and early childhood home visitation programs seek to modify and alter specific unhealthy life practices that result in poor developmental outcomes.

It is the position of the Kentucky Health Departments Association that funding for the Health Access Nurturing and Development Services (HANDS) Program should continue to be allocated through local health departments. HANDS and Healthy Start Programs through local health departments are currently expanding rapidly and continue to ensure positive outcomes for the participating families.  HANDS has delivered 21,120 assessments and 425,255 home visits to approximately 23,125 overburdened Kentucky families from January 1998 through September 2004.

Local health departments are experienced in recognizing and working to eliminate the troubling indicators that characterize health gaps and unmet health needs—indicators, which influence and hinder the development of infants and children. The Kentucky Health Departments Association believes funding for early childhood development programs should continue to be allocated to maximize and expand this role of Kentucky’s local health departments.

Approved by membership November 17, 2004.

*Statistics provided by the Kentucky Department of Public Health