The Oswego County Health Department is celebrating National Public Health Week by highlighting its Healthy Families Program, a vital service that provides support to new and expectant parents in the county. The program is an evidence-based, voluntary service that helps connect parents with community resources as needed. It offers home visits with trained staff who provide parenting support such as prenatal care, infant and child development screenings, and bonding activities.
According to Healthy Families New York, participants in the program have healthier babies, demonstrate better knowledge of parenting and child development, create positive family bonds, develop connections to community services, and have children who do better in school.
“The Healthy Families Program supports expectant and new mothers and fathers by helping them become the best parents they can,” said Betty Dunsmoor, coordinator of the Oswego County Healthy Families Program. “Our primary goal is to help prevent child abuse and neglect by ensuring optimal prenatal and child health and development, promoting positive parenting skills and parent-child interactions, and encouraging family self-sufficiency.”
Key Features:
- Home visits with trained staff to provide parenting support
- Prenatal care, infant and child development screenings, and bonding activities
- Connections to community resources and services
- Parenting education and support
- Opportunities for parents to attend social and educational events
Benefits of the Program:
- Healthier babies
- Improved parenting knowledge and child development
- Positive family bonds
- Development of connections to community services
- Children who do better in school
The program is open to parents as soon as their pregnancy is confirmed by a doctor, and participants can begin with a referral made by anyone, including themselves. However, if the referral is made by the Oswego County Department of Social Services and qualifies under Child Welfare Protocol, parents with children up to two years of age may be allowed into the program.
“We had a client who became homeless shortly after giving birth,” said Dunsmoor. “She reached out to us for help and we directed her to the best resources for her situation. We were most struck by how positive this mom was and how she never gave up. Despite her circumstances, she took wonderful care of her baby, giving the infant so much love and attention; and her face just lit up with every bit of encouragement we gave her.”
The mom continued to struggle with housing that first year, but Healthy Families’ staff stayed by her side, helping her with emergency needs, guiding her to various programs and showing her how to advocate for herself. Now, the mom and her child are flourishing – living in their own apartment while the mom goes to college and works full-time to support herself and her baby.
“This mom continues to impress me,” said Dunsmoor. “Every time she gets knocked down, she gets back up. She’s an amazing mom and continues to make sure her baby is thriving no matter what. It goes without saying that she is a positive influence on her child, but she has also made an incredible impact on us as well.”
The program also provides opportunities for parents to attend social and educational events that allow them to connect with other parents and share their experiences. This local program is an affiliate of Healthy Families New York and Healthy Families America.
Get Involved:
For more information about Oswego County’s Healthy Families program, call 315-349-3553 or visit https://health.oswegocounty.com/programs/1_preventive/healthy_families.
Annual Celebration:
This year is the 30th anniversary of National Public Health Week, which serves to recognize and celebrate the hard work and dedication that goes into maintaining and promoting public health.
