Healthy Families America is an initiative that promotes positive parenting, child health, and development, thereby preventing child abuse and other poor childhood outcomes. The program began in 1993 as a pilot project funded by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners. In 1994, the BoCC funded an additional team in Lakeland, and in 1996, they funded a third team to serve the Winter Haven area. The Ounce of Prevention/Healthy Families Florida provided funding in 1998 and 1999 for an additional three teams to provide services in Bartow, Lake Wales, and Haines City areas. In July 2000, additional funding was received from the Ounce of Prevention/Healthy Families Florida for two additional teams to provide services to the remainder of Polk County.

Research over the last two decades has consistently confirmed that providing education and support services to parents around the time of a baby's birth and continuing for months or years afterwards, significantly reduces the risk of child abuse and contributes to positive healthy child-rearing practices. Families receiving this type of intensive home visitor service also show other positive changes such as consistent use of preventative health services, increased high school completion rates for teen parents, higher employment rates, lower welfare use and fewer pregnancies.

Healthy Families Polk begins with a worker spending time with a pregnant women or new parents talking about their hopes and concerns surrounding parenthood. Services are offered to families on a voluntary basis. Home visits last up to five years and focus on parenting skills, child development, child health, and other aspects of family functioning. Healthy Families Polk collaborates with other organizations providing family support programs in order to utilize scarce resources, provide a comprehensive array of services to families and avoid duplication of services.

Traditional home visiting programs ease the adjustment to parenthood by providing new mothers and fathers with child information and reassurance. Recognizing that family problems not directly related to the new baby must be addressed as well, the Healthy Families America initiative takes a comprehensive approach to home visiting. Along with  providing parenting services on a frequent basis, once a week or more often if needed, the Healthy Families America initiative offers additional services to improve the functioning of the entire family. Often conditions, such as poverty or social isolation, become overwhelming, preventing parents from appropriately caring for their child. When families are helped to overcome these problems, stress is reduced and parents are more able to care for and enjoy their child. Healthy Families Polka also introduces and builds on "Protective Factors" to assist in the avoidance of negative outcomes. Healthy Families Polka offers intensive home visitation services as well defined criteria for increasing or decreasing the intensity of services over the long term.

Complete the Healthy Families' Referral Form. Please be sure to include the parent's name, address and phone number. If the baby has been born include the baby's name and date of birth. If the parent is prenatal, include their expected due date. Remember to include your name and phone number as well. Referrals to Healthy Families must be made either prenatally or before the baby turns three months old. You can FAX the information to (863) 534-7042 or call Mary Beth at (863) 534-5022.