Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) has announced that the Healthy Families America (HFA) affiliate, Fayette County Health District/Help Me Grow, has been accredited as a provider of high quality home visiting services to families who want to improve their child’s health, nutrition and developmental outcomes.
The Fayette County Help Me Grow program is under the direction of the Fayette County Health Department. Sharon Gibbs is the contract manager and home visiting supervisor. Home visitors with the program include Shawna Chace, Jackie Lewis, Liz Liston, Megan McCune, Sara Randolph, Melissa Smith and Amy Streitenberger, and service coordinators include Sharon Gibbs and Beth King.
“The accreditation process was very detailed and involved both program staff and administrative staff,” said Leigh Cannon, deputy health commissioner, “and we were very pleased that a number of families that the program serves gave their time to be involved in the accreditation process and speak to how home visiting has had a positive effect on their families.”
Cannon observed that Help Me Grow has benefited from consistency and experience.
“Sharon Gibbs has led this program for 26 years and she has done a tremendous job ensuring that quality services are provided,” Cannon said, adding, “We also have a seasoned staff with experience ranging from two years to 20 years in early childhood education and home visiting.”
HFA is a signature program of PCA America that has been providing home visiting services for more than 20 years. Expectant and new parents have common questions about their child’s development. HFA connects with families through community partners like hospitals and pediatricians to find the answers to their questions, meeting within the familiarity and convenience of the family’s own home. HFA is an accessible, voluntary and well-received service.
“The American dream starts with a happy, healthy childhood,” said Dan Duffy, president and CEO of PCA America. “As parents, we all have questions from time to time. Our HFA professionals offer evidence-based best practices to provide answers to questions, individualized support when needed most, and linkages to community services. As we congratulate Fayette County Health District/Help Me Grow, we also recognize the state and community leadership that has contributed to success in Fayette County.”
The accreditation process is based upon a stringent set of 12 critical elements grounded in more than 30 years of research. The process involves an in-depth examination of the site’s operation, as well as, the quality of the visits made by HFA home visitors.
“We commend the Fayette County Health District / Help Me Grow program for opening itself up to such an intensive review process,” said Cydney Wessel, national director of Healthy Families America. “We believe that all families and all communities deserve access to quality home visiting services.”
