Help Me Grow Central Intake and Referral (CIR) had another successful year at this summer's Ohio State Fair.

Booth activities this year included craft, play, and story time stations; along with a referral desk where families could sign up and learn more about Help Me Grow services and the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio. On both Saturdays, PBS' Daniel Tiger stopped by for a meet-and-greet with about 450 children and adults! Free Daniel Tiger books were distributed throughout the fair's duration, along with over 1,800 tote bags full of branded goodies for pregnant individuals and families with children under age 3.

CIR staff was able to help families complete the web referral form on iPads at the booth, resulting in 94 families being referred-- 58 to Home Visiting and 57 to Early Intervention (21 referred to both). 

We would like to thank our collaborators at the Governor's Office; leadership at the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities; and the outreach and intake staff statewide who worked the booth.

As of September 1, CIR has hosted 10 baby showers statewide, with 34 more planned through December! Athens County hosted a very successful shower (pictured below) with 22 vendors, more than 100 attendees, and 56 HEA 8045 referrals completed! 

Showers are being held in counties with capacity below 85 percent or with a Nurse-Family Partnership program with capacity (highlighted in blue on the map). These baby showers are an opportunity to engage with pregnant women and connect them to Home Visiting, resources, and other services in their community. Each baby shower will raffle a car seat, stroller, high chair, bath set, and diapers. Be sure to reach out to us if you are interested in collaborating or want more information.

Central Intake and Referral (CIR) processed 13,132 system referrals in the the fourth quarter of SFY23. A referral breakdown is below:

• Caregivers (10%);
• HEA8045 forms (8.1%) submitted by HV providers, as well as WIC offices, and other community agencies;
• Medical professionals (12.3%);
• Non-medical community (59.5%) including WIC, community agencies, county agencies, and electronic Pregnancy Risk Assessment Form (e-PRAF) referrals; and
• Public Children Service Agency (PCSA) 8021 forms (10%) submitted by children’s services agencies.

Of those system referrals, about 60 percent of those who accepted Home Visiting were pregnant women, and 42 percent were first-time moms.

Let us help with your candidate search!

You can now submit and share your agency's job postings on our website at helpmegrow.org/jobs. Tailor your job posting to include a detailed description, pay rate, position type (full time, remote, on site), and direct links to the application. Open positions will be posted and removed on dates you provide!

Job seekers can search available job postings by keyword, program (such as Early Intervention, Home Visiting, or Central Intake), or counties served.

New family testimonials have been added to the helpmegrow.org website. Click the images and buttons below to read each family's Help Me Grow experience!

A family in Huron County, Ohio was named Healthy Families America (HFA) National Office's Family Graduate of the Year! Congratulations to Stephanie, Francisco, and Marianna for graduating the program, and thank you to Huron County Board of Developmental Disabilities for the services they provide families every day!

Greene County Public Health's Nurse-Family Partnership program had a featured segment on Dayton 24/7 Now earlier this summer. Check out the video above to watch Jessica's Home Visiting experience.

Do you have any questions regarding anything in this email?

Contact us at communications@helpmegrow.org.

Past editions of this eNewsletter can be found at helpmegrow.org/providers.