Partnering for Best Practices � Coalition facilitates CI&R planning

Executive Director Theresa Harrison hosted a Coordinated Intake and Referral meeting on Jan. 24, where partners and program managers discussed features of the CI&R rollout planned for the next fiscal year.

“We are working proactively to determine the best practices for delivering the proposed changes to our systems of care by hosting strategic planning that ensures we hit the ground running,” Harrison noted.

Intended to eliminate redundancy, decrease service costs, and maximize positive pregnancy and infant health outcomes,

CI&R includes current providers in the Healthy Start network, as well as those taking part in the new proposals, including expanded family services. In an effort to realize a timely and well-structured launch, CHSC is establishing an infrastructure, according to a timeline that coincides with pilot programs taking place throughout the state.

“Serving pregnant and new mothers — making sure that every baby thrives — isn’t just a slogan; it’s a promise. Implemented with careful planning, CI&R will further enhance that 25-year commitment,” the director added.

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Healthy StartCOALITION, INC.

Health Beat is a quarterly newsletter produced by the Chipola Healthy Start CoalitionServing Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty and Washington Counties

Chipola Healthy Start ... the trusted voice

Wellness and Resource Fair Connects Community!

Thanks to the generosity of St. James AME Church, along with the staff support of Chipola Healthy Start Coalition and the Jackson County Healthy Start team, a rare and wonderful opportunity was realized to provide health education and community support to the West End community in Marianna. The event was hosted by the church on Jan. 20 in hopes of connecting West End residents with all the beneficial resources available to them.

Numerous agencies and community partners, including FLDOH Jackson County - Family Planning

Clinic, Florida Therapy, The FLOW Bus (Florida Licensing on Wheels), Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System, Emerald Coast Hospice, Gulf Coast Sexual Assault Program, and the Department of Juvenile Justice were also in attendance to greet and meet all in attendance.

According to the pastor, Rev. Ronald Mizer, “We want the church to be the gateway in our community so that everyone knows about, and receives, the care and support for whatever their needs might be.”

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The Chipola TeamChipola Healthy Start Employees:

Theresa Harrison, Executive Director

Amy Riley, Program Director

Melisa Reddick, Ph.D., Community Liaison and FIMR Coordinator

Angela Schneckloth, Administrative Assistant

Current Board of Directors:

Chephus Granberry, Chair Jenny Hill, Vice Chair Jeff McSpaddin,

Secretary/Treasurer Judy Corbus Kevin Neja Cyndi Jackson Joyce Wales Melissa ChamberlainHannah CausseauxChuck Hudson

Healthy Start Program Staff:

Calhoun & Liberty CountiesMarissa Barfield,

Program ManagerCare Coordinators: Yolanda Cooper Katrina Sims Whitney Tharp

Holmes & Washington CountiesValery Lawton,

Program ManagerCare Coordinators: Shelia Lewis Amber Whitford Gina Devin

Jackson CountyDavid Taylor, Program ManagerCare Coordinators: Janai Mills Felipe Delgado Shanae Boston

Chipola Healthy Start Coalition2944 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite AMarianna, FL 32448(850) 482-1236Toll Free 1-866-591-2852support@chipolahealthystart.org

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Success in CALHOUN CountyWhen Ms. Maria Parra came into the Calhoun County Healthy Start office last

year to meet Care Coordinator Yolanda Cooper; she had just found out she would soon be a mom for the third time. Yolanda was ready to help get her pregnancy off to the best start, and through the coordinated use of services and support, she helped Maria with resources and education immediately. From that day forward, Yolanda continued to visit Maria at home, teaching her about such things as the

benefits of breastfeeding, parenting, and education on a variety of important topics.

Unfortunately, Maria later contacted Yolanda to let her know that her situation had some turns for the worse regarding her residence. She was looking at being homeless and needed help with financial resources. Yolanda jumped right in, seeking housing and support for Maria, her two sons, and unborn baby.

Yolanda is very happy to report that today Maria is back in a home with all three children, now with her new baby daughter, Keily. Maria expressed her immense gratitude to Yolanda for providing her with constant support and helping her through a tough time.

Pictured is Maria with her newborn daughter, Keily, who was born on Jan. 9, weighing 6 pounds 4 ounces. Mother and baby are both doing well.

Success in HOLMES CountyAmanda Shull was a Healthy Start participant throughout her pregnancy.

Pregnant with twins, Amanda went into preterm labor at 33 weeks gestation. Klaire was a very low birth weight of only 3 pounds 7 ounces, although both twins were in the NICU for about two weeks, where mother still breastfed her babies to ensure their nourishment.

At their two-month, well-child check-up, Klaire was having difficulty breathing and was taken to Flowers Hospital in Dothan, where she was diagnosed with bronchitis and signs of pneumonia. Klaire was then taken to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Pensacola, now diagnosed with adeno and rhino viruses, causing swelling in her airway. After two weeks, she was air lifted to Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville. On Aug. 25, she was placed on a life-support system to help support her heart and lungs at which point the Shull family was told that the next 60–90 minutes of their daughter’s life was the most crucial. Amanda recalls, “Being told that short amount of time is where your child’s life hangs in the balance is something no parent wants to hear.”

After many tests, Klaire was diagnosed with Congenital Tracheal Stenosis, which is a narrow airway that would require major surgery to repair. On Sept. 5, Klaire had open chest surgery to widen her trachea. This procedure is rare; Klaire went into cardiac arrest three times, but the family never lost faith. Klaire was taken off life support and went home with her family on Nov. 1.

During this episode, Klaire and her twin sister were in Healthy Start; her Family Support Worker, Shelia Lewis, provided services at their home in Holmes County. Also providing support to Amanda, who was mostly staying at Shands with her daughter, Shelia was diligent to contact Amanda regularly. After Klaire came home, her mother visited Sheila in the Healthy Start office, always expressing how much she appreciated all the valuable services provided by Holmes County Healthy Start.

Amanda commented often that when Klaire was in the hospital, she would be “so down, and then the phone would ring, and it would be Healthy Start.” She further told Sheila how her phone calls to check on her “would make her smile and feel better,” adding that the support she received “was just so amazing!” Klaire is expected to make a full recovery, nothing short of a miracle. According to Shelia, “Klaire is a ray of sunshine and a survivor.”

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Success in JACKSON CountyJackson County Healthy Start is devoted to a core value

that has set them apart among service providers, “Quality is more important than quantity.” Heidi Crutchfield is a great example of mothers who credit much to Jackson County Healthy Start and her Care Coordinator, Phil Delgado.

Heidi first came to Healthy Start during a pregnancy in 2016. Unfortunately, before she began services, she informed her care coordinator that she had miscarried. Warmly offered grief counseling, she didn’t accept services, stating that she was “just going through too much at the time.” This loss was sadly only one of many for Heidi, but Healthy Start staff reassured her that if she needed them, they would always be there with open arms.

Heidi returned when she became pregnant in 2017, sharing the news that she was having twins, although the father would not be involved due to an abusive relationship. “He moved me away from my family in Florida and was physically and emotionally abusive to me,” she explained.

When Heidi found out she was pregnant, she caught the Greyhound back to Florida to live with her mother and step father. “My mother and step father are my support. They’re so helpful and provide so much. The boys have so much stuff!” she later added.

Heidi and her twin boys, Levi and Logan, now have a solid circle of support and love, which includes Healthy Start. “Phil was the one who helped clear my mind about the father not being in the twins’ lives. I was so depressed because I wanted him to be there and he wasn’t. Then one day, I talked with Phil about it at an appointment. He helped me see that if my ex-boyfriend abused me, he could abuse my sons. And I won’t have that for them. We all deserve better than that.”

During the time Heidi has been a Healthy Start participant, she learned a lot about being a mother to twins. Starting prenatally, she gained knowledge about body changes during pregnancy, how to be a nurturing parent, and how babies develop. She also acquired valuable information about relieving stress during pregnancy and how to love her pregnant body. “When I was pregnant, I thought I was huge and I looked like a whale. I was taught to appreciate my growing body. I learned how amazing it was that I was not only growing one baby in my belly, but two. I stopped downing myself about being pregnant.”

Healthy Start made sure Heidi was equipped with the

tools she needed to get ready for Logan and Levi. “They helped me with Pack ’n Plays, and I learned about safe sleep and SIDS; babies need to sleep on their backs with nothing in the beds and by themselves ... not together.” When Heidi had her twins, Healthy Start continued to make learning fun with the Ages and Stages program.

Heidi understood there was the possibility of a difficult birth due to her pre-existing medical conditions, prior miscarriages, and multiples pregnancies. Still, she treated every appointment as another opportunity to be encouraged and educated. Heidi did unexpectedly go into labor at only 32 weeks. Some might say that nothing could have prepared Heidi for that bumpy road, but Heidi would say differently. She made it through having an emergency C-section, birthing two stunning twin boys weighing only 3 lbs. and 2 lbs. each. Before she knew it, the boys were being transferred to Gulf

Coast Medical Center’s NICU, where they received the required care.

Logan and Levi spent months at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Panama City. Even though they were a long way from home, all adapted, and Healthy Start utilized a special program called, “Level E”, which allows mothers and babies who are out of the area due to hospitalization in another county to continue receiving services. Heidi was able to keep in touch with her care coordinator through weekly phone calls, providing continuous updates. Day by day, Logan and Levi progressed from needing oxygen, although Heidi admitted that she became discouraged at times, but after speaking to Phil, she was able to stay encouraged.

Now home, Heidi is breastfeeding and bottle feeding her sons, and they have made tremendous improvement. Levi is still on oxygen at home, but Heidi says that his medical provider believes he will be off soon. In the meantime, Heidi is enjoying the ups and downs of having twins. “Sometimes it can be difficult, but the good times outweigh the hard times.”

Heidi has grown from that pregnant woman walking timidly into the Healthy Start office. Unsure then about being a good mother, she has blossomed into a confident woman with goals and the dream of opening a daycare center or becoming a teacher one day. Heidi is a huge fan of Batman, who says, “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me,” and that is what Jackson County Healthy Start helps instill in each mother that walks through their doors.

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AWARE: A Woman’s Addiction Recovery Effort � Jackson County Healthy Start & CARE pleased to introduce AWARE

Chemical Addictions Recovery Effort, Inc. (CARE) is vitally concerned with substance abuse prevention, education, intervention, treatment, and recovery in the community. CARE has a belief in, and loyalty to, the philosophy that chemical addictions can be prevented through education and treatment.

CARE notes that chemically-addicted individuals are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect, ensuring confidentiality guidelines are followed. They also believe that family involvement and family education is a vital element of recovery from chemical addictions and is an important element in alleviating the stigma associated with the treatment of addictions.

CARE introduces Halfway House Program for women - “A New Beginning”

AWARE is delighted to provide a place and an opportunity to assist in strengthening the commitment to

recovery. Sponsorship, meeting attendance, and working the 12 steps of recovery are a must. AWARE offers women a safe atmosphere in which to recover. All residents have one common bond from the consequences and problems that stem from the disease of addiction. Each woman works her own individualized program. “A New Beginning” will impact the rest of one’s life.

To be eligible for admittance to the Halfway House Program, the prospective client must:

• be drug free;• have recently successfully

completed a residential treatment program;

• have written a request to be admitted;

• have a need for an environment conducive to recovery;

• have a need for employment;• be willing to participate in

the Halfway House Program and abide by its guidelines;

• have a CARE physician approve any medication to be taken while attending the program;

• be willing to continue to work on treatment issues; and

• submit to random urinalysis and breathalyzers.

For more information, please contact CARE at (850) 872-7676 or JCHS at (850) 526-3002. If you’re committed, recovery can be yours.

During a recent AWARE event, Jackson County Healthy Start donated Resource Directories, totes, diapers and wipes, and more. Pictured left to right: Wanda Campbell, Chief Executive Officer (CARE); David Taylor, JCHS Program Manager; Linda Wilson, Prevention Program Director; and Debbie Cruce, Chief Financial Officer (CARE).