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Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition, Inc. — 2003-04 TLC Newborn Program IRC Board of County Commissioners — Children 's Services Advisory Committee Co PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (Entire Section C, I — 6, not to exceed two pages) 1 . List Priority Needs area addressed. Focus Area Parental Support and Education : Ages 0-5 — focus on "individual" parenting programs as well as Focus Area Mental Wellness Issues : Ages 0-5 — promoting enhanced emotional- social skills . 2 . Briefly describe program activities including location of services . Visits to Indian River Memorial Hospital are made six out of seven days of each week by the TLC Newborn personnel, who met 98 % of the families last year of every newborn either the day of delivery of the baby or the day after. Infants born on Sunday, the only day TLC does not visit the hospital, are normally contacted on the second day after delivery. Follow up phone calls are made with each family of a newborn who is interested in participating in the TLC Newborn program, which is over 96 percent of all newborn families in Indian River County. Follow up phone calls take place on a weekly basis in the first month. This frequency can be increased if the family chooses, or the TLC Family Associate identifies a need for greater contact. In the second month, calls are made to the family on an every other week basis . From months three through six , phone contacts are made on a monthly basis . An attractive, informative, age appropriate newsletters focusing on each month of the infant ' s life, in terms of growth and development, health and nutrition/feeding issues, immunizations, brain development tips and other parenting ideas are mailed on a monthly basis, dependent on the age of the infant. At the TLC Newborn office, the TLC representative mails specific educational material to each family who has accepted the program. These mailings usually reach the family' s home prior to the family' s arrival from the hospital ! The TLC Coordinator assigns individual families to TLC staff members (including herself) . Once a family is assigned to a staff member, that connection is maintained throughout the length of the program, which assists in building trust. Some families call the TLC Newborn office as additional assistance is needed. When referrals to other agencies or organizations are made to the family, the TLC staff member will follow up , regardless of the recommended call schedule. Referrals to community resources, such as the Healthy Start Care Coordination team, and concerns of individual families are reviewed by the TLC Newborn staff members on an as- needed basis . One of the primary reasons for the TLC program ' s success and high participation rate is its universal nature and non-invasive means of education and support . The education and support the families receive is in the comfort of their home in a manner that is not intrusive or disruptive. Mothers can also contact their TLC Family Associates at their convenience as questions or needs arise regarding the care and well-being of their infant. 3 . Briefly describe how your program intends to address the stated need/problem. Include reference to any studies or evidence that indicate proposed strategies are effective with target population. As mentioned earlier, the major advantage of the TLC Newborn program is that it is universal in nature, with all families of newborns being eligible to participate. With the ability to reach families of newborns at the hospital and in their home, there are very few barriers to service delivery. The success of the TLC Newborn program is shown through its participation rate of over 95 percent over the last three years . As a comparison, the acceptance rate for the Healthy Start prenatal Screen was only 50% in 2002 and 6