Healthy Families Georgia (HFG) is a family support home visitation program that provides parents and families with the knowledge, skills, and resources to provide positive parenting to increase the success of the family unit. The vision of HFG is for all children to receive nurturing care from their family, essential to leading a healthy and productive life. All Healthy Families programs in Georgia are nationally accredited, evidence-based home visiting programs. Services are designed to strengthen families beginning prenatally up to the age of 5 years of a child’s life, when vital early brain development occurs. Families enroll voluntarily in HFG as early as prenatally or at birth and work one-on-one with a Family Support Specialist in the home, receiving services tailored to their needs. Well-trained, experienced family support staff provide valuable education, community resources, and tangible support that all children and families need to thrive. The Southeast Health District’s HFG program is currently available to families in Bacon, Clinch, and Ware counties.

Healthy Families Georgia aims to:

• reduce child maltreatment;
• improve parent-child interactions and children’s social-emotional well-being;
• increase school readiness;
• promote child physical health and development;
• promote positive parenting;
• promote family self-sufficiency;
• increase access to primary care medical services and community services; and
• decrease child injuries and emergency department use.

Prenatal and New Parent Support

Healthy Families is dedicated to supporting new mothers and fathers to increase the success and well-being of their new baby. We are committed to providing resources such as medical services, parenting instruction, and education to reduce risky behavior. In doing so, we hope to reduce stress in order to establish a more positive environment for the child’s growth.

Development and School Readiness

Children enrolled in the Healthy Families program have shown improvements in cognitive and behavioral development. They have fewer behavior problems within the home and classroom, while also being more likely to be placed in the gifted program or receive fewer special services.

Resources

Healthy Families is more than a support and educational service. We help to provide parents with resources for medical and emotional needs. Healthy Families aims to connect parents to groups within their area to provide social support and to other families to aid in long-term connections and friendships.

Programs offered:

Currently, the Southeast Health District’s Healthy Families program serves Bacon, Clinch, and Ware counties, as these are considered rural areas that are medically underserved and face economic challenges such as fewer job opportunities and lower wages, which contribute to their higher poverty rates.

Screening and Referral Form

For more information, please contact: