Leading National Child Abuse Prevention Organization Accredits Healthy Families America site in Garrett County to Serve Families

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department

Prevent Child Abuse America announced today that the Healthy Families America affiliate, Healthy Families Garrett County 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. 

Healthy Families America is a signature program of Prevent Child Abuse 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. Healthy Families America 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. The program is an accessible, voluntary, and well received service. 

“All parents want happy, healthy children,” said Garrett County Health Officer Bob Stephens. “As parents, we all have questions from time to time. Our Healthy Families staff offer evidence-based best practices to provide answers to questions, individualized support when needed most, and links to community services.  As we congratulate Healthy Families Garrett County, we also recognize the state and county leadership that has contributed to this success.”

The accreditation process is based on 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 their home visitors.

“We commend Healthy Families Garrett County for opening itself up to such an intensive review process,” said Kathleen Strader, National Director of Healthy Families America. “We believe that all families and all communities deserve access to quality home visiting services.”

“I am extremely proud of our program here at the Health Department,” said Maria Friend, Director of Healthy Families Garrett County. “After a thorough review of our program, our site was expedited through the re-accreditation process. Only 15% of sites nationally receive expedited status. This speaks volumes for the commitment our staff members have to helping families be the very best they can be and to the level of service our program provides to families and children here in Garrett County.”

Home visitors receive extensive training in a wide range of areas that can cause stress and worry to just about every new parent: caring for a new baby, ensuring the baby is receiving the nutrition needed, promoting healthy child development, and coping with a myriad of other potential stresses, such as financial, housing, partner relationship, etc., that may become heightened with an addition to the family. 

Prevent Child Abuse America was established in 1972 with the belief that child abuse and neglect is preventable. The not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization is committed to preventing child abuse in all forms and has 50 statewide chapters. The organization implemented the Healthy Families America initiative in 1992 in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities and now serves families of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds in 600 communities in 40 states, DC, the U.S. Territories and Canada.

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Picture above, sitting left to right are Family Support Specialists Kiersten Kerr, Melissa Skiles, and Lacy Coffren, RN. In the back row, same order, are Erica Virts, RN, BSN – Family Support Specialist; Alisha Martin – Quality Assurance; Jessica Lane – Family Support Specialist; Jennifer VanPelt, RN, BSN – Supervisor; Maria Friend, RN, BSN – Program Director; Karen Keefer – Family Economic Support Services/Resource & Training Specialist; and Torey Moats, RN – Family Support Specialist. Not available for photo: Katie Welch, RN, BSN – Supervisor.