Healthy Start is a public health program that provides enriched prenatal services, health education, counseling, and linkage to services for at risk pregnant women.
Public Health Nurses provide prenatal education, counseling and service coordination to pregnant women in their home, school and other community sites. Healthy Start services augment the prenatal care that is provided by the prenatal clinician in order to achieve a more positive outcome of the pregnancy. Prenatal providers in a variety of care systems screen for risk factors using the Maryland Risk Assessment and refer women with one or more social or medical risk factors for enriched prenatal services.
Women with certain socio-economic and environmental risk factors are case managed by Medical Social Work Services for an assessment and intervention. Infants born to women who have medical, social and environmental risk factors are eligible for Healthy Start case management. Nutritional counseling is also available.
Pregnant Baltimore County residents of any age who have Medical Assistance and are at risk of having a pregnancy with medical or psychosocial difficulties. Risk is defined by one or more factors such as age; use of tobacco, alcohol or other drugs; history of previous birth complications; lack of access to medical care; health conditions of the mother; or lack of basic necessities (food, shelter, or income).
Nursing services can be scheduled as a home visit or at any one of the seven Baltimore County health centers.
Baltimore Highlands/Lansdowne
WoodlawnLiberty Family Resource Center (Randallstown)
Hannah More Academy Center (Reisterstown)
Dundalk
Essex
Eastern Family Resource Center (Rossville)/Towson
A Maryland Risk Assessment Form should be submitted by the prenatal health care provider to Baltimore County Department of Health, 6401 York Rd, Baltimore, MD 21212. For more information about this program, call 410-887-2705 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Revised January 10, 2005
Courthouse 