Healthy Start is a free home visiting program that provides education and care coordination to pregnant women and families of children under the age of three. The goal of the program is to lower risk factors associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, infant mortality and poor developmental outcomes.
Healthy Start’s service goals are to reduce low birth weight babies, decrease infant mortality, increase positive pregnancy outcomes, and improve the health of women and children.
To learn more about DOH-Duval’s Health Start Program, download our brochure in English or Spanish.
What services are provides?
- Home visiting support and education for a healthy pregnancy
- Connection to services requested and identified
- Educational topics: Parenting, breastfeeding, immunization, family planning, and healthy eating
- Depression screening and referrals
- Substance abuse screening
- Tobacco screening
- Intimate partner violence screening
- Fatherhood support
- Infant assessment and referrals
- Smoking cessation and stress reduction
Services are available to all Duval County pregnant women and children up to three years old (women who are in between pregnancies are also eligible).
Who is eligible?
Any pregnant woman can take the Florida Healthy Start Prenatal Risk Screen, a short questionnaire offered by medical providers at doctor’s offices and birthing hospitals. Mothers or caretakers of infants and children up to three years old are also eligible for care coordination. Community-based referrals and self-referrals are also available.
Is there a fee?
Healthy Start services are provided at no cost.
How do I enroll?
Contact your healthcare provider, Community Connect or Healthy Start and ask to complete a Healthy Start screening form or referral form. The form is a short questionnaire, and your answers are confidential.
Healthy Start: 904-253-1390
Community Connect: 904-518-3342
Community Partners
- Azalea Project
- Capta
- Children’s Home Society
- Department of Children and Families
- Early Head Start
- Fatherhood Initiative
- Healthy Families
- Inspire to Rise
- Magnolia Project
- Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition
- Nurse Family Partnership
- UF Health