The PennZone

  • Home
  • Business
  • Health
  • Financial
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Legal
  • Construction
  • Non-profit

Pennsylvania Expands Home Visiting Support to First-Time Mothers and Children with Special Needs
The PennZone/10039219

Trending...
  • DimHum Launches Revolutionary CrowdShipping Service
  • Bio-Inspired Technology-Dynamic and Adaptable for unknown real-world environments
  • Retired Hobbyist Launches Bold Weekly Album Project Using AI Songwriting Tools
Harrisburg, PA – The Wolf Administration announced today that, under the guidance of the Department of Human Services (DHS), it is expanding home visiting supports to first-time mothers and mothers of children with special needs covered by Medicaid. The expansion, made possible in collaboration with physical health Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), will guarantee at least two home visits to new parents and families with children with additional risk factors across Pennsylvania, expanding access to evidence-based models that promote and support healthy child and family development.

"There is no more important focus of my administration than giving all children and families a strong start," Gov. Wolf said. "By expanding access to evidence-based home visiting programs, we will put more kids, parents and families on a path to a healthy, happy future."

Since 2015, investments totaling nearly $16.5 million in state funds have helped increase the number of children and families who can receive home visiting supports in communities around Pennsylvania. Guaranteeing a minimum of two home visits to all first-time mothers and mothers of children with special needs through Medicaid continues this work.

"Being a parent can be a challenge for anyone," said Secretary Miller. "Because children don't come with an instruction manual home visiting programs create support systems for families to learn to better understand children's needs, monitor milestones, and identify other opportunities for support that can continue to facilitate healthy long-term growth. A home visitor can be a major resource for parents to bond with their child(ren) and create bridges to success in early childhood and primary education."

More on The PennZone
  • e4health Earns 2025-2026 Great Place To Work Certification™ for Fourth Consecutive Year
  • Bach and Beyond: Cellists Return to the Beach for 2nd Annual Bethany Beach Cellofest
  • NR7 Miner launches zero-cost USDT cloud mining service: daily stable income + referral rewards for double profit
  • Deaths Spur Closures, but Troubled Teen Camps Must Be Banned, CCHR Warns
  • Palmer Lake Wine Festival To Build Bridges in Small Mountain Community, Highlight Local Businesses

The home visiting expansion is effective January 1, 2020 through the MCOs' 2020 agreement. Under the new agreements, MCOs will be required to establish an evidenced-based, standardized maternal, infant and early childhood home visitation program for all first-time parents and parents of infants with additional risk factors. All parents and children identified through this effort will receive at least two home visits at no cost, and depending on need, may be referred to other established home visiting programs to continue these services. DHS expects that these programs will be in place with eligible new parents receiving home visiting services s by July 1, 2020.

Evidence-based home visiting family support programs have a family-centered focus and strength-based approach that works with both the child and parent. A home visitor can help parents gain the skills and connect to resources necessary to improve their family's health, safety, economic security, and success in early childhood education. Studies of various nurse-family partnership programs have shown positive impacts for the mother and baby during pregnancy and after birth, such as a decrease in domestic violence and smoking during pregnancy, a significant decrease in pre-term births, and a majority of babies being born at a healthy weight.

Home visiting can also improve parents' child development knowledge and skills, help develop social support systems, and improve access to education, health, and community services. Examples of services include:
  • Regularly scheduled home visits with trained family development specialists;
  • Monthly parent meetings; and
  • Routine screenings to identify post-partum depression and detect potential problems with vision, hearing, growth, and learning age-based milestones.

Gov. Wolf is committed to helping the youngest Pennsylvanians. In September, his Ready to Start Task Force released its report, including two priorities tied directly to home visiting: to "increase availability of high-quality childcare and home-visiting service slots" and to "promote education, engagement, and support of parents and families as children's first teachers."

More on The PennZone
  • SacraPod Suites Unveils AI-Powered 'Work + Rest' Smart Hospitality Model for Retrofitting Underused Motels Across the U.S
  • From Real Estate to Reel Power: H.L Woods Carves His Legacy as a Cutting-Edge Visionary Filmmaker
  • New Release: 'The Invisible Alternative' Unveiled by Atrisk Corporation, Resilient
  • Cynthia Pinot Among Artists Selected for Renowned London Art Biennale 2025
  • Real Estate Experts Highlight Jersey Shore as a Smart Buy in 2025

"This significantly expanded access to home visiting truly helps to fulfill our mission for increasing the ways to help our youngest residents get a strong, focused beginning," Gov. Wolf said.

Read the Ready to Start Task Force report.

For more information on home visiting programs, visit dhs.pa.gov.

SHARE Email Facebook Twitter

Filed Under: Government, State

Show All News | Report Violation
0 Comments
1000 characters max.

Latest on The PennZone
  • DICK'S Sporting Goods Announces DICK'S Deal Days, a Four-Day Summer Savings Event
  • AI Innovation Dual-Strategy Business Model Focused on Real Estate Development for Strategic Expansion: OFA Group, (N A S D A Q: OFAL)
  • Construcción del Corredor Norte–Sur (NSC) de Singapur
  • New Report: Slip and Fall Accidents Rank as the Leading Cause of Construction Site Fatalities
  • Get Your Cowboy Boots On! Causeway Country BBQ Music Festival Kicks Off September 12–14 in Ft. Pierce
  • Retired Hobbyist Launches Bold Weekly Album Project Using AI Songwriting Tools
  • DimHum Launches Revolutionary CrowdShipping Service
  • Eolian Signs New Information Exchange Agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense for Technology Innovation
  • Infinite Health Introduces Cutting-Edge Regenerative Medicine for Wound Care with Trip Goolsby, MD
  • Top Dentist Concord CA, Smile Makers Dental Care, Celebrates 500 5-Star Reviews
  • Bio-Inspired Technology-Dynamic and Adaptable for unknown real-world environments
  • Berger Montague Investigates Securities Class Action Against Hims & Hers Health Inc. (NYSE: HIMS)
  • Michael Reafsnyder opens solo exhibition at Scott Richards Contemporary Art in San Francisco
  • Valley Sleep Therapy Expands to Prescott with New Location at Crossings Road
  • $17.4 Million Total Revenue for First Half of 2025 (up 31.8% YOY) for Global Wet Trades Services Provider with High Value Bitcoin Investments
  • $12.8 Million Net Revenue for 2024 for Cloud-Based Crowdsourcing Recruitment and SaaS-Enabled HR Solutions Provider: Baiya International Group Inc
  • #ChipInChipAway at Hunger Taking Place on July 10th, 2025
  • Hire Virtue Announces Executive Sponsorship Opportunity for Houston Hiring Blitz & Job Fair on August 6, 2025
  • Inked & Maxim Model Teisha Mechetti Turns Heads—And Builds Community Impact
  • Plan to Launch Silo Technologies' Cybersecurity Pilot Program for Ultimate Nationwide Deployment via Exclusive Partnership: Stock Symbol: BULT

Popular on PennZone

  • Let's Talk Series: At the Crossroads: Immigration Today
  • INVESTIGATION ALERT: Berger Montague PC Investigates Coinbase Global, Inc.'s Board Of Directors For Breach of Fiduciary Duties (NASDAQ: COIN)
  • Innovative EDM Music Project, "Terms of War," Depicts an A.I. Takeover of Earth
  • Behavioral Health Advocates to Hold Joint Capitol Hill Press Conference on June 11
  • Kemeny, Ramp & Renaud Expands Legal Team with Attorney Baruch Kraut
  • LIB Continuous Innovation: Custom Rain Test Chambers & IP Labs
  • New Bethany Acquires Former Diocesan Headquarters to Expand Services
  • Bethany Nikitenko Honored By Legal Intelligencer with Power Player Award
  • Continued Streak of Recognitions with Multiple Chambers and Partners Rankings
  • IRF Builders Forum Brings Global Leaders to Washington, D.C. to Advance Religious Freedom Through Cooperative Engagement

Similar on PennZone

  • Deaths Spur Closures, but Troubled Teen Camps Must Be Banned, CCHR Warns
  • The AML Shop Launches New Financial Investigations Unit, Appoints Director to Lead the Initiative
  • Stan Fitzgerald Appointed Acting Press Secretary for Veterans for America First VFAF Georgia State Chapter
  • Eolian Signs New Information Exchange Agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense for Technology Innovation
  • Despite Global Calls for a Ban, US Child Psychiatry Pushes Electroshock for Kids
  • Byrd Davis Alden & Henrichson Launches Independence Day Safe Ride Initiative with 500 Free Uber Credits
  • IRF Builders Forum Brings Global Leaders to Washington, D.C. to Advance Religious Freedom Through Cooperative Engagement
  • Nationally Recognized Hispanic Activist and Businessman, Luis Figueroa, to speak at CPAC Latino 2025, Showcasing Hispanic Leadership in Action
  • New Frontier Aerospace Successfully Tests Its Revolutionary Mjölnir Rocket Engine
  • Profiting from Elder Harm: The Push to End Psychiatric Drugging in Nursing Homes
Copyright © The PennZone | Theme: OMag by LilyTurf Themes
  • Contribute
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Contact Us