Healthy Start Risk Screenings and Health Care Provider Information

Healthy Start Risk Screenings

Every prenatal care provider and hospital/birthing facility in the state of Florida is required to offer a Healthy Start Risk Screen to all pregnant women and infants. The Healthy Start Risk Screen is a simple one-page questionnaire that is completed by pregnant mothers with the help of their doctor, midwife, or a staff member at a prenatal care provider and/or birthing facility.

The program is voluntary and available to all Florida residents. In order to determine if a mother qualifies to receive services she must sign her initials next to each “YES” section on the risk screen’s consent questions. Without consent, Healthy Start cannot provide mothers with their at-risk screening results and cannot provide the mother and child with free Healthy Start services.

The Healthy Start Risk Screenings are simply a set of questions to determine if there are any risks that could affect your pregnancy and your baby’s growth or development such as:

• Health problems
• Low birth weight
• Pre-term birth
• Fetal/infant death
• Developmental delays

Health Care Providers

Every doctor in the State of Florida is required by Florida Statute 383.14 to offer all pregnant women the Healthy Start Screening Form at their first or subsequent prenatal visit.  The Healthy Start Infant (Postnatal) Risk Screening is required to be offered to parents or guardians of all infants born in Florida before leaving the delivery facility.  By initialing “Yes” to being screened on the Healthy Start Prenatal or Infant Risk Screen, women/legal guardians will know within minutes if they or their baby have any individual health risks.

After completing the Healthy Start Screen, the doctor’s office or delivering facility will refer women or babies to Healthy Start based on the answers provided. Healthy Start and the doctor’s office continually communicate with each other to make sure the client has the best outcome possible.

Even if women do not feel Healthy Start is the right program for them, by initialing “Yes” to being screened their anonymous statistical information can be gathered to help improve health care for all of Orange County's mothers and babies.

Based on the responses from these screens the following services are offered:

• Care Coordination - Determining needs of mother, infant or child.  Assessments, education, counseling, guidance, support and referrals to appropriate agencies.
• Nutrition Counseling – Education and counseling provided to women who are either underweight or overweight during pregnancy.
• Psychosocial Counseling - Provide counseling sessions for dealing with relationship problems, depression etc.
• Parenting Support - Classes provided on infant and child health, safety and nutrition.
• Childbirth Education - Classes offered on labor and delivery, relaxation and comfort measures.
• Breastfeeding Education and Support - Classes offered on advantages techniques and benefits.
• Smoking Cessation Counseling – Information and referrals to classes offered on ways to discontinue smoking and the dangers of second hand smoke.

If you are a healthcare provider or hospital/birthing facility and want more information on how you can ensure your compliance with the Florida Statues call 407-858-1472 or visit Healthy Start Orange.