Healthy Families Steuben

This month I am writing on health care teams in Steuben County, and I'd like to focus on an interesting organization.  Healthy Families Steuben is part of the larger Healthy Families NY group of organizations, funded by the state government.  Starting in the pre-natal period and continuing through to age 5 or pre-school, the organization identifies at-risk families and then works to facilitate "positive parent-child interaction and healthy childhood growth and development".  The team there consists of one Program Manager, three Supervisors, one Family Assessment Worker, and nine Family Support Workers for a total of 14 people.  The Family Assessment Worker assesses whether the program is appropriate for the family situation.  Referrals are received from the two local hospitals, Corning and St. James Mercy.  The goal of the intervention is to improve child mortality and the family environment in the client families.  Steuben has been relatively successful in these efforts.  The infant death rate in the county is 2.6/1000, as compared to 5.1/1000 in NYS as a whole.
By working together in teams, whether between different individuals in an existing group or between organizations, such as the Institute for Human Services, which brings together many human services organizations in Steuben and other areas of the Southern Tier, we can make sure that individuals and communities receive the care they need.