This effort in Androscoggin County was born in 1994 with the formation of a Healthy Families Organizing Team. Obstetrical nurses loaned to HFA by the two hospitals screen families using the Kempe Family Stress Checklist Screen, introduce the HFA program, and enroll interested families.
Further assessment is done by hospital social workers for families showing positive signs of risk.
Home-based health assessments of the child are offered by public health nurses. Interested families are then assigned a Family Support Worker. The PAT curriculum is supplemented by the San Angelo Healthy Families curriculum and other child development resources. The content of home visits is tailored to the families' needs and goals, and designed to promote childhood health and development, improve parenting skills, build family self-sufficiency and foster access to community resources. Additionally, HFA is being assessed by the Muskie Institute under contract from the Department of Human Services.