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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Christina Larkin, MPA¹, Alzen Whitten, MPA¹, Philip Noyes, MPH, MA¹, Sandra True, MPH, RN-C², Tonya Pearson, RN², Deborah Kaplan, PA, MPH², and Adam Karpati, MD, MPH¹. (1) Brooklyn District Public Health Office, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 485 Throop Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11221, 646-253-5713, clarkin@health.nyc.gov, (2) Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10007

In response to neighborhood health disparities, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recently established a “District Public Health Office” (DPHO) serving high-need communities in Central Brooklyn. In 2005, in collaboration with the Department's Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, the DPHO merged separate programs to create a multifaceted home visiting program for families with newborns. Utilizing the Department's unique access to this often-vulnerable population, the program provides a gateway to a variety of health and health-related issues. The holistic approach includes educational reinforcement (e.g., breast feeding, bonding, SIDS prevention), environmental hazard assessments and reports (e.g., lead paint, window guards, pests), screening and referral for services (e.g., mother/baby follow-up care, post-partum depression, smoking cessation) and direct assistance (e.g., fire/carbon monoxide detectors, cribs, pest control materials). Each week, using data from birth records, program staff contact all new mothers in targeted communities. Multilingual community health workers conduct the home visits and are supported by nursing, mental health and environmental health specialists. Most families receive a single visit, with referrals and follow-up as needed. An interactive database was developed to ensure visit quality, measure program effectiveness, and inform program planning. Among the 93 visits to homes of newborns born in November 2005, 49% reported risk factors for SIDS, 41% reported not feeding with breast milk, 27% received carbon monoxide detectors, 30% lacked appropriate window guards, and 8% had potential lead paint hazards. Lessons learned and a complete first year data report will be presented.

Learning Objectives: