Healthy Families Arizona : evaluation report, 2003.

This report discusses the outcomes of an evaluation of Healthy Families Arizona, a home visitation program designed to provide supportive services and education to parents of newborns who might benefit from support to strengthen their families. The program is intended to promote positive parent/child interaction and child health, and prevent child abuse and neglect. All services are voluntary and assistance is typically provided for 12 to 18 months but may be provided for up to five years. This report focuses on aggregate data that are summarized across the 23 sites that make up the Healthy Families Arizona program. This report presents the evaluation data for the cohort of 2,278 participants who received services in the Healthy Families Arizona program between the period of July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003. Findings indicate 90% of the families (2,043) engaged with the program (4 or more home visits), 63% remained in the program 1 year or longer, the average length of time in program grew to 698 days (595 in 2002), and 14% terminated due to program completion (10% in 2002). Significant outcomes include a very low rate of substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect, the improvement of stress scores in 62% of the parents, an immunization rate of 89% for infants compared to a State average of 71%, and the linkage of 97% of children with a medical doctor. Only 14% of mothers participating in the program had subsequent pregnancies. 4 tables and 17 exhibits, 12 references.