First National Summit Held on Quality in Home Visiting Programs

Press Releases and Statements February 9, 2011 Read time:

Projects: Home Visiting Project

Washington, D.C. - 02/09/2011 - Industry leaders, policy makers and top researchers will gather in Washington February 16 and 17, for The National Summit on Quality in Home Visiting Programs, the first conference of its kind devoted exclusively to home visiting programs serving at-risk mothers and their children.

The summit, co-sponsored by Every Child Succeeds, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Pew Center on the States—a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts—is expected to draw 400 industry leaders from nearly every state.

“The summit will create a marketplace for the exchange of ideas on quality, improving outcomes for families and connecting research to policy and practice,” said Judy Van Ginkel, President of Every Child Succeeds, a leader among U.S. home visiting programs.

Engaging in interactive discussion sessions, summit participants will also explore opportunities and challenges associated with the creation of the new federal home visiting grant program. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act established the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which provides $1.5 billion in mandatory spending over five years for quality home visiting programs in 50 states. Uniquely, the law calls specifically for the use of evidence-based program models.

Home visiting programs serve pregnant or new mothers, who have social risks, such as being young, poor, single or depressed. The mothers volunteer to be paired with trained professionals to improve their parenting skills and connect them to community resources during pregnancy and their child's first three years.

“Our programs build a strong case for prevention and early intervention by focusing on improved maternal and child health, reduced domestic violence, child abuse and maternal depression. Our programs foster literacy, school readiness and family economic self-sufficiency,” added Van Ginkel. “In short, we help make our families and our communities stronger.”

Every Child Succeeds has instituted a comprehensive quality-improvement program modeled after Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, an international leader in quality and health care system transformation. Every Child Succeeds is recognized by the Pew Center on the States for its effective, efficient operation, commitment to quality improvement, production of positive, documented outcomes for mothers and infants and strong return on community investment.

Speakers at the summit, which will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, include keynote speaker John E. Pepper, Jr., retired Chairman and CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company and current chairman of the board of the Walt Disney Company; Judith Van Ginkel, Every Child Succeeds; Libby Doggett, Pew Center on the States; Frank Putnam, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; David Olds, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; and Deborah Daro, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago; Federal officials scheduled to speak include: Martha Coven, Special Assistant to the President, White House Domestic Policy Council; Joan Lombardi, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; and Robert Gordon, Associate Director for Education, Income Maintenance and Labor, Office of Management and Budget.

Every Child Succeeds was formed in 1999 by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency and works with 15 regional agencies. More information about Every Child Succeeds is available online at www.everychildsucceeds.org.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of just eight children's hospitals named to the Honor Roll in U.S. News and World Report's 2010-11 Best Children's Hospitals. It is ranked #1 for digestive disorders and highly ranked for its expertise in pulmonology, cancer, neonatology, heart and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, diabetes and endocrinology, orthopedics, kidney disorders and urology. Cincinnati Children's is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. It is internationally recognized for quality and transformation work by Leapfrog, The Joint Commission, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and by hospitals and health organizations it works with globally. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.

The Pew Center on the States is a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts that identifies and advances effective solutions to critical issues facing states. Pew is a nonprofit organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. Learn more about the Pew Home Visiting Campaign at www.pewstates.org/homevisiting.

Contact:

Kathy Francis

Doe-Anderson

502.815-3313

[email protected]