Helping Them Grow: Health Dept. program teaches parenting, one child at a time

This is the first story in a multi-part series highlighting two major Vinton County Health Department programs: Help Me Grow and WIC. This story appears in the April 12 newspaper on Page A1.

Children run around the Vinton County Community Building, yelling excitedly as kids do, stopping only to grab a bag of snacks before taking off again. Today it's a healthy trail mix. When M&M's are thrown in, it's an easy sell.

Many of these children live in very rural areas. Most good aspects of Vinton County come at a cost. With privacy and beauty comes seclusion, a great thing for inclined adults but no so great when measuring a child's social development. Unless they have younger relatives living nearby, kids in rural areas do not mix with those their own age until they are old enough for school. This is like having your first vegetable at age 18 - it's best to form good habits earlier on.

All the while, parents look on. They are learning, too - how to parent, how to play with their children, how to keep them safe, how to ... everything. Those here receive gas cards for coming. There are boxes of diapers on hand to help them, as some can't afford them. Off to the side, a health clinic table offers information on postpartum depression.

This is Help Me Grow, a program operated by the Vinton County Health Department designed to help new families. At least, this is the Help Me Grow most people think of - a twice-monthly playgroup in public view.

But the real work with HMG is on an individual basis in each family's home. The program has been around for several decades, but the approach has adapted over the years to help local families raise children in modern times.

Help at home

The goal is to educate parents in a natural environment - their home. The health department employs several trained and credentialed home professionals, all of whom have or are currently raising children of their own.

Families can begin receiving help while the mother is still pregnant. From there, professionals visit homes on a weekly basis for the first six months of a child's life. Visits become less frequent as families reach certain specific benchmarks - such as, making sure a child fits in a high chair; ensuring the home is "child safe," etc. In doing so, families can earn rewards such as a new crib.

Vinton County Director Margaret Demko said the program is also focused on two specific initiatives: car seat safety and safe sleep. The state is trying to cut down on infant mortality rates, which are slightly higher in southeast Ohio counties.

Generally, this main arm of the HMG program is geared toward first-time parents. If a mom is pregnant again before their first kid turns 3 years old, the second kid can be involved, too.

There are two other arms of the HMG program. The second is Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, which is geared toward moms raising their second or more child.

The entry time is while the baby is 0 to 6 months old and runs through the child turning 5 years old. As they near that age, the MIECHV program offers plenty of educational help to prepare them for school.

The third arm is for children who are diagnosed or are suspected to have developmental disabilities. There are only seven families currently involved, Demko said, but she believes there are more out there who could stand to benefit.

Demko said the health department does all it can to provide families with all other needs as necessary, such as family therapy, nutritional help, health care access and more.

Twice a month, all families involved in HMG are invited to a playgroup. One is hosted in Hamden, while the other is co-hosted by a group of Ohio University physical therapy students at the Community Building. There are other partnerships, as previously mentioned, such as Hopewell Health Center's postpartum depression assistance.

Once the snack is finished, children rush back to the OU students who are leading an exercise activity. There is laughter everywhere. The home care workers look on, pleased with the healthy, fun program they've helped developed. Demko watches, too, and smiles with them.

"This is happiness."

For more information about Help Me Grow, contact the Vinton County Health Department at 740-596-9705.