FBBH covers six Arkansas regions: Northeast, Northwest, River Valley, Central, South, and Southwest. FBBH home visitors provide education and case management to help keep babies from being re-admitted to the hospital or emergency room. The home visitors help families understand the importance of going to medical appointments and keeping the child’s immunizations up to date. The home visitors also help their families identify local resources and services to meet their needs while building the families’ skills and confidence in providing a safe, nurturing home for their baby.
A registered nurse and a licensed social worker make visits to the homes of families who have had a baby discharged from an Arkansas newborn intensive care unit (NICU). The team provides teaching, ongoing support, and case management. Services are free of charge to the family and continue as long as needed, up to the age of three.
Goals of the Program
- To reduce preventable re-hospitalizations and emergency room visits
- Improve compliance with medical appointments and immunizations
- To provide assistance in identifying local resources to meet the service needs of the infant and family
- To build the family’s skills and confidence in providing a safe, nurturing home for their baby
Interpreter services are available for non-English speaking families. Funding is provided by the UAMS Institute for Digital Health and Innovation High-Risk Pregnancy Program in cooperation with Arkansas Medicaid and through the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) home visiting grant.