Healthy Start Home Visiting

Healthy Start is a free home visiting program providing education and care coordination to pregnant women and families of children under the age of three. The goal of the program is to help parents lower the risk factors associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, infant mortality and poor developmental outcomes.

Healthy Start offers:

• Home visitation.

• Prenatal and parenting education.

• Family planning

• Stress management education.

• Care coordination to help families learn about resources available in the community and assistance in accessing those services.

To find out more, email: admin@drugfreehighlands.org

In partnership with Advent Health and Safe and Sound, we will offer Mental Health First Aid training. Mental Health First Aid Training helps a person assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis. The goal is to help support an individual until appropriate professional help arrives. Mental Health First Aiders learn a single 5-step strategy that includes assessing risk, respectfully listening to and supporting the individual in crisis, and identifying appropriate professional help and other support. Participants are also introduced to risk factors and warning signs for mental health or substance use problems, engage in experiential activities that build understanding of the impact of illness on individuals and families, and learn about evidence-supported treatment and self-help strategies.

​

"May-HEM" is a month-long campaign in May dedicated to Helping Every Mind. The May-HEM campaign promotes mental health awareness and features a series of events and activities designed to educate, support, and empower individuals in our community. Click here to learn more.

Drug Free Highlands - Coalition efforts include but are not limited to the following: 

~ identify the problem

~ look at why substance abuse/misuse is happening in our community

~ assess the supporting factors

~ collect  & review data

~ assess resources and support

~ implement strategies to combat and eradicate the problem

Drug Free Zone - The coalition has "Drug Free Zone" signs at each public school in the county as well as a few private schools.

Operation Medicine Cabinet/National Take Back Day - In collaboration with law enforcement, the coalition has hosted National Take Back Day twice a year in the spring and fall.  During the event which is typically between 10:00am and 2:00pm, people are able to take their unused and/or expired prescription medication to participating law enforcement agencies.  In 2012 Drug Free Highlands received funding to purchase permanent drop boxes for each law enforcement agency so that unused and/or expired prescription drugs could be dropped during participating agencies' business hours. We also provide other prescription drug safe disposal items to our community via request or at event.

This campaign educates and sustains prevention efforts in Highlands County through the production of PSAs, a magazine and social media campaigns that discuss positive norms, provide education and induce deep thought and discussion about topics such as substance misuse and abuse, mental health, bullying, suicide and more.  The Farfrom Campaign & Program empowers high school interns to conduct public health research, marketing, branding, run social media campaigns, providing crucial data, resources, and education to our community members. Teens are guided by the Heartland Core Wellness staff and its Public Health partners in an effort to provide vital tools in combating mental health and substance abuse issues.