Healthy Families Illinois

Last Updated:
July 24, 2008

Website Designed and Maintained by Robin Hayes

Healthy Families Fayette County

What is Healthy Families?

Healthy Families is a new program in Fayette County to assist families of newborns. It is the first program of its kind in our area. Since it is so new, Healthy Families is only available to a limited number of families.

Why do we need Healthy Families?

Successful parenting is difficult for all families in today's society. Healthy Families can help parents deal with the challenges of caring for a new baby.

Healthy Families has four goals:

To systematically assess the family's strengths and needs and refer as needed.
To enhance family functioning by building trusting relationships, teaching problem solving skills, and improving the family's support system.
To promote positive parent-child interaction.
To promote healthy childhood growth and development.

How does Healthy Families work?

Healthy Families services begin during pregnancy or at the time of the child's birth. A family assessment worker meets with interested families to determine what information or referrals are appropriate for the family.

The purpose of Healthy Families is to support a relationship that promotes healthy child development, strengths the parent-child relationship, supports parents as children's first teachers and reduces family isolation.

Healthy Families works with existing Fayette County programs to avoid duplicate services. Community support and collaboration in program design and operation are crucial to the program's success.

What's the community's role?

No one agency or institution in a community can address all of the challenges faced by families today. Therefore, to address families' needs fully and to avoid duplication of effort, service providers and community residents must collaborate in the design and operation of an Healthy Families program. Healthy Families should have its own identity in the community, yet be carefully interwoven in the existing fabric of community support, services and resources.

Community commitment to the program is demonstrated by on-going linkages to other programs and agencies serving women and children. Hospitals and health care providers, local health departments, programs for young children and parent support services are important community partners in the development and operation of an Healthy Families program.

How can you learn more about Healthy Families?

For information about Healthy Families in Fayette County call the Fayette County Health Department at (618) 283-1044.

To obtain a current list of Illinois program sites, contact the DHS Office of Family Health at
(217) 782-2736.