HUG Your Baby has an online course available to assist professionals with strategies and tools to help parents prevent or solve problems around newborn sleep, eating, playing, and attachment.
“Helping Parents Understand Their Newborn” is designed to equip professionals with the skills to enhance breastfeeding and promote bonding.
The course is $35 and provides 2 contact hours credits. It covers the following:
- reviews literature impacting parent-child relationship & breastfeeding
- presents engaging video lecture and parent interviews
- provides a convenient come-and-go format that fits easily into a professional’s busy schedule
Order here (create a new account).
Several bills that would allow more children to access Florida KidCare are making their way through the legislature.
HB 849, sponsored by Rep. Elaine Schwartz (D) would allow uninsured children of state employees to be covered under KidCare. The bill was referred to the Health & Human Services Access Subcommittee on December 21 but has not been heard yet.
It’s Senate companion bill (SB510) has already passed the Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriations and the Health Regulations Committee with strong bipartisan support. It is now in the Budget Committee.
SB 1294, sponsored by Sen. Rene Garcia (R) would delete a provision preventing children who do not meet the definition of a qualified alien from participating in the program. The bill is currently in the Senate Health Regulation Committee.
For more information on health care access in Florida, visit Florida CHAIN.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare released the 2011 CHIPRA performance bonuses in December. Twenty-three states received bonuses totalling more than $296 million, but even though enrollment is up, Florida missed the opportunity to pull more money in again.
Since the Childrens Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act was passed in 2009, CMS has awarded bonuses to state who meeting two goals set forth in the CHIPRA statute: have at least five out of eight program features known to facilitate enrollment and retention in health coverage programs and submit data to document a significant increase in Medicaid enrollment among children over the course of the fiscal year.
Florida only has two of the features in place.
The program features include:
- Continuous Eligibility
- Liberalization of Asset Requirements
- Elimination of In-Person Interview
- Same App and Renewal Form
- Auto/ Admin. Renewal
- Presumptive Eligibility
- Express Lane
- Premium Assistance Subsidies
For more information on the performances bonuses, visit Insure Kids Now.
The next Boot Camp for New Dads in St. Johns County will be held Saturday, January 21 from 1 to 4pm at Gander Mountain Sports on State Road 16 in St. Augustine.
The workshop is hosted by Flagler Hospital and is free to any dads-to-be. To reserve a seat or for more information, call 904.819.4356.
The class covers:
- What to expect the first year of fatherhood
- How to prepare for changes in your house
- How to handle the stressors of fatherhood
- How to feed, soothe and change your child
- Questions answered by other dads
Utilizing a man-to-man approach, veteran dads and their babies orient rookie dads who are expecting their first baby. Boot Camp for New Dads is a nationally-recognized, evidence-based program.
The first session of Boot Camp for New Dads will be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at the Baker County Health Department at 6pm.
Boot Camp for New Dads has been implemented in more than 40 states, and locally in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. This is the first time it is coming to Baker County.
The free workshop is a nationally recognized, evidence-based program for men only: “no women over 2 feet tall are allowed!” The knowledge gained and the camaraderie among the participants will help new fathers to feel more comfortable and competent in caring for and nurturing their new babies.
The project is funded through a March of Dimes community grant that was awarded to Healthy Baker. It is specifically designed for fathers-to-be in Baker County.
Any eligible and interested soon-to-be dads should call 259-6291 ext 2255 to register. Walk-ins will also be welcome.