Impact on Communities
Expanding, or “scaling up,” Healthy Families America (HFA) to serve the entire community offers measurable improvements on child and family well-being.
Furthermore, HFA builds and sustains community partnerships through the creation of community advisory boards, staff training on local family resources, linkages and referrals, and more.
Proof of Impact
Community-wide Impact Study
A ground-breaking study commissioned by Hampton, Virginia, city leaders found significant community benefits of HFA:
- The study examined rates of change in several key benchmark areas, comparing Hampton to similar communities.
- The strongest results showed a greater rate of improvement for Hampton on rates of child maltreatment, child maltreatment fatalities, and infant mortality.
- Hampton’s costs related to these outcomes indicate savings compared to state costs, shown in the figure to the left.
Improved Birth Spacing & Outcomes
Delaying subsequent pregnancies at least two years helps young families achieve greater financial security. HFA studies show improvements in birth spacing. HFA also improves birth outcomes, including low birth weight, a problem with tremendous public and personal costs. When moms enroll in HFA before the third trimester, studies report positive impacts on birth weight and fewer birth complications.
Lower Education Costs
The largest long-term rigorous study of HFA to date shows impacts on academic success, with fewer children retained in first grade or receiving special education services. Other rigorous studies show early indicators of school readiness.
Improved Family Self-sufficiency
In multiple studies, HFA parents show significant gains in their education that can lead to increased family income and tax base.
Reduced Child Maltreatment
Several rigorous studies show reductions in child maltreatment measured via parent self-report, or substantiated reports. Strongest results on substantiated reports are for select subgroups, such as first-time moms who enrolled prenatally.
References are available here.
THE BOTTOM LINE: At full-scale (serving an entire community), HFA has the potential to achieve community-wide benefits, including intermediate system change, cost savings, and long-term impacts on community health.
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