Promising Practice

1st Five Healthy Mental Development Initiative

State/Jurisdiction: Iowa
Setting: Clinical Community
Population: Children Families & Caregivers Medical & Public Health Professionals
Topic Area: Health Screening
NPMs: NPM 6: Developmental Screening

1st Five helps to enhance patient care by: 1) promoting primary care provider use of surveillance and standardized screening tools to assess development and risk factors; 2) helping providers integrate developmental screening tools into their practices; 3) linking children and their parents/caregivers to community resources to improve access to appropriate follow-up care; and 4) providing feedback to providers on each referral. For states pursuing progress on National Performance Measure 6, lessons from 1st Five may be particularly beneficial. 1st Five is implemented through Iowa’s network of local Title V Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) agencies. The Iowa Department of Public Health contracts with local MCAH agencies for delivery of 1st Five services at the local level. MCAH agencies engage primary care practices and provide developmental support services, linking families to community resources and reporting back to primary care providers regarding individual progress.


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Implementation Handout
Annual Report


CONTACT INFORMATION
Iowa Department of Public Health
Michelle Holst
michelle.holst@idph.iowa.gov
515-954-6087
Practice Website