Cutting-Edge Practice

Group Connections Livestream Home Visiting Education

State/Jurisdiction: North Dakota Tribal Nation
Setting: Virtual
Population: Families & Caregivers
Topic Area: Safe and Connected Communities Family & Youth Engagement Telehealth
NPMs: NA

When the COVID-19 pandemic began and TM THV had to discontinue its popular in-person monthly Group Connections gatherings, families missed the opportunity to connect with one another and learn from the home visiting team. Families were experiencing isolation in the community due to social distancing restrictions. Winter weather also made it difficult to hold safe outdoor gatherings or meetings during the pandemic. Additionally, TM TMHV identified a lack of culturally-appropriate educational videos on health topics, especially around COVID-19. TM TMHV smoothly transitioned from in-person home visiting to telehealth when the pandemic shut down the community. However, families were missing the monthly Group Connections that TM THV normally provides in-person that brings families with young children together to share experiences, build peer support, and educate them on key topics. To address this gap, TM THV transitioned Group Connections to telehealth by providing monthly group synchronous video conferences on Facebook Live that provide health/safety education. TM THV collaborates with community partners to record demonstration/education videos and present those during live, interactive presentations to provide telehealth/education. Each monthly live video conference focuses on a relevant topic (e.g. COVID update with a nurse from Indian Health Service, proper installation/use of a car seat with the TM Car Seat Program Director, home safety with a firefighter, nutrition/breastfeeding with WIC instructor, positive mental health for families with young children with Behavioral Health). Because there is a lack of culturally-appropriate educational videos on these topics, the Group Connections program allows TM THV to incorporate tribal culture and heritage into the education to maximize its effectiveness in relating to TM families and incorporate local experts to gain trust with clients.


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Implementation Handout



CONTACT INFORMATION
Turtle Mountain Tribal Home Visiting
Amy Gourneau, Program Director
amy.gourneau@tmbci.org
(701) 477-0240
Practice Website