Our goal is to provide leadership, in partnership with key stakeholders, to improve the physical, socio-emotional health, safety and well-being of all Kentucky women, infants, children, adolescents and their families.
Services
Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) provides support
throughout your pregnancy and the first two years of your baby’s life. HANDS supports families as they build healthy, safe environments for the optimal growth and development of children. For more information visit the
HANDS website.
First Steps provides services to
children with developmental disabilities from birth to age 3 and their families. Children with a develolpmental delay or established risk for delay may be eligible for services. For more information visit the
First Steps website.
WIC provides nutritious foods, nutrition education and counseling and screening and referrals to other services to
pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, infants and children up to their fifth birthday. Services are provided locally through public health departments. For more information visit the
WIC website.
Newborn Screening provides screenings
for newborns to determine if a baby has certain health conditions. Specific conditions can lead to slow growth or other poor newborn outcomes. For more information, visit the
Newborn Screening website.
Programs
The Division of Maternal and Child Health has more than 40 programs that directly or indirectly impact the lives of Kentucky's families. Some of our larger programs are:
- Birth Surveillance Registry
- Breastfeeding Promotion
- Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
- Child Care Health Consultation
- Child Fatality Review and Injury Prevention
- Child Injury Prevention
- Connect the Dots
- Evidence-based MCH strategies
- Healthy Schools
- Help Me Grow
- Maternal Mortality Review
- Metabolic Foods and Formulas
- Neonatal Abstinence Sydrome
- Nurturing Parenting
- Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring
- School Health Nursing
- Strengthening Families
- Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Registry
Initiatives
The Division of Maternal and Child Health will often participate in, lead, or support various initiatives that support Kentucky's families. While other initiatives can be found here, the most important initiative is
Safe Sleep Kentucky.
Safe Sleep Kentucky is a statewide effort to raise awareness of and help inform parents and other child caregivers of the importance of safe sleep for babies. The effort seeks to prevent SIDS-related infant deaths by emphasizing
ABCD, the four letters associated with the best practices to make sure infants sleep safely.
-
A is for
Alone - Stay close, sleep apart
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B is for Back - On my back for night and naps
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C is for Crib - In a clean and clear crib
-
D is for
Danger - Be aware, not impaired. Drinking and drug use impair your ability to care for a baby, making bed-sharing and other unsafe sleep even more dangerous for the baby.
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