The Monadnock Home Visiting Alliance (MHVA) is a collaborative backed by Impact Monadnock. The alliance is composed of Home Healthcare Hospice & Community Services (HCS) Healthy Starts, The Grapevine Family and Community Resource Center, Rise for baby and family and The River Center Family and Community Resource Center.
The alliance is using a unique model that involves joining forces -- bringing each of their respective networks and resources -- to advance a similar goal. Some of the benefits of collaboration between these agencies include:
- Increasing the number of families accessing services in the region through a shared outreach coordinator
- Improving the quality of the services through shared professional development goals for home visitors
- Initiating a Community of Practice for all home visitors in the area, thereby extending its benefits to the rest of the community
By the end of 2019, the MHVA's goal is that more than 600 families will be receiving services from one of the organizations that constitute the alliance.
Why it Matters
According to a recent study, a third of New Hampshire children may be at risk of compromised development from birth due to low birth weight, low family resources or other difficult circumstances. Home visiting has been considered an effective form of early intervention.
For Monadnock families, home visiting services from the MHVA agencies have ranged from speech therapy for children diagnosed with autism to breastfeeding assistance for moms with premature babies. One mother who has been receiving home visits for almost two years said the program has been an all-around “support system” for her as a parent.
Parents have also received prenatal information, parenting advice and resources regarding developmental milestones for their children. Home visitors also check in with parents regarding their mental health, and may be able to identify potential problems like postpartum depression.
As part of their work, alliance leaders said they are working, as a group, to raise awareness about the benefits and eligibility for home visiting services and reduce the stigma that currently exists around home visiting.