Winner Profile: Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc.

Author:	Viviana Costa
Contact:	Viviana Costa
Date:	Mar 15, 2005
Related
Program:	Affiliate Awards Program
Region:	Northeast, Southeast, Puerto Rico, DC

Summary

Healthy Families DC, run by Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc., was the recipient of the 2005 Family Strengthening Award for the East Coast region.

Description

Affiliate Organization: Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc.

Region: East Coast

Winning Program: Healthy Families DC (HFDC)

The mission of Mary’s Center is to build better futures through health care, education, and social services while embracing culturally diverse communities. Healthy Families DC helps overburdened families at risk for child neglect and abuse by providing intensive home visitation, linkages with outside services, and parent activities. Families receive weekly home visits for 6-12 months, and then as needed for up to five years, from a family support worker who provides them with information on child development, family planning, prenatal care, parent-child bonding, child safety, and child care providers. Family support workers also assist families in accessing services in response to the varying needs of each, ranging from housing and educational linkages to domestic violence and mental health supports.