Office of Family Health Services

When you are charged with solving complex public health problems, success depends on your ability to form collaborative partnerships. The Office of Family Health Services regularly develops working relationships with dozens of public and private organizations and channels their collective skills, energy and resources into cohesive efforts that protect the health and wellbeing of Virginia’s citizens.

The Divisions of Child and Adolescent Health, Women’s and Infants’ Health and WIC and Community Nutrition Services collaborated with Prevent Child Abuse Virginia, Comprehensive Health Investment Project of Virginia and the State Departments of Social Services and Medical Assistance Services to develop the New Parent Kit. The kit, which was initiated by Governor Mark R. Warner, includes parenting tips and information on the health, care and safety of children. More than 40,000 kits have been distributed throughout the state to new parents through local hospitals, medical providers and district health departments. In pilot projects in Southwest and Hampton Roads, the kit reached 72 percent of all new mothers by July 2004.

The Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control addresses some of the leading causes of sickness and death in Virginia, including hypertension and diabetes. Since 1999, the Division has coordinated annually with Prospect Empowering Center, a faith-based organization representing 300 African American churches, to improve exercise and healthy eating habits among its members. As a result, many of the churches routinely conduct health-related activities, teach the tenets of a healthy lifestyle and provide healthy choice menus at church functions.

Many people do not know that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease in Virginia. VDH’s Divisions of Dental Health and WIC and Community Nutrition Services collaborated with the Virginia Dental Association, Head Start and the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services to develop Bright Smiles for Babies. The program’s mission is to prevent tooth decay among children aged 6 months to 3 years. Launched in 2004, the Bright Smiles for Babies program has trained approximately 600 dental professionals, nurses and physicians who often see the children prior to their first visit to a dentist. Training includes preventative guidance, risk assessment and fluoride application techniques.

A 2004 study by the Center for Injury and Violence Prevention showed that 25 percent of Virginians surveyed were victims of sexual assault as children. In response, the Center partnered with more than 50 state agencies, sexual assault prevention organizations, schools and youth groups to develop a state plan, devise a tool to measure the success of local programs and work in elementary schools and on college campuses to raise awareness of sexual assault and provide citizens with the tools to stop it. The “Isn’t She a Little Young?” campaign generated overwhelming response from news media nationwide. Coverage of the campaign made the front-page of the Washington Post and was featured on numerous network and cable television newscasts.