Nevada Home Visiting (MIECHV) - FAQs

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What is the Nevada Home Visiting (NHV) program?

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program was established in 2010 by the U.S. Congress under the Affordable Care Act. MIECHV has provided states – including Nevada – with grant monies to implement or expand evidence-based home visiting models in targeted at-risk communities.
The MIECHV program is implemented at the federal level through a partnership between two agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Nevada Home Visiting is the state’s MIECHV grantee, housed in the Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health’s Bureau of Child, Family and Community Wellness. NHV has been providing home visiting services in Nevada supported by the MIECHV grant since 2011.

The MIECHV program is intended to result in a system that coordinates and improves existing home programs, expands home visiting services to at-risk communities where existing services are currently limited, and to embed home visiting into a state’s larger early childhood system.

Nevada Home Visiting funds programs in communities throughout the state to provide home visiting services using nationally recognized, evidence-based home visiting models. NHV is currently funding programs in Washoe, Clark, Elko, Lyon, Storey, Mineral and Nye counties. Nevada Home Visiting provides home visiting staff with professional development in the areas of domestic violence, breastfeeding support, maternal mental health, and many other topics.

What is home visiting?

Home visiting is a Voluntary, home-based program supporting pregnant mothers and parents of children from birth to kindergarten entry in promoting infant and child health, fostering healthy child development, preventing child abuse and neglect, and improving school readiness and family self-sufficiency. Services are most often delivered by trained nurses, social workers or child development specialists.

Home visiting focuses on the influence of social, economic and environmental risk and protective factors on health and developmental outcomes for pregnant women, infants and young children. The importance of comprehensive and collaborative service systems to promote the well-being of this population is emphasized, with home visiting being one of many service strategies needed in communities.

What happens during a home visit?

Home visits typically consist of:
• Planned activities to enhance bonding and child development
• Screening for necessary services and referrals as needed
• Developmental screening to identify any need for early intervention
• Health and nutritional information
• A knowledgeable and non-judgmental friend to support and encourage
• A single point of contact for referrals and assistance in following up
• Help setting and achieving goals for education, job training, and financial planning

How much do home visiting services cost?

Home visiting is a FREE service. All materials are provided at no cost to enrollees.

Who can receive home visiting services?

Eligibility for home visiting services depends upon the program model available in the community. Home visiting is designed for pregnant women and families with children from birth to kindergarten entry. Please contact us for information on program availability in your community. Programs are currently available in Washoe, Clark, Elko, Lyon, Storey, Mineral and Nye counties.

Is Home Visiting the same as Child Protective Services or Differential Response?

No. Home visiting is strictly a voluntary program.