Marion County Healthy Start Program

The Healthy Start Coalition of Marion County is a program dedicated to the health and wellbeing of local pregnant women, infants, fathers, and their families. Healthy Start serves ALL of Florida’s moms, babies, and families! Through education and support programs, nutritional counseling, smoking cessation, and so much more, Healthy Start helps provide a crucial safety net for Florida’s moms, babies, and families!

What Healthy Start Offers:

A Healthy Start begins at your first prenatal care visit at the doctor’s office and/or at the hospital or birthing facility after delivery. Local obstetricians, midwives, and hospital staff administer the Florida Prenatal Screen, which is a simple questionnaire. The purpose of the screening form is to identify risks that could affect your pregnancy or child’s first years. The answers you give to the questions on the screening form will determine whether you or your baby qualify for the special Healthy Start services. Ask your healthcare provider and/or birthing facility about your free Healthy Start screening.

Healthy start provides a variety of services to help women have a healthy baby, including:​

• Pregnancy and baby care education
• Breastfeeding education
• Childbirth classes
• Counseling help to stop smoking
• House calls by health professionals
• Nutrition education
• Mental health counseling
• ​Referrals to other agencies
• Car seat safety and Safe sleep Classes

How to Obtain Healthy Start Services:

To obtain Healthy Start Services, be sure to say YES when offered a Florida Universal Prenatal Screen or Infant Questionnaire:

• At your Prenatal Appointment in your OB/GYN Office
• At Labor and Delivery when your baby is born
• Or pregnant women and parents/caregivers of an infant and/or children under age 3 can also call Connect at 877-678-9355 to enroll by phone in the Healthy Start program.

Additional Programs

Nurse Family Partnership Program

The Nurse-Family Partnership Program is for any pregnant woman who lives in Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lake, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Sumter, Suwannee, or Union counties. Learn more at Nurse-Family Partnership – Central and North Central Florida Healthy Start Coalitions

Healthy Start Doula Program

The Healthy Start Doula program provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth, to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible. Learn more at Healthy Start Doula Program – Central and North Central Florida Healthy Start Coalitions

Healthy Families, Safe Futures, Early Head Start

For more information on the Connect Program, call 877-678-9355 or visit Home Visiting Resources and Support