Services

Services

VDH is working with public and private groups to encourage the use of Bright Futures Guidelines in public and private medical settings, home visiting programs, and schools.

Promotion

VDH has worked with the following groups to promote Bright Futures materials:

Governor's New Parent Kit

Bright Futures Child Health Record and a First Year Calendar based on Bright Futures guidelines has been distributed to 100,000 parents of newborns. The New Parent Kit is no longer in print.  However, the contents are available as individual documents on the new Bright Futures web site: www.healthyfuturesva.com.

Department of Medical Assistance Services

VDH collaborated with the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) in 2002 and again 2005 to provide Bright Futures training to providers throughout Virginia as part of DMAS' Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program (EPSDT) training. The goal of the training was to encourage more providers to utilize Bright Futures materials and, consequently, improve immunization and screening rates, early assessment of developmental needs, comprehensive physical evaluations, anticipatory guidance, and partnership with parents for Virginia's children and adolescents.

Department of Social Services

Identified the Bright Futures Mental Health Practice Guide as the standard for the federal required Program Improvement Plan (PIP). The Bright Futures Child Health Record was identified as a useful tool for foster care children. As part of the Early Childhod Comprehensive Systems Grant, VDH continues to provide information to 10,000 registered child care providers in periodic electronic newsletters.

Department of Education

VDH also collaborate with the Virginia Department of Education (DOE) to offer Bright Futures training and materials to school nurses to improve developmental screenings, identify health problems, improve outreach, and provide anticipatory guidance for Virginia's school age children.

Bright Futures presentations have been made to new school nurses during the School Nurse Institute and to school nurses during the annual School Nurse Conference.

Developed SOLs for Health Education.

Local Health Districts

Nurses, nutritionists in WIC, child care consultant nurses and dental staff have been trained on applying the Guidelines in their work.

Home Visiting Programs

A training manual on the six core concepts was developed for home visitors. Bright Futures materials are used in the Resource Mothers Program, Healthy Families, Child Health Investment Project, and Virginia Healthy Start home visiting programs.

Bright Futures Child Health Records were distributed to all health districts for use in their home visiting programs.

Other Health Providers

Bright Futures Virginia has worked closely with the American Academy of Pediatrics- Virginia chapter to educate providers.

Workshops

VDH has presented Bright Futures concepts to early intervention providers at the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services (DMHMRSAS) Summer Institute on Substance Abuse. The purpose of the workshop was to help substance abuse counselors identify potential developmental problems in the children of the women they are serving.

Using Bright Futures to Change Your Practice

Arlington Health District fully implemented Bright Futures Guidelines across all child health programs including pediatric and prenatal clinics and home visiting programs. The District has modified its medical records and home visiting forms to enhance consistency between health care providers and to improve quality management within their practice.

Henrico Health District utilizes the Bright Futures Guidelines Pocket Guide to cue public health nurses to discuss certain issues with parents at each child health visit. They also use the Child Health Record and find it to be invaluable particularly for their non-English speaking clients. Henrico also developed a partnership with one of the local hospitals to provide plastic passport-type folders so parents can keep the child's Health Record in the diaper bag. Then, if parents leave the area, they always have the child's medical and immunization records when they see a new provider.

CHIP of Virginia has implement Bright Futures Guidelines in their home visiting programs throughout Virginia.

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