Efforts by FL MIECHV to pilot Coordinated Intake & Referral (CI&R) using the state’s universal prenatal and infant screening process were recognized recently as a Promising Practice by the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP).
The national organization, which represents state Title V programs, reviewed CI&R pilot activities and evaluation results, and approved the project for inclusion in its Innovation Station database for potential replication by other states.
The CI&R pilot was launched in 2015 as part of systems building activities included in a competitive grant awarded to FL MIECHV by HRSA. Eight Healthy Start Coalitions – serving ten counties – participated in the Action Learning Collaborative (ALC) and worked to develop effective local systems for identifying at-risk families and connecting them with programs that best met both their needs and preferences.
Coalitions included Bay, Franklin, Gulf (Bay County); Jefferson, Madison, Taylor; Northeast Florida (Duval County); North Central Florida (Alachua County); Flagler-Volusia; Orange (Orange, Osceola & Seminole); Hillsborough, and Manatee.
Participating coalitions formed multi-agency teams and participated in monthly calls, webinars, and in-person statewide learning collaborative sessions. The project also incorporated Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) principles and processes, including Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles and using data to drive system improvement at the community-level.
Each team developed decision trees that focused on areas of identifying families who may qualify for services, improving coordinated systems for referrals, effective engagement and enrollment of families, and providing services that align with families’ needs and preferences. The decision trees laid the foundation for focused areas to improve upon and ensure a more effective CI&R process. Community teams met regularly to review CI&R test results and refine their approaches as needed. Information was shared with state stakeholders, including Title V and home visiting model developers.
To facilitate engagement and involvement of these stakeholders, Florida MIECHV partnered with CityMatCH to design and implement an Action Learning Collaborative (ALC) framework to this pilot group. Community teams assessed the landscape and needs of the community. Coalitions were provided with resources to support their work, including a planning period for partnership development and discussion of and consideration for how key CI&R components work in their community. The evaluation was conducted by the Chiles Center at the University of South Florida.
Based on pilot results, CI&R is being scaled and implemented statewide in FY 2018-19 through Healthy Start Coalitions as part of their contracts with the Florida Department of Health, the state Title V agency.