Project Launch
Iowa
Funded Years : 2009
Project Director :
Rhonda Boltz
rboltz@idph.state.ia.us
Address :
321 East 12th Street
Des Moines,IA 50319
Project Status : Active
Project Summary : Iowa Project LAUNCH seeks to develop the necessary infrastructure and system integration to ensure that Iowa children are thriving in safe, supportive environments and entering school ready to learn and able to succeed. The project targets children ages 0–8 and their families in a seven-zip-code area in inner-city Des Moines (Polk County, Iowa), with a focus on the low-income and minority families who are traditionally underserved. Outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts specifically target African American, Hispanic, Asian, non-/limited English-Speaking immigrant/refugee, and low-income populations.
The area is also one of Iowa's most ethnically and racially diverse—80 percent Caucasian, 10 percent African American, 7 percent Hispanic, and 3 percent Asian. While the target area contains a third of Polk County's total population, nearly three-fourths of the county's African American population and more than half of its Hispanic population resides in the seven-zip-code area. The primary languages spoken by the population are English, Spanish, Arabic, and Vietnamese. The poverty level in the Iowa LAUNCH target area is almost four times that of the city of Des Moines (43 percent vs. 12 percent, respectively). The target population is characterized by economic disadvantages; high rates of poverty and teen pregnancy; racial disparities in infant mortality; low educational achievement and high drop-out rates; significant parental stress and depression; family violence; and child abuse. Within the target area, nearly half the children ages 8 and under live in a single-parent household, and 56 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
In addition, several systems inadequacies pose significant barriers to meeting the mental health needs of Iowa's youngest citizens and their families. These include inadequate state and local resources; a lack of understanding by policymakers and service delivery agencies about the resources needed to meet the social and emotional needs of young children; and a lack of accountability across all systems responsible for prevention and promotion.
Project LAUNCH Goals
At the state level:
• Build state infrastructure to increase the capacity of the children's mental health system and to integrate it into a comprehensive early childhood system of care to promote positive development for Iowa children ages 0–8 and their families
• Promote sustainability and statewide spread of best practices for system development
At the local level:
• Build local infrastructure to increase the capacity of the children's mental health system and to integrate it into a comprehensive early childhood system of care to promote positive development for Polk County children ages 0–8 and their families
• Deliver family-centered, fully integrated evidence-based services for children living in the target community who are at risk for poor social-emotional outcomes
Strategies
To achieve these goals, Iowa Project LAUNCH will establish state and local Councils on Young Child Wellness and will implement several evidence-based programs and practices, including standardized developmental screening in primary care and other settings (ASQ and ASQ-SE), Nurse Family Partnership, Positive Behavior Supports, and mental health consultation in schools and child care settings.
Expected Outcomes
An expected outcome at both the state and local levels is a coordinated and comprehensive mental health care system for all Iowa children ages 0–8 and their families. At the state level, expected outcomes include more efficient and effective population-based policies and processes related to wellness for children ages 0–8 and their families; increased public understanding of the social and emotional health care system; and improved resources for detection of and intervention regarding mental illness. At the local level, an expected outcome is that each year a minimum of 410 children ages 0–8 will show improvement in health, school performance, and family functioning.
Evidence-Based Programs :
Nurse-Family Partnership (Prenatal/Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation Program)
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Positive Behavioral Support (Iowa model)
Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional (ASQ:SE)
