The Early Intervention Central Intake Bulletin: March 2021

The Early Intervention Central Intake Bulletin

Central Intake e-Newsletter for Early Intervention providers

March 2021

Welcome back to another edition of the The Early Intervention Central Intake Bulletin! This email will provide you with Help Me Grow Central Intake data and updates relevant to Early Intervention providers so you stay informed and prepared to serve families.

Past editions of this eNewsletter can be found at helpmegrow.org/providers.

SFY21 Second Quarter Referral Data

(October-December 2020)

Central Intake and Referral cataloged more than 8,800 system referrals for Early Intervention from a variety of sources in the second quarter of SFY21. Of those, more than 6,700 EI program referrals resulted and were assigned to local Early Intervention providers across the state.

Also in the second quarter, the Ohio Department of Health referred 546 children with an elevated blood lead level across 69 counties, and 173 children diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) across 31 counties across the state.

Community Resource Directories

Help Me Grow has launched new interactive Community Resource Directories on helpmegrow.org! The 88 county directories are now hosted on an online platform that can be updated in real time, so families and professionals access the most current provider information in their area.

The new directories are also ADA compliant. Users can now search for providers by service area, category, county, keyword, or zip code.

Explore the directories

Communications Toolkit

The toolkit is available for download on the Ohio Early Intervention website and at helpmegrow.org .

Download the toolkit

Communications Toolkit webinar now available

Did you miss the opportunity to attend our webinar on the new Early Intervention Communications Toolkit? No worries! The webinar is available on the toolkit page of the helpmegrow.org website. There you can also download the slides from the webinar.

View the webinar

Early Intervention posters now available

Early Intervention service coordination agencies can now order posters and other Early Intervention marketing materials from Central Intake and Referral by clicking the button below.

Questions? Please contact

communications@helpmegrow.org.

Order materials

Outreach and Marketing

A New Year’s email was sent on January 5 to more than 8,000 referral sources. The email contained family testimonials for both Home Visiting and Early Intervention, an explanation of Central Intake and Referral, and information highlighting the importance of the Help Me Grow system of supports for families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to access the email.

Don't Wait. Act Early! television spots run during kids’ programming on PBS stations, and radio spots continue to air on NPR stations. Both of these efforts will continue through the end of SFY21, along with digital display ads; social media on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn; iHeart radio and podcast ads; and print ads placed in parent magazines.

Lead and NAS referral outreach

Central Intake and Referral continues to collaborate with OCALI and Krile Communications on message development for outreach campaigns related to children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLL) and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). That work includes:

A flyer on what EBLL is and how Early Intervention can help;
A flyer on what NAS is and how Early Intervention can help;
A section on the helpmegrow.org website related to EBLL;
An Early Intervention fact sheet for professionals working with children diagnosed with EBLL and children born with NAS who are transitioning from hospital to home;
and more!

Full campaign implementation is planned for late spring 2021.

NAS Learning Opportunity

March of Dimes is offering the course Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Addressing models of care which support the baby and family.

The course offers strategies for caring for babies experiencing NAS and best practices for promoting positive outcomes during and beyond the NICU stay.

FY22-23 Executive Budget Proposal

Governor Mike DeWine released his executive budget proposal outlining his priorities for the

FY22-23 state biennial budget. The proposal includes:

Sustained investment in Early Intervention;
Sustained investment in early childhood mental health consultation;
Increased investments to support childhood lead poisoning prevention efforts;
and more!

To gain a better understanding of what this means for the early childhood community, visit Groundwork Ohio's breakdown of Ohio's biennial budget process below.

Learn more about the budget proposal

Refer to Home Visiting

If you are currently serving a family who could use extra support welcoming a new child, refer them to Home Visiting! Families can receive both services! Home Visiting offers additional parenting education and support that could be helpful to the families they are serving.

Refer today!

"Help Me Grow's [Home Visiting] and Early Intervention are so important to my own family. I certainly want anyone who needs it to receive the services. I will continue to link my patients with the program!"

-Amy Cain, social worker and

referral source for Home Visiting

Did you miss it? We have a new website! Visit us today at www.helpmegrow.org