Infant Risk Screens
What is the Healthy Start Infant Risk Screen?
Florida’s Healthy Start Infant Risk Screening Instrument is a simple, brief questionnaire that helps the birthing facility identify infants who are at increased risk of post-neonatal or infant mortality during the first year of life or at risk for adverse health and developmental outcomes.
Infants with a score of 4 or more are approximately 6 times more likely to die within the first year after birth! So, early intervention is key.
Community Liaison
If you have any questions please reach out to our community liaison:
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Lakeila Robertson
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(850) 417-3690
Who has to be screened?
Florida State Statute, 383.14 (FAC 64-C), written in 1991, states that the Healthy Start Infant Risk Screen is offered to parents or guardians of all infants born in Florida before leaving the delivering facility. In other words, it’s the law!
What is the Birthing Facility’s Role?
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Make sure the parent or guardian is offered the confidential Infant Risk Screening. Approach the screening in a positive manner and be available to answer questions and correct any misinformation about Healthy Start. Give the patient the brochure entitled, “Healthy Start Infant Risk Screening” (available in English and Spanish). Encourage every parent or guardian to consent to the screening questions (though screening is voluntary). Completion of the questions helps assure that infants at risk receive the services they need, and provides for a strong data base for the county and state of Florida that can be used in enhancing maternal and child services. Completion of these questions also helps bring in additional funding to Escambia County for services. Consent for the screening must be documented 1) on the Birth Certificate in the upper left hand corner, and 2) in the appropriate blanks on the Infant Risk Screen form. If consent is refused, it still must be documented on those two forms.
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In either case, the mother’s and infant’s data at the top of the form and the “Check One” section at the end of the form must be completed legibly, and then the form must be signed and dated by the provider. Please fill in every blank or box in those sections.
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Instructions for completing and scoring the screen are on the back pages of the screening form. Please note that “Hispanic” is not a race (it is an ethnicity) and does not affect the answer to Item 30 on the Birth Certificate, “Mother’s race is unknown, other than white, or multiple races selected.”
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Encourage every new mother to participate in Healthy Start when the answers indicate the infant is at high risk (a score of 4 or more). Healthy Start services are not income-based; research shows that risks can span all income levels.
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If the infant does not score a four or more, yet you have concerns about domestic violence, substance abuse, history of abuse or neglect, lack of basic needs, etc., you can make a referral to Healthy Start for reason other than score, with the parent/guardian’s permission. “Patient Desires” or “participated during pregnancy” are not reasons for referral in the absence of the named risk factors.
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A parent or guardian can also request Healthy Start services if the score is less than four by calling (850) 696-2291.
What Does “High-Risk” Mean?
“High Risk” means there are environmental or medical risk factors, including physical, social or economic factors, in the baby’s life that increases the risk of death in the first year, or contribute to poor health and development.
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Risk factors for infants include: maternal age less than 18; maternal age over 18 but education is less than 12th grade; mother race is other than white, unknown, or multiple races; mother is not married; the number of prenatal visits is zero, one, or unknown; infant weighs less than 2000 Gms; mother used tobacco or alcohol during pregnancy; or the infant has an abnormal condition or congenital anomaly.
What are Healthy Start Services?
Please see more information about our services here.
What is the Difference between the Healthy Start Coalition and the Healthy Start Program?
The Healthy Start Coalition of Escambia County is a non-profit organization which helps set priorities to meet local needs in maternal and infant health. Members of the community are invited to serve on the Coalition or any of its committees. Our phone number is (850) 696-2291.
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The Healthy Start Program of the Escambia County Health Department is our sub-contractor for Care Coordination services and data management. Care Coordination is the key to service provision for Healthy Start clients. A highly qualified staff of Registered Nurses and Health Educators assure that each client’s needs are addressed.