Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition, Inc

Mission: The Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition unites people and resources to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women, children, and their families in Monroe County. Vision: A community working together to provide access to quality care and resources for all pregnant women, infants and their families in the Florida Keys. Our History: The Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition (FKHSC) was founded in 1992, as an outgrowth/extension of the previously named Monroe County Perinatal Network (est. 1987.) The Network’s main goal was to provide needed prenatal and infant care services to the community, yet received very little funding and operated primarily on volunteer efforts. For this reason, our founders were eager to partner together agencies to address gaps in service in maternal, child and family health & well-being. The community saw a great need for an integrated, cohesive and comprehensive agency to oversee and coordinate the many facets of providing services with a very unique geographic challenge: namely, a series of islands spanning 120 miles and connected only by 42 bridges with limited resources. Thus, the Coalition was born. Healthy Start Coalitions were created by the Florida Legislature through the vision of Governor Lawton Chiles in 1991 to improve the lives of pregnant women and their babies by establishing 32 Coalitions state-wide that operate on a local level to address the unique needs of their communities. It is the intent of the Healthy Start legislation to establish a system that guarantees that all women in Florida have access to prenatal care and that all infants have access to services that promote normal growth and development. Each Coalition provides community oversight and planning to improve maternal and child health outcomes. Who We Are Now: We are a robust 501c3 community-based agency serving over 75% of the approximately 750 babies born in Monroe County every year. In addition to these families, we also engage with over half of the families in the County with children under age four. To meet the needs of these families as they grow, the agency has expanded from our flagship Healthy Start Program to having six core programs: Healthy Babies (Prenatal and Postnatal Care Support) Keys to Kids Safety (Car seats, safe sleep, bicycle helmets & more) Keys to Growing Kids (Developmental play groups and parent education) Keys to Supporting Families (Client assistance and support) Keys to H.O.P.E. (Help after loss) Our flagship program, Healthy Start (help during pregnancy & baby’s first year) We work with women and families of all economic levels (with or without insurance). We are a prenatal, infant and family care Coalition of private and public agencies, community-centered providers, local businesses, and passionate individuals in Monroe County. Any individual, organization, or business with a heart for serving families in Monroe County is welcome to join.

What we provide: Pregnancy support Childbirth education and classes Breastfeeding education, support, and classes Nutritional guidance Family planning Prenatal care referrals and financial assistance Transportation services Mental health services (PMAD) Labor Doula Support Child Development Groups (Tot Time and Wiggles and Giggles) Provision and Education of Car Seats, Bike Helmets, Cribs, Home and Water Safety Provision of Essential Baby Items (Diapers, Formula, Clothes, Baby Equipment, Etc) Support Services for Loss Families