Healthy Beginnings Plus

Giving your baby the best possible start in life begins with a healthy pregnancy. The Healthy Beginnings Plus program at Lancaster General Health is a home visitation program that provides free prenatal support services to income-eligible individuals. You receive personalized attention from an experienced health-care team at every stage of your pregnancy and for eight weeks after your baby is born.

Am I Eligible for the Healthy Beginnings Plus Program?

You qualify for this program if you meet all of the following criteria:

• A Pennsylvania resident
• Eligible for medical assistance. You’re also eligible if you have primary insurance but are underinsured. We can help you apply for benefits.
• Pregnant (ideally less than 36 weeks)

What Are the Benefits of Healthy Beginnings Plus?

Advantages of the Healthy Beginnings Plus (HBP) program include:

• Experienced health-care providers: A nurse, social worker and a doctor or certified midwife work together to provide the health checkups, education and support you need. You also have access to registered dietitians and board-certified lactation consultants.
• Improved outcomes: Early and regular prenatal care can decrease your chances of having a baby with low-birth-weight or a pre-term (before 36 weeks) birth. Breastfeeding education and lactation support can help new mothers breastfeed longer. A healthy baby can better meet developmental milestones.
• Programs and services: Choose from a wide range of programs, such as free breastfeeding classes, prenatal yoga, nutrition classes and STEPS. We offer many opportunities for you to socialize and connect with other expectant or new mothers.
• Convenient care: Your personal nurse and social worker visit you in your home throughout your pregnancy, at times that work for your schedule. You can also choose to receive prenatal care at any of the HBP-credentialed providers located throughout Lancaster County.

Pregnancy Care

The Healthy Beginnings Plus program begins with a comprehensive physical and psychosocial assessment. This initial visit lasts about one hour and takes place with your nurse at your prenatal care provider’s office. It includes:

• Pregnancy testing and determining your due date
• Review of your medical and general health screenings
• Screenings for anxiety, depression and domestic partner violence
• Scheduling your first prenatal visit and any necessary lab tests or imaging exams
• Education about warning signs during pregnancy
• Assistance applying for medical benefits
• Referral to a registered dietitian
• Referral to the Nurse-Family Partnership program for first-time moms-to-be

Your nurse and social worker visit you as often as needed and are always just a phone call away.

Additional services include:

• Breastfeeding education
• Childbirth classes
• Drug and alcohol counseling
• Help to quit smoking
• Nutritional counseling
• Preparation for labor and delivery
• Referrals to community resources, such as WIC (nutritional support)
• Regular blood pressure checks
• Transportation assistance

Labor and Delivery

Women enrolled in Healthy Beginnings Plus deliver at the nationally recognized Women & Babies Hospital in Lancaster. Women & Babies features:

• A state-of-the-art Special Care Unit for high-risk pregnancies
• An expert team of obstetricians, midwives, nurses and other specialists
• Eat, Sleep, Console therapy for infants with withdrawal symptoms
• The only Level IIIB Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Lancaster County

Postpartum Support

After birth, we continue to support you and your baby for eight weeks. You’ll receive two home visits from your nurse during this time and as many visits from your social worker as you need.

Postpartum services include:

• Breastfeeding support from a lactation consultant
• Car seat safety
• Family planning and contraceptives
• Newborn care education
• Regular blood pressure checks
• Safe sleep techniques for baby
• Screenings for postpartum depression