Gov. Mike DeWine is hitting the ground running just one day after being sworn into office by creating the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Home Visitations. The group will be charged with creating a budget proposal that increases the amount of families served with home visitations.
These home visitations are for pregnant women and parents of young, at-risk children. Social workers and medical professionals go to the homes and help parents and kids maintain a healthy environment. The intention is to reduce infant mortality, prevent health problems and prepare children for school.
“This is, in my opinion, is an area where we clearly, clearly have grossly underinvested,” DeWine said. “We have kids out there who are just in difficult circumstances and it’s not fault of their own, may not be the fault of the mom it just is what it is, and we’ve gotta reach them.”
The state currently serves about 4,000 families with a budget of just under $20 million. That’s 4 percent of eligible families in Ohio. DeWine wants to triple the number of home visitations across the state.
The advisory commission will consist of representatives from Ohio’s children’s hospitals.
