(A) The department of health shall establish the help me grow program as the state's evidence-based parent support program that encourages early prenatal and well-baby care, as well as provides parenting education to promote the comprehensive health and development of children. The program shall also provide home visiting services to families with a pregnant woman or an infant or toddler under three years of age who meet the eligibility requirements established in rules adopted under this section. Home visiting services shall be provided through evidence-based home visiting models or innovative, promising home visiting models recommended by the Ohio home visiting consortium created under section 3701.612 of the Revised Code.

(B) Families shall be referred to the appropriate home visiting services through the central intake and referral system created under section 3701.611 of the Revised Code.

(C) To the extent possible, the goals of the help me grow program shall be consistent with the goals of the federal home visiting program, as specified by the maternal and child health bureau of the health resources and services administration in the United States department of health and human services or its successor.

(D) The director of health may enter into an interagency agreement with one or more state agencies to implement the help me grow program and ensure coordination of early childhood programs.

(E) The director may distribute help me grow program funds through contracts, grants, or subsidies to entities providing services under the program.

(F) As a condition of receiving payments for home visiting services, providers shall do both of the following:

(1) Promote the use of technology-based resources, such as mobile telephone or text messaging applications, that offer tips on having a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby to families with a pregnant woman or infant who is less than one year of age;

(2) Report to the director data on the program performance indicators , specified in rules adopted under division (G) of this section, that are used to assess progress toward achieving all of the following:

(a) The benchmark domains established for the federal home visiting program, including improvement in maternal and newborn health; reduction in child injuries, abuse, and neglect; improved school readiness and achievement; reduction in crime and domestic violence; and improved family economic self- sufficiency;

(b) Improvement in birth outcomes and reduction in stillbirths, as that term is defined in section 3701.97 of the Revised Code;

(c) Reduction in tobacco use by pregnant women, new parents, and others living in households with children.

The providers shall report the data in the format and within the time frames specified in the rules.

The director shall prepare an annual report on the data received from the providers. The director shall make the report available on the internet web site maintained by the department of health.

(G) Pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the director shall adopt rules that are necessary and proper to implement this section. The rules shall specify all of the following:

(1) Subject to division (H) of this section, eligibility requirements for home visiting services;

(2) Eligibility requirements for providers of home visiting services;

(3) Standards and procedures for the provision of program services, including data collection, program monitoring, and program evaluation;

(4) Procedures for appealing the denial of an application for program services or the termination of services;

(5) Procedures for appealing the denial of an application to become a provider of program services or the termination of the department's approval of a provider;

(6) Procedures for addressing complaints;

(7) The program performance indicators on which data must be reported by providers of home visiting services under division (F) of this section, which, to the extent possible, shall be consistent with federal reporting requirements for federally funded home visiting services;

(8) The format in which reports must be submitted under division (F) of this section and the time frames within which the reports must be submitted;

(9) Criteria for payment of approved providers of program services;

(10) Any other rules necessary to implement the program.

(H) When adopting rules required by division (G) (1) of this section, the department shall specify that families residing in the urban and rural communities specified in rules adopted under section 3701.142 of the Revised Code are to receive priority over other families for home visiting services.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 332, §1, eff. 4/6/2017.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 483, §101.01, eff. 10/12/2016.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 09-26-2003