Family Home Visiting

Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home Visiting (MECSH) is an evidence-based program aimed at providing additional sustained support for families with new babies. The MECSH model supports:  

• Positive transitions to parenting.  

• Positive parenting skills.  

• Future-oriented and aspirational thinking.  

• Mobilization of resources. 

• Healthy relationships.  

To learn more about the MECSH model, click HERE.  

Universal Home Visiting provides social, emotional, health-related, and parenting support and information for families and links families with appropriate resources. Families enrolled in Universal Home Visiting may receive: 

• Connections and referrals for prenatal care.  

• Early support to parents in their role as a child’s first teacher.  

• Help in creating a safe and healthy environment for a young child to thrive in.  

• Parenting skills and support.  

NorthStar Families is an add-on service to both our MECSH and Universal Home Visiting programs and is specific for families who may be struggling with substance use disorder or are in the spectrum of recovery. We work together with families to promote recovery and decrease the effects of substance use while pregnant and/or parenting young children. Our public health nurses partner with licensed alcohol and drug counselors (LADCs) to provide extra support and resources for families. Click HERE to learn more about NorthStar Families.  

Here at St. Louis County Public Health, we recognize that during pregnancy and after birth, there can be a rollercoaster of emotions for families. The Healing, Outreach, and Perinatal Encouragement (HOPE) Group offers a safe environment to navigate those emotions. HOPE is a peer support group focused on the mental wellbeing of parents who have recently given birth. Hosted by our Public Health Nurses, HOPE is an opportunity for individuals to tell their story, hear others’ stories, and heal alongside fellow new parents, regardless of if someone has a formal medical diagnosis of postpartum depression or anxiety. Check out the brochure HERE to learn more about the HOPE group. If you’d like to hear more and find out how to attend our next meeting, complete the form below, and one of our nurses will contact you with additional information. 

HOPE Group Interest Form

• Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment- Duluth, MN 

• Partners Behavioral Healthcare - Minnesota Addiction Recovery & Behavioral Healthcare 

• Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD) - MN Dept. of Health 

• Postpartum Support International 

• Pregnancy & Postpartum Support MN – Mental Health Support During & After Pregnancy 

• Recovery Services - Human Development Center Duluth, MN