HUG (Helping U Grow) is a program aimed at enhancing family functioning and promoting the healthy growth and development of children. Family Support Workers visit all families of newborns at Tahlequah City Hospital in Cherokee County. Referrals are also taken from Stilwell Memorial Hospital in Adair County. The new mothers receive packets that include information on child development, coping with stress, child safety and community resources. Services include voluntary participation in the First Steps program, which provides follow-up for three months after a baby's birth.
The home visitation program consists of weekly visits by a Family Support Worker in which the focus is on parent-child interaction and parent skill building. Home visits also help serve as a link between the parent and community resources. Parent education groups are held weekly at the Tahlequah office and cover a variety of subjects related to children and parenting.
Secondary prevention services are offered by providing voluntary home visits in Cherokee and Adair Counties to parents identified as "at risk" through the first three years of the baby's life.
