1st Five
Services
Iowa’s 1st Five Healthy Mental Development Initiative builds partnerships between physician practices and public service providers to enhance high-quality well-child care. 1st Five promotes the use of standardized developmental screening tools that support healthy mental development for young children.
By using a standardized tool for all children, providers are able to identify children at-risk for developmental concerns, and link those children and their families with community-based resources to improve access to appropriate follow-up care. Primary care providers play a key role in supporting optimal healthy mental development in children. Therefore, primary care providers can play a critical role in providing developmental screenings.
How can I partner with 1st Five?
1st Five works with primary care providers to help link families to care. The 1st five model is a four step process that helps monitor a family as they move through care and intervention services, keeping the primary care provider up-to-date on the status of the family.
Partnering with 1st Five is easy. The first step is connecting with our 1st Five Site Coordinator. We will meet with your office to discuss your needs and introduce you to the program.
1st Five makes a difference to your patients.
95% of participating caregivers said 1st Five made “a great deal” or “some” difference in their family’s life.
1st Five Annual Report, IDPH
A National Survey of Children’s Health conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2019 found that only 40% of Iowa’s children had received a developmental screening in the last 12 months. These screenings are critical to ensuring that families are linked to essential developmental services. Early intervention makes a difference, and it can change the lives of the children in your care.
Early detection of developmental delays increases the effectiveness of interventions and improves health outcomes for young children. 1st Five is your partner in supporting healthy cognitive, social, and emotional development in Iowa children ages 0-5. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your practice.