April 20th marks the beginning of National Home Visiting Week – a weeklong event to celebrate home visitation professionals and educate about their important role in our healthcare system. EveryStep offers in-home care through a number of programs, including our Nurse-Family Partnership, hospice care, and Healthy Start initiatives.
The advocacy week is organized by the Institute for the Advancement of Family Support Professionals. Home visiting care is a vital part of the healthcare and social work industries, allowing patients and clients the comfort and security of receiving professional care and services in their home.
EveryStep’s Berenice Reyes has been serving clients in their metro-area homes for 18 years as a Healthy Start Case Manager. There is nothing typical about Berenice’s visits to client homes – because their issues are as unique and varied as the clients themselves. This morning, Berenice’s home visit isn’t just checking in on her client’s kids – she's also helping her fight fraud.
“We recently requested a new SNAP card because, unfortunately, her card got duplicated somehow and she was about to lose her benefits,” Berenice says, “It was awful because, you know, they cannot reimburse those benefits -and it was two-months' worth of it.”
But, thanks to Berenice’s intervention, the problem has been resolved. “We reported it, we connected with the DHS and find out what's going on. They suggested to us to just get a new one. And she's supposed to get it this week.”
With that issue solved, Berenice moves on to the next issue. “She was trying to get approved for Medicaid because somehow her benefits also got canceled,” Berenice says, “We did the re-application and she received approval for her and one of her sons ... but not for his twin brother or older brother.”
Issues like these are not uncommon in the complicated modern healthcare and public assistance systems. Thankfully for her client, Berenice is here to help her overcame those barriers. “The changes in laws are so hard to navigate without the language barrier,” Berenice says, “You add that in, and then there's all of the red tape.”
Berenice’s visit this morning lasts roughly 30 minutes, but the impact of what she’s accomplished is immeasurable. Before she walked in the door, a young family was left without food assistance or health insurance. Half an hour later, the family’s foundation has been reinforced.
And all of it was down in the comfort and security of the client’s living room thanks to EveryStep’s home visitation model that delivers care and support when and where it is needed most without putting more pressure on an already struggling client to travel for help.
According to the IAFSP, the number of Americans served by home visits is rising, but there is still more room to grow.
Nationwide:
- 3 million home health care visits in 2024
- 319,683 children received in-home care
- That is just 1.7% of eligible pregnant women and parenting families eligible
In Iowa:
- 167,700 potential beneficiaries
- 21,974 home visits provided in 2024
- 1,798 families served
