LinCo Littles has four primary goals:

• Promote positive childhood experiences
• Promote positive mental health in parents and guardians
• Increase home safety
• Decrease maternal and family smoking rates

• Free home safety items.
• Assess how we can  support parental mental health
• Provide in-county and  online resources.

Any parent, guardian, or pregnant person living in Lincoln County is eligible. The program can begin as soon as someone finds out they are pregnant and continues through the baby’s first birthday.

Our priority populations include:

• First-time parents
• Moms 19 and under
• Low income (according to the 2024 federal guidelines)
• High-risk pregnancy
• Transitional homes (i.e. foster care)
• Non-parental primary caregivers
• Mothers who experienced health complications
• Babies who experienced health complications

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the program, they will need to complete the LinCo Littles application. Enrollment is on a rolling basis, with services generally starting the next month. Specific program timelines are provided in the next section.

The LinCo Littles program opened its initial application period on February 12, 2024, with the first home visits in April 2024.

For services beginning the following month, applications must be submitted by the 25th. Services will have a month delay if the application is received after the 25th.  For example, if you apply on March 15, you will receive services beginning in April. If you apply on March 28, you will receive services beginning in May.

The LinCo Littles Program is a free service Lincoln County Health Department provides to our community as a way to increase safety, improve health outcomes, and support people during one of the most challenging times—pregnancy through baby’s first year. In order to keep the program safe, positive, and aligned to these goals, the following code of conduct agreement provides the commitment LCHD is making to you, and the commitment we ask you to make. We support you while you support baby.

What we ask of you:
–Be present for your scheduled visit time. Please call to reschedule if a conflict arises.
–Treat the LCHD staff coming into your home with respect.
–Do your best to assist in creating a safe environment for you, baby, and a community health nurse to meet during a scheduled home visit.
–Be honest in answering health-related questions and in feedback for how we can improve our program.
–Ensure all animals are safely secured prior to the LCHD nurse entering your home.
–Implement safety measures in your home that are provided by LCHD in the free welcome basket (i.e. fire alarm, carbon monoxide monitor, baby gate, outlet covers, etc.).

What you can expect from LCHD:
–Your community health nurse will treat you and your family with compassion and respect.
–They will always maintain professional boundaries, including confidentiality and abide by HIPAA guidelines for health-related information.
–It is important to know the nurses are mandated reporters and thus required to report suspected or confirmed child abuse or neglect, including domestic violence and the use of illegal drugs by anyone in the home.
–These reporting areas are to protect you and the community and are part of their licensing.
–The nurse is there to help connect you to resources, as long as the current situation is safe for you and baby.

Please note that client may be discharged from the LinCo Littles program due to:
a) Violations of the code of conduct agreement
b) Repeated or severely inappropriate behavior by others in the home
c) Death

The LinCo Littles program may end due to reasons outside of our control, such as :
a) Loss of funding
b) Service needs exceed what LCHD can provide

In the event of a public health emergency, home visit services may be interrupted. Should this happen, a LCHD nurse will contact you regarding appropriate next steps.