ABSTRACT
The first priority is to invest serious resources in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Child abuse is itself among the worst and most tragic of violent crimes. Nationwide, it results directly in up to 5,000 deaths per year, 18,000 permanent, severe disabilities, and 150,000 serious injuries. The Elmira program served vulnerable women – mostly white, poor, young, and unmarried – in a semirural community with some of the highest levels of child abuse and neglect in the state. Like most other home-visiting programs, Healthy Start takes a comprehensive approach to the problems its clients face. The home visitors spend considerable time on parenting issues, but they also help the families deal with a broad range of troubles and crises – from difficulties in finding housing and jobs to the lack of transportation to medical and social-service appointments.
