UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1020
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AN ACT relating to the Health Access Nurturing Development Services Program. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
ď˘Section 1. KRS 211.690 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) There is established within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services the Health 4
Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) Program as a voluntary 5
statewide home visitation program, for the purpose of providing assistance to at-risk 6
parents during the prenatal period and until the child's third birthday. The HANDS 7
Program recognizes that parents are the primary decision-makers for their children. 8
The goals of the HANDS Program shall be to: 9
(a) Facilitate safe and healthy delivery of babies; 10
(b) Provide information about optimal child growth and human development; 11
(c) Facilitate the safety and health of homes;[ and] 12
(d) Encourage greater self-sufficiency of families; and 13
(e) Provide information about maternal and postpartum depression. 14
(2) The cabinet shall administer the HANDS Program in cooperation with [the Cabinet 15
for Health and Family Services and the ]local public health departments. The 16
voluntary home visitation program may supplement, but shall not duplicate, any 17
existing program that provides assistance to parents of young children. 18
(3) The HANDS Program shall include educational components on: 19
(a) The recognition and prevention of pediatric abusive head trauma, as defined 20
in KRS 620.020; 21
(b) Information related to lactation consultation and breastfeeding information;[ 22
and] 23
(c) Information related to the importance of safe sleep for babies as a way to 24
prevent sudden infant death syndrome as defined in KRS 213.011; and 25
(d) The recognition and treatment of maternal and postpartum depression. 26
(4) Participants in the HANDS Program shall express informed consent to participate 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1020
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by agreement on a form promulgated by the Cabinet for Health and Family 1
Services. 2
(5) Participants in the HANDS Program shall participate in the home visitation 3
program through in-person face-to-face methods or through tele-service delivery 4
methods. For the purposes of this subsection, "tele-service" means a home visitation 5
service provided through video communication with the HANDS provider, parent, 6
and child present in real time. 7