Florida Prenatal and Infant Screen: For Providers

What are the Florida Prenatal and Infant Screens?

Florida Statute 383.14 requires that all pregnant women be offered the Florida Prenatal Screen at their first or consequent prenatal visit and the Florida Infant Screen be offered to parents/guardians of all infants born in Florida before leaving the delivery facility. Florida Prenatal and Infant Screens identify risk factors so women and infants may be referred for services that complement and assure continued participation in prenatal and infant health care.

The Florida Prenatal Screen is a simple, brief, electronic questionnaire that helps you identify factors in a pregnant woman’s life and environment, both medical and psychosocial, that might limit growth and development of her infant. The Florida Prenatal Screen is the first step in introducing your patients to the many supportive services provided by home visitation programs.

The Florida Infant Screen is a simple, brief questionnaire that helps the birthing facility identify infants who are at risk for adverse health and developmental outcomes and post-neonatal or infant mortality. Services are tailored to the needs of each family.

Who should be screened for the Florida Prenatal and Infant Screens?

Every pregnant woman must be offered the confidential Florida Prenatal Screen. Healthy Start is a free and a voluntary program. If a woman would like to enroll in Healthy Start, she should ask her doctor or healthcare provider to fill out the screen. Florida State Statute, 383.14 requires health care providers delivering prenatal services to complete the Florida Prenatal Screen. Women who score six or more on the Florida Prenatal Screen should be referred for services.

In addition, the Florida Infant Screen is offered for all infants born in Florida before leaving the delivering facility. Encourage every mother to participate in Home Visitation Programs when their infant’s score is four or more, indicating that the infant is at high risk.

Please be advised that Home Visitation Programs and their provided services do not replace the care you provide as the client’s medical provider. However, the program and services provided help support women with any issues that might affect their health and the health and well-being of their baby. Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade encourages you and your practice to offer these screens to your clients and ensure submission in a timely manner. Electronic screens facilitate a faster response to your clients!

Your assistance in completing the Florida Prenatal and Infant Screens play a vital role in ensuring that all pregnant women and infants get a chance to having a Healthy Start in life. We count on your support and commitment in ensuring that all women are screened.

Florida Prenatal and Infant Screening in Miami-Dade County

In order for pregnant women and infants to receive services, the screening process plays a vital and critical role. Each medical practice has a responsibility to offer the Florida Prenatal and/or Infant Screen to all women or infants. In addition to identifying risks and linking consenting patients to available services, this data helps with research, epidemiological study, and county by county comparisons about maternal, infant and child health.

Florida Prenatal Screens assist to reduce the infant mortality rate. Taking two minutes to conduct this screen can change a birth outcome. Women are eligible to participate in Home Visitation Programs when they choose “yes” to the screen.

Every screen counts and the Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade works with each provider in our community to ensure that all screens are completed. If you would like to have one of our liaison’s visit you, you may contact us at outreach@hscmd.org and someone from our Team will be happy to follow-up.