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Purpose This paper describes the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent shift from in-person to virtual (video-based) home visiting, had on the Los Angeles County Welcome Baby Home Visiting Program. Description The Welcome Baby (WB) Program is a voluntary, universal home visiting program for expectant women and women with infants in Los Angeles County implemented in 14 hospitals in Los Angeles County. Oversight of the program is managed by LA Best Babies Network (LABBN) and funded by First 5 LA. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Welcome Baby Home visitors to shift from in-person home visits to virtual visits, which had an impact on programmatic outcomes. Assessment LABBN manages a database utilized by WB sites. In assessing data trends before and during the pandemic, shifting to virtual visits resulted in an increase in both missed visits and completed visits, and a decrease in overall visit length. Completion of required assessments and overall client program completion were not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion The Welcome Baby sites across Los Angeles County were able to successfully migrate in-person visits to a virtual platform, proving that virtual visits are possible and do provide some programmatic benefits. However, the long-term efficacy of virtual visits remains to be seen, and further research is warranted., Author(s): Martha J. Bock [sup.1] , Kayla Kakavand [sup.1] , Diana Careaga [sup.2] , Sharlene Gozalians [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Technical Assistance and Training Team, LA Best Babies Network, , [...]

COVID‐19 has disrupted many of the preventive service sectors designed to promote infant mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine provider and supervisor transition strategies as well as maternal‐child outcomes during the transition from in‐person to virtual early childhood home visitation services in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County is one of the largest home visitation sectors in the U.S. and disproportionately impacted by the COVID‐19 pandemic. Transitioning from in‐person to virtual home visitation was an important step in ensuring the continuity of infant mental health services. Home visitors reported relative ease in transitioning to virtual services themselves but noted that families encountered greater difficulty. The most helpful strategies to support this transition included training, ongoing reflective supervision, and provision of technology. Family level analysis revealed that positive screening rates for anxiety and depression decreased during the pandemic as did referrals for most support services. These findings likely highlight challenges in delivering virtual home visitation. Understanding how transitions in a key infant serving sector were managed serves an important role in forecasting for the future and preparing for future public heath emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this review was to assess the existing literature on the relationship between built environment, healthy food access, and youth perception. In the literature, limited numbers of studies are available that focus on factors of healthy food access in the built environment and youth perceptions of food access. Researchers report that youth perceive healthy food access to be difficult and limited. Unhealthy food items are easily accessible, cheaper, and better advertised to the younger population. Low-income youth are more likely to have easier and cheaper access to unhealthy food items such as fast food. A better understanding is needed to improve programs targeting youth and health disparities in low-income neighborhoods that suffer disproportionately from the lack of healthy food access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]