South Heartland District Health Department

South Heartland District Health Department, a Healthy Families America Site, Certified for Quality Service by Prevent Child Abuse America

Leading National Child Abuse Prevention Organization Accredits Healthy Families America Site in Adams, Clay, Nuckolls and Webster Counties to Serve Families

May 26, 2026

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Hastings, NE – Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) announced on May 14 that the Healthy Families America (HFA) affiliate, Healthy Families Nebraska Heartland with the South Heartland District Health Department has been awarded fidelity certification as a provider of high-quality home visiting services to pregnant families and families with infants and young children.

HFA is the signature program of PCA America and has been providing home visiting services for over 30 years. Expectant and new parents are facing new stressors and have questions about their child’s development. HFA connects with families through community partners like hospitals and pediatricians to support parents, meeting within the familiarity and convenience of the family’s own home. HFA is an accessible, voluntary, and well received service.

“HFA sites utilize evidence-based best practices to provide individualized support to families when needed most, and linkages to community services,” said Melissa Merrick, President and CEO of PCA America. “We congratulate Healthy Families Nebraska Heartland and we commend the staff for their leadership and commitment that has contributed to this important achievement.”

The Fidelity Assessment process is based upon a stringent set of 12 critical elements grounded in more than 30 years of research. The process involves an in-depth examination of the site’s operation, as well as the quality of visits made by HFA home visitors. “We commend the Healthy Families Nebraska Heartland for opening itself up to this review process,” said Kathleen Strader, National Director of HFA. “We believe that all families and all communities deserve access to quality home visiting services.”

The Healthy Families Nebraska Heartland HFA site, serving Adams, Clay, Nuckolls and Webster counties, is located at 606 N. Minnesota Avenue, in Hastings.

Tami Marcello, Healthy Families Nursing Supervisor at SHDHD, is proud of their Healthy Families Team. “Working towards our Fidelity Certification has been a rigorous, year-long process that involves meeting approximately 136 stringent standards around 12 core functions. It required an in-depth examination of operations, a written self-study, and a virtual site visit interviewing home visitors and supervisors. I am proud of everyone who worked towards achieving this certification. Their dedication to strengthening families is evident as we continue to expand our program,” she said.

Stacia Henderson, the Child and Family Services Specialist Supervisor for Children & Family Services at the Nebraska DHHS, Hastings Office, is one of SHDHD’s community partners. Ms. Henderson expressed her strong support for this program. “The strong collaboration and partnership of stakeholders in Nebraska and the South Heartland District Health Department have demonstrated positive outcomes for children and families. The data from this past year reflects the mission of HFA and further supports the evidence base of the program; Nebraska is excited to see the continued use of HFA and its impact in communities.”

One of the primary goals of HFA home visiting is to promote nurturing, responsive parent-child relationships. Home visitors in each community receive extensive training on a wide range of topics important to just about every new parent, such as: caring for a new baby, ensuring the baby is receiving the nutrition needed, promoting healthy child development, and coping with a myriad of other potential stresses, such as financial, housing, partner relationship, etc., that may become heightened with an addition to the family.

PCA America was established in 1972 with the belief that child abuse and neglect is preventable. The not-forprofit, volunteer-based organization is committed to preventing child abuse in all forms through education, research, public awareness, and public policy development. Today, PCA America supports a network of state chapters across the United States.

PCA America implemented the Healthy Families America (HFA) initiative in 1992. HFA serves families of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, meeting the needs of close to 600 communities in 38 states, D.C., the U.S. Territories, and Israel.

Healthy Families America is an effective and proven evidence-based home visiting program according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. PCA America is proud to support HFA and to be part of a national movement dedicated to improving the lives of families and children.

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